Sauble Named NMCGA’s 2012 Cattleman of the Year

Bill Sauble, Maxwell, was named the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association’s (NMCGA’s) 2012 Cattleman of the Year during the Joint Stockmen’s Convention, held December 6 – 9 in Albuquerque.

“To quote those who nominated him for the award, Bill has served his nation, state, community, family and the cattle industry in an amazingly unselfish and unmatched manner,” said Rex Wilson, Carrizozo, NMCGA President.  “We are all better off for Bill’s efforts, proud to call him a friend, and pleased to honor him as Cattleman of the Year.”

Each year the New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association honors one of its' own, selected by the Board of Directors, for the time, effort, miles, hours on the phone, blood, sweat and tears they have devoted to the Association, our families, our state and often our nation, Wilson noted.  The award was sponsored by Farm Credit of New Mexico.

Sauble is a past president of the NMCGA, has chaired and served on numerous committees, and has traveled across New Mexico and the nation to represent the Association.  He is currently the chairman of the New Mexico Livestock Board, and has served on that board under four different governors – no small feat in New Mexico.  He is also a Colfax County Commissioner and a member of the U.S. Animal Health Association.

“Bill works just as hard to protect the cattle industry as a whole as he does to ensure the continued success of his family’s operation,” Wilson noted.  “He is a man of high character who unfailing answers the call and rises to the occasion, and we’re fortunate to have him in our corner.”

In addition, Sauble is a dedicated member of the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, and the Sauble family was recently honored as that association’s Farm and Ranch Family of the Year.   He has also served as a church deacon, 4-H leader, and County Fair volunteer.

Sauble graduated from New Mexico State University.  After serving in the Navy, he married his high-school sweetheart, Debbie, and the couple returned to the ranch in north-central New Mexico that has been in the family since 1914.  They have two children, Troy and Tara, and two grandsons, five-year-old twins Cole and Tyson.

The NMCGA has represented the beef industry in New Mexico and the West since 1914 and has members in all 33 of the state’s counties as well as some 14 other states. The Association participates in venues necessary to protect beef producers and private property rights including litigation, state and federal legislation and regulatory affairs.  You can visit or join the NMCGA online at www.nmagriculture.org.

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