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© 2025 Behind the Burger
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Created by the New Mexico Beef Council, we are telling the stories behind the beef in New Mexico.
20 Episodes
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Send us a text What does it take to keep a ranch thriving when prices swing, rain stalls, and the next generation needs a runway? We sit with Jim and Jay Hill outside Las Cruces to map a path from mules and tobacco fields to GPS tractors, custom feeding, alfalfa, cotton, seed crops, and even commercial real estate. Their story is equal parts resilience and reinvention, proving that diversification is not a buzzword—it’s a survival plan that protects both cattle and family. Jim shares how sma...
Send us a text We celebrate a year of bold outreach: a locally piloted hot air balloon, a fast-growing school beef grant, a statewide sports nutrition push, and farm tours that bring health pros onto ranches. Every move centers one goal—connect producers and consumers with clear stories, real education, and local pride. • Launching a New Mexico Beef hot air balloon with Zia approval • Starting a podcast to bridge ranch and table • Extending the Sports Nutrition Game Plan through NMAA • Pract...
Send us a text A lobby fight over the beef checkoff. A dusty arena humming with beginners and world champs. And a simple reframing that changed everything: team roping isn’t just a rodeo discipline - it’s “cowboy golf.” We sit down with Denny Gentry to chart how a ranch kid from southern New Mexico helped unite a divided industry, grew local qualifiers into national institutions, and built the infrastructure that turned a ranch skill into a billion‑dollar ecosystem. Denny recounts the hard l...
Send us a text Early mornings on horseback and late nights in a tractor aren’t a contradiction—they’re the operating system of a ranch that actually works. We sit down with Fort Sumner’s Jimmie Fitzgerald to trace how a Texas upbringing, New Mexico grass, and a stubborn love for doing things right built a family operation that farms, grazes, and finishes with purpose. Jimmie opens up about making the hard choice to move, take over, and then expand—adding ranches, growing the farm, and buildi...
Send us a text Joel Van Dam, a third-generation dairy farmer from Route 77 Dairy, takes us behind the scenes of modern dairy production and its surprising connection to the beef industry. With 4,200 dairy cows and a newly acquired ranch, Joel bridges two agricultural worlds with innovative thinking and deep family roots. The conversation explores "beef on dairy" genetics – an increasingly common practice where dairy cows are bred with specialized beef bulls to produce calves with better beef...
Send us a text Agriculture runs deep in Larry Reagan's blood. As President of the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, he bridges the gap between policy and pasture, advocating for the 22,000 members who make up the state's oldest and largest agricultural organization. "Raising cattle is a calling, not just a job," Reagan explains during this enlightening conversation with Caroline Romo of the New Mexico Beef Council. His journey from insurance customer to influential agricultural leader pa...
Send us a text Have you ever wondered what ranching looks like in paradise? Our journey to Maui reveals a surprising side of Hawaii few visitors ever see - a thriving cattle industry generating $82 million annually across the islands. This special collaboration between the New Mexico Beef Council and the Hawaii Beef Industry Council is a fun way to share the story of ranching in another state. In this special on-location episode, we're joined by Kristin Mack-Almasin, Livestock Manager at Ulu...
Send us a text Secretary Jeff Witte takes us behind the curtain of New Mexico agriculture, revealing how a reluctant political appointee became the state's longest-serving Secretary of Agriculture. With warmth and candor, he shares the fascinating journey that began when his college dean urged him to enter a field he initially resisted, ultimately discovering his passion for agricultural policy and public service. The conversation unveils the surprising reach of the New Mexico Department of ...
Send us a text Alisa Ogden, a fifth-generation rancher and third-generation farmer from southeastern New Mexico, shares her family's rich history of land stewardship dating back to 1890. Her insights reveal how successful ranchers balance conservation, innovation, and tough decision-making through challenging drought cycles while maintaining passion for producing quality beef. • Fifth-generation rancher whose great-great-grandfather homesteaded south of Carlsbad in 1890 • Past president of N...
Send us a text Dive into the world of veterinary medicine and food safety with Dr. Samantha Holeck, New Mexico's State Veterinarian, as she shares her remarkable journey from growing up on a small Carlsbad cattle ranch to safeguarding the health of livestock across the entire state. Dr. Holeck pulls back the curtain on the critical yet often unseen work of protecting our food supply, revealing how her 15 years as a mobile livestock veterinarian prepared her for monitoring and managing animal...
Send us a text What happens when a chef's passion for food quality leads to raising cattle? In this enlightening conversation with the family behind Sile Pastures, we discover how culinary expertise transformed into regenerative ranching in Sile, New Mexico. Sage Hagan shares his remarkable journey from high-end kitchens working alongside Wolfgang Puck to establishing a diversified farm operation with his wife Andrea and their daughters. Their story illustrates the challenges and rewards of ...
Send us a text Agricultural advocate Tara Vander Dussen takes us behind the scenes of modern dairy farming, revealing how traditional practices are evolving alongside innovative approaches like beef-on-dairy breeding programs. As a fifth-generation dairy farmer married to another fifth-generation producer, Tara brings a unique perspective that spans environmental science, hands-on farming, and global advocacy. The conversation explores a fascinating transition happening in dairy operations n...
Send us a text Dr. Francine Giotto shares her journey from veterinary medicine in Brazil to becoming a meat science professor at New Mexico State University, where she revitalized the program after a long gap following her predecessor's retirement. • Originally from Brazil with parents in agriculture and food processing industries • Holds degrees in veterinary medicine, animal production, and two PhDs in animal science and meat science • Focuses research on combating pathogenic bacteri...
Send us a text Belinda Garland brings a unique perspective to the beef industry as both a fourth-generation New Mexico rancher and the first female Executive Director of the New Mexico Livestock Board. Her story begins in the 1870s when her great-grandfather settled in Torrance County after the Civil War, establishing a ranching legacy that continues today. Growing up without brothers meant Belinda and her sister became "the cowboys" – learning to work cattle, developing strong work ethics, ...
Send us a text Abby O'Connor, fifth-generation rancher from Stanley, New Mexico, shares her family's century-old ranching legacy and their operation raising Hereford, Angus, and Charlay cattle for seed stock while managing the challenges of New Mexico's unique landscape. • Bill King Ranch has been operating for over 100 years with Abby's two-year-old daughter representing the sixth generation • Managing cattle in New Mexico's arid climate requires constant adaptation to rainfall patterns tha...
Send us a text Kate Schulz shares her unique perspective as both a ranch-raised dietitian and the nutrition expert for the New Mexico Beef Council, helping bridge the gap between food production and nutritional guidance. • Family connection to agriculture spans generations, with her great-grandfather homesteading the Nebraska-Wyoming family ranch over 100 years ago • Becoming a registered dietitian requires a master's degree, internship, national exam, and state licensure • Common misconcep...
Send us a text "You're wired that way," Cheryl Knight explains about her deep-rooted connection to ranching, despite once vowing as a teenager never to marry a cowboy or return to ranch life. Life had other plans. From the windswept mesas of Tucumcari, New Mexico, Cheryl shares the multi-generational story of her family's ranching legacy. What began with her father purchasing land from her grandfather has grown into a thriving operation where family members across generations work together c...
Send us a text Journey to the grasslands outside Tucumcari, New Mexico where rancher Justin Knight reveals the authentic story behind your beef. Unlike many in agriculture, Justin didn't inherit a family operation—his passion ignited at age 13 while showing horses, eventually leading him to marry into a ranching family and establish his own cattle operation in Quay County. What does it really take to produce the beef on your plate? Justin shares candid insights about breaking ice at dawn so ...
Send us a text Belinda Lavender of Lavender Brangus shares her family's century-long legacy of cattle ranching in eastern New Mexico and how they're improving beef genetics with each generation. She discusses the rewards and challenges of raising Brangus seed stock cattle while balancing tradition with cutting-edge DNA technology. • Fifth-generation rancher with family roots dating back to the 1900s in New Mexico • Focuses on breeding Brangus cattle with improved genetics for commercial oper...
Send us a text This trailer talks about what to expect from our podcast "Behind the Burger" hosted by the New Mexico Beef Council. Thanks for tuning in to Behind the Burger! Stay connected with us — follow @NMBEEF on TikTok and Instagram, New Mexico Beef Council on Facebook and visit nmbeef.com for recipes, nutrition info, a local beef directory and more.
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