“Working in agriculture means carving out a place for my daughter and other women to sit at the same tables and learn the rungs of the beef industry ladder just like the men.“

Q: Tell us about your agricultural operation, your background and how you got started in agriculture. 

My husband and I run a 22 section commercial cow/calf operation. My husband family and I are all 4th generation ranchers and our kids are 5th generation. I am a past state president for New Mexico Cowbelles and a 25 year public beef agvocate. I started my clothing brand, U Spur, because every clothing or home item labeled as “western” actually had holsteins. We’re beef producers, I created the brand to promote beef in a fun way. I have worked all over the country as an industrial safety consultant and insurance inspector, mostly ag properties. We opened our Cold Backed Coffee House this year because our tiny town of Magdalena had nowhere for breakfast and we took a 58 calf loss due to the wolf introduction in our area. We’re slinging coffee and donuts to try and make up for that loss, that’s a lot of donuts at today’s prices. We’re dreading calving season this next year but we’re not going down without a fight.

Q: What does working in agriculture, and specifically being a woman in agriculture, mean to you?

It means carving out a place for my daughter and other women to sit at the same tables and learn the rungs of the beef industry ladder just like the men. We can be an asset besides kitchen help. My husband won’t hire anyone to help and I used to get offended till I realized he has me help because I can do the job the way he wants it done. It’s actually a compliment now.

Q: What do you wish the next generation of women in agriculture would know about your work? What advice would you give them?

I would tell them to toughen up and grow some really thick skin. Study the markets and the different ways to produce beef, market beef, sell beef, and process beef. There’s more than a thousand ways to skin this proverbial cat.

Q: Have you had access to formal education or informal training programs to help you grow your operation?

School of hard knocks and dirty hands is the best teacher in this industry. Bqa and masters in beef advocacy certificates.

Q: What would make it easier for women in agriculture to access the capital they need?

Financial institutions that will look at the work the woman does instead of going straight to asking for “the man” in charge.

Q: What technologies or innovations have made the biggest difference on your farm? How do you stay informed about best practices, weather, markets, or new technologies?

Learning the fundamentals of the marketing and what drives each aspect of it from the stockers to the cow/calf to the sale barns, feed lots, packers, and retailers. My husband is a very well respected commander in NM and we have lengthy discussions on what is happening in the markets on a daily basis. We watch for any new innovations that may help us keep running.

Q: Describe a specific challenge you faced and how you overcame it. 

Wolf introduction in this area as an experimental range program is something entirely new for all ranchers in this area. No one has ever had to deal with them before and we didn’t sign up to participate in any programs, and certainly not at our expense. We’re hanging on by our toenails. Had prices not been what they are this last year, we would have lost everything to wolves. 58 calves is half our calf crop. Not many businesses can survive those types of losses.