Yet the wholesale price paid for beef is 20 percent lower this year than it was in 1991. Last year, McKeen sold 400 acres of his 6,000-acre ranch to cover expenses. In the past few years, he's watched his uncle and other neighbors sell out. McKeen's back yard, Catron County, is larger than Delaware. It is a sprawling landscape of juniper, sandstone outcroppings, elk and mountain lions.
Locals remain independent, known for their outspoken dislike of the federal government.
Many of the 250 ranching families here use part of the Gila National Forest for their cattle. In the past decade, two environmental groups have made the region a national flash point for grazing battles. Dozens of lawsuits have been filed to remove cattle because of concerns over endangered species. The cowboys are slowly losing. McKeen sees one recent landmark decision that removed cattle from certain streams as another nail in the coffin.