Santa Teresa cattle crossing major beef corridor

Beef on the hoof is the name of the game at the Santa Teresa International Export/Import Livestock Crossing. Daniel Manzanares, director, said that $220 million worth of cattle passes through the crossing — which literally straddles the international border — each year. "We cross about (one) third to (one) half of all animals between Mexico and the United States," Manzanares said. "We're an American agriculture cooperative with foreign ownership: (the) Mexican cattle growers from Chihuahua." Manzanares spoke to a tour group made up of the New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Committee on Tuesday. He said that the crossing has dealt with 282,000 head of cattle this year. "For us, a good year is 300,000, so we're way ahead with the curve," he said. "This year, the issue with animals coming across is the drought in Mexico. The drought causes a lot of ranchers to bring them across and sell them and the prices were very good. "With the falling of prices on the American side and the extended rains that've started to come in Chihuahua, ranchers (will) hold back cattle to allow them to gain a few more pounds," Manzanares said. The crossing has put in nearly $1.1 million in infrastructure improvements the past 4 1/2 years, including a United States Department of Agriculture grant of about $50,000 to install new cameras...more