September 27, 2019
Fourth-generation rancher Becky Spindle and her husband, Tom, help run her father’s ranch, the Bill King Ranch in Moriarty, N.M. The King family has been ranching and farming in Moriarty for 103 years and was …
Fourth-generation rancher Becky Spindle and her husband, Tom, help run her father’s ranch, the Bill King Ranch in Moriarty, N.M. The King family has been ranching and farming in Moriarty for 103 years and was honored as the 2015 New Mexico Ranch Family of the Year. Recognized as a BEEF Magazine Seedstock 100 operation for several years, Bill King Ranch is home to 400 purebred Hereford cows, 300 Angus cows and 300 purebred Charolais cows. The diversified operation grows alfalfa, silage corn and winter wheat and also has a feedlot, where cattle are fed and marketed as non-hormone, age- and source-verified natural beef. The Kings buy back calves from their seedstock customers to put in their feedlot and to market in their brand’s all-natural program. They also sell all-natural beef at local farmers markets under the Bill King Ranch brand.
Becky and her family sell 350-400 bulls each year private treaty. Their goal is to be the largest seedstock operation in the Southwest and to grow their branded beef operation. They continually work to improve their registered cattle which, in turn, improves their customers’ cow base and calf crop. Additionally, they own a small club calf herd, selling steers to 4-H members and FFA students. Their ranch hosts field days for legislators and other groups to educate them about agriculture in New Mexico.
After attending New Mexico State University, Becky came home with her husband to raise their children — Jordan (Brendon) Lockmiller, Abby, Cash and Charli Grace. Along with managing the ranch, Becky, maintains the accounting and herd books for the operation, sells their branded beef and volunteers as much as possible to help grow the next generation of agriculture leaders in their state.
She has served on the boards of the National Junior Hereford Association, the New Mexico Hereford Association and the National Hereford Women. As well, she advises the New Mexico Junior Hereford Association and has been a voting delegate numerous times at the AHA Annual Meeting.
Her involvement outside the Hereford breed includes serving on the board of directors for the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, the Torrance County Farm Service Agency, the Moriarty-Edgewood School Board, the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, the New Mexico State 4-H Foundation and Moriarty FFA alumni. She and Tom have been 4-H leaders of the Los Amigos 4-H club since 2004 and are livestock and meat team coaches for 4-H and FFA juniors.