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© 2026 Behind the Burger
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Behind every burger is a story.
Produced by the New Mexico Beef Council, Behind the Burger introduces you to the ranchers, families, and industry professionals who raise cattle, steward the land, and keep beef at the center of New Mexico’s culture and economy.
We go beyond the plate to explore heritage, hard work, nutrition, and the future of beef in our state - sharing transparent conversations that connect consumers to the people behind their food.
29 Episodes
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Send a text The real story of New Mexico beef isn’t a TV montage of horses and hero shots. It’s drought math, grass management, and a daily promise that the cattle get water and care before anything else. From the New Mexico Cattle Growers office in Moriarty, we sit down with Kimberly Stone, a fifth-generation rancher from Capitan, to talk about what it takes to keep a commercial cow-calf operation moving forward when the land and the world keep changing. Kimberly shares what stewardship mea...
Send a text A fifth-generation rancher from Roswell, New Mexico, pulls back the curtain on how a family outfit survives drought, policy, and razor-thin margins without losing its soul. Bronson Corn joins Carollann Romo to share the decisions that kept their herd intact—building a cow-focused feed yard as a drought tool, rotating entire ranches through pens to rest brittle grasslands, and accepting the hard work of calving under lights to beat scours and protect condition. It’s a story about s...
Send a text We sit down with Tom Paterson, rancher and new president of New Mexico Cattle Growers, to talk stewardship, drought strategy, and how data and design make cattle calmer and beef better. From policy wins to local processing, we share a clear path to resilient ranching. • law-to-ranch journey and Spur Ranch origins • role and scope of New Mexico Cattle Growers • drought, culling decisions, and infrastructure pivots • Temple Grandin handling systems and hydraulic chutes • breeding w...
Send a text We trace how a ranch family in Curry County built a vertically integrated beef business, from wheat pasture yearlings to a fresh meat counter known for prime cuts, green chile brats, and face-to-face service. We compare grocery and direct beef, tackle pricing myths, and share what’s next, including USDA inspection and expanded local delivery. • Family ranch roots and multi-state cow-calf, stocker, and feeding operations • COVID catalyst for direct-to-consumer sales and retail lau...
Send a text Start with 12 cows, add three counties of scattered leases, mix in a veterinarian, a range scientist, and two determined brothers, and you get a modern ranch story that’s as practical as it is inspiring. We sit down with Jim and Jovani Armendariz to trace their family’s path from their parents’ arrival in America to a 300-cow operation known for turning bare ground into healthy grass—and healthy beef. We talk through the real economics of ranching: why leasing often beats buying,...
Send a text Hard truths, open pastures, and a lot of heart—Heidi Humphries invites us into her family’s Black Angus cow‑calf ranch outside Tucumcari, New Mexico, and shows what real stewardship looks like. We dig into the daily choices that keep cattle healthy and a multi‑generation operation moving forward: adapting to arid grasslands, rotating pastures with intention, fixing water lines after storms, and building a uniform herd that fits today’s beef market without losing sight of long‑term...
Send a text A famous outlaw's grave you can see from the kitchen sink, a trail that once fed frontier forts, and a family betting on rain—this is ranching in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. We sit down with Sarah Fitzgerald, chair of the New Mexico Beef Council, to unpack what it really takes to raise beef in an arid landscape where stocking rates stretch to 50–70 acres per animal unit and every decision hinges on land, water, and numbers. We explore the engine room of their operation: a small, tig...
Send a text Curiosity, service, and straight talk drive this deep dive with New Mexico rancher and board member Boe Lopez, who opens up about life on the range and the work behind a trustworthy beef supply. We trace his path from a family operation rooted in generations of grit to leadership roles that demand tough decisions, transparency, and constant learning. Along the way, Boe breaks down what most folks never see: how Beef Council dollars are governed, why promotion needs to be bold yet ...
Send a text We sit down at Corralitos Ranch with fourth-generation cattleman Ross Foster to explore drought planning, water work, herd temperament, and the real meaning of stewardship on public and private lands. Grit meets grace as we follow the choices that make cattle calm, grass recover, and families keep going. • family history and purpose of the Las Cruces ranch • drought, wind and the decision to let pastures seed • water lines, dirt tanks and center pivots for resilience&...
Send 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 smart ...
Send 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 • Practica...
Send 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 less...
Send 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 building ...
Send 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 ch...
Send 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 paral...
Send 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 Ulupal...
Send 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 Agr...
Send 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 New ...
Send 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 he...
Send 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 bei...
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