From Calf to Community: Building a Ranch That Lasts with Jimmie Fitzgerald

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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 a yard so the business could feed more than one family. He explains why carrying capacity is a year-long calculation, not a good-looking month, and how being a “grass barber” protects both the range and the bottom line. We dig into the practical playbook: branding and weaning vaccines that prevent wrecks, reading cattle twice a day, and weighing often because a half-pound of gain multiplied across a set is real money. He shares how alfalfa, wheat, and silage connect the dots between pastures and pens, turning weather swings into manageable decisions rather than emergencies.

The conversation stays grounded in people. Jimmy talks about earning respect as a younger operator, the neighbor culture that makes brandings work, and why teaching kids to do hard things is the true payoff. We also pull back the curtain for consumers—how to talk to your butcher, what to look for in a steak, and why questions lead to better beef on your plate. And yes, we end at the grill with a sleeper cut you should try next: tablitas, cross-cut ribs seasoned simply and cooked hot for big, marbled flavor.

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