Agriculture & Horticulture
Catron County is the largest county in the state consisting of 6,798 square miles, 75% of which is public land. It is also the least densely populated county in New Mexico with a population of 3,543. Beef cattle are the primary agriculture commodity produced in the county, as there are currently 170 beef cattle ranches. Most agricultural programs focus primarily on beef cattle profitability. Catron County has 130 traditional 4-H members enrolled, about 40% of the 4-H age youth in the county. Visit our Calendar of Events section for upcoming events, dates, times and locations.
Beef Cattle Production
Catron County's economy is based on beef cattle production. At the same time more than 87% of the counties 4,414,720 acres are made up of US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, or State administrated lands. Today's rancher s face not only traditional range management issues, they also must work within the constraints set by natural resource management agencies. Often times these constraints lead to conflicts with the agencies as well as environmental groups.
Land management agencies have not been doing comprehensive rangeland monitoring. This has required ranchers to monitor their own rangeland not only to help them make management decisions but also to use to defend their management actions. This monitoring information will also be beneficial to the rancher in the event they become involved in litigation. Wildlife/livestock conflicts have also arisen as ranchers and wildlife enthusiasts compete for the same resources. In addition many areas within the county contain poison plants. These plants lead to losses annually; ranchers need to know the most up to date management practiced to deal with poisonous plants.
Livestock Production
Catron County's economy is very dependent on beef cattle production. Catron County's dependence on Federal lands grazing, along with low cattle prices and high feed cost, lead to more and more uncertainty for the rancher. Catron County ranchers are facing tough times financially, cuts in carrying capacity and season of use on grazing permits have forced many ranchers to drastically reduce or even liquidate their herds. This reduced production potential makes it very difficult to service debts. Now, more than ever, ranchers are forced to do more with less return. In addition public land ranchers also have to work within the constraints of the land management agencies, which reduces flexibility.
Wildlife Managment
Catron County has an abundance of wildlife resources. Many people in Catron County benefit financially from annual hunting seasons for big game animals, particularly elk. The county's dependency on livestock production for economic stability has led to many conflicts between wildlife enthusiast and agriculture producers. These entities are competing for many of the same natural resources. Therefore, sound research-based information is needed by ranchers, hunters, public land management agencies and the general public to make informed decisions concerning wildlife. Mexican gray wolves, the loach minnow, spotted owl and willow fly catcher, are just a few of the endangered species potentially found in Catron County. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, along with other Federal and State agencies, implement management plans to deal with these and other species that can in some cases drastically alter the current management on these lands. The addition of environmental groups and other activists can lead to heated conflicts over what should be done with both public and private resources.