By Christopher Coon
Managing Editor,
New Mexico Farm & Ranch Magazine

Cotton industry advocates, including the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, joined regional cotton producers for a news conference at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces to explain the importance of the Southwestern Cotton Ginning Research Laboratory.

The laboratory, located on the western edge of New Mexico State University, will be eliminated in September if the current version of the President’s $8 million proposed cut to the Agricultural Research Service’s budget for next year stands. The lab has been in continuous operation since 1949. Read the rest of this entry »

By Christopher Coon
Managing Editor,
New Mexico Farm & Ranch Magazine

The New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau is participating on a task force that is making recommendations for renewable fuels legislation.

The task force, which is being administered by the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, began meeting in May to develop policy that will be introduced to the N.M. legislature in hopes of enacting a renewable fuels standard. In 2005, President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law. The legislation includes a nationwide renewable fuels standard that will double the use of ethanol and biodiesel by 2012. Read the rest of this entry »

By Erik Ness
Director of Communications and Media Relations,
New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau

A 20 year-old cowgirl from the rain-rich pastures of Western Oregon, and a Tularosa roper with an eye for engineering, are the winners of the “DuBois Award” for All Around Cowgirl and Cowboy on the New Mexico State University Rodeo Team. Bailey Gow, a gifted rodeo athlete from Roseburg, Oregon, picked up the Dubois Award for her individual and team efforts.

Ty Trammell of Tularosa, New Mexico, and two-time recipient of the G.B. Oliver, Jr. rodeo scholarship, was the DuBois Award winner for All-Around Cowboy. He is a senior at NMSU majoring in survey engineering. Prior to his college career, Trammell attended Tularosa High School. In 2001 he and his roping partner, James Gilliland, were the National High School Rodeo Finals champion team ropers. Read the rest of this entry »

By Chris Coon
Managing Editor,
New Mexico Farm and Ranch Magazine

The founding members of the Aggie Rodeo Team were the inaugural inductees to the NMSU Rodeo Hall of Fame during ceremonies at Dickerson’s Barn in Las Cruces.

The Aggie Rodeo Team originated in 1942 and had 13 members. Giles Lee, one of the original team members, said he and others organized the first team in March of 1942 just in time to go compete at a rodeo in Tucson hosted by the University of Arizona. Read the rest of this entry »