Jessica Eck discovered her career path after attending the New Mexico Youth Ranch Management Camp in 2012. Reflecting on her experience, she stated, "When I went to ranch camp, I discovered range. I just loved it. I loved learning about all the grasses, learning about the ecosystems." Eck graduated from New Mexico State University (NMSU) in 2016.
Established in 2011 by NMSU’s Cooperative Extension Service, the camp offers high school students hands-on activities and college-level instruction on various aspects of ranch management. This includes financial statements, marketing strategies, and managing natural resources and wildlife. The latest camp took place at the CS Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, from June 9-14.
Tom Dean, Extension Southwest District director, noted the program's impact: “More than 200 youth who have participated in past ranch camps gain a greater appreciation of the science and opportunities in agriculture. It is also a win-win for our aging agricultural industry with more young people having interest in going into this type of work.”
Amber Montano changed her university plans after attending the camp in 2017. "The experience at ranch camp... completely changed my outlook on everything," said Montano. She later decided to study agricultural business at NMSU and graduated in 2020 and 2023.
Abby Spindle attended the camp in 2015 and credits it with helping her professionally at the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association. "I don’t always use the information we learned, but I remember all the people I went with," Spindle said.
Mason Grau found his college major during his time at ranch camp after graduating high school in 2014. He expressed his enthusiasm for agricultural business due to his interest in economic aspects and marketing strategies taught at the camp. Grau began working as an Extension Ag agent for Curry County and started leading at ranch camp in 2023.
Rolando Flores Galarza, Dean of NMSU’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), emphasized the program's significance: “The commitment of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences toward New Mexico’s youth is very strong and targeted... It is our goal to have more opportunities like this for young New Mexicans.”
Eck now works at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Idaho and hopes to replicate her impactful experience for youth there. “It affected me so much that I want to try to expand and give that opportunity to other students,” she said.
A version of this story was published in Panorama's spring 2024 issue.
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