Tom Sidwell, JX Ranch, Owner/Operator

Tom was born and raised in south central New Mexico. His father was an old-time cowboy who worked on several large cattle outfits in Lincoln and Otero Counties. His family came to New Mexico in a covered wagon from Texas in the early 1890’s, and homesteaded in the foothills of the Capitan Mountains.

Tom served in the United States Army for two years. When he came back he graduated from New Mexico State University with a degree in Range Management. For many years, Tom managed several large ranches both in Southwest Texas and in South Central New Mexico.

In 1980 he was introduced to Allan Savory’s Holistic Resource Management principles, an intensive grazing and planning process, which he successfully implemented on these ranches. He is also the owner and Qualified Broker of Sidwell Farm and Ranch Realty, LLC, selling New Mexico farms ranches and other rural properties throughout the State. He is often a speaker on grazing and drought management at events across the State. Tom does range monitoring and grazing planning for the ranch, and when he finds time, he runs the bulldozer grubbing mesquite and juniper.

Mimi Sidwell, JX Ranch, Owner/Operator

Mimi was born in Sweden where she grew up on horseback, dreaming of being a cowboy and riding the wide open spaces of the West. She never outgrew her dream, and went on week-long camping rides in Arizona’s Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly.

In 1988 she was offered a position in Boston, MA. This was the opportunity she had waited for that would take her across the ocean permanently. It was not long before she found herself living on a ranch in New Mexico learning everything from fixing windmills, fences and pipelines, to caring for and working cattle, while also  day-working on other ranches. She attended cattle and ranch related seminars, joined cattle organizations, took classes (e.g. Ranching for Profit School) and went to meetings, but it was the hands-on experience that taught her the most. Mimi is now living her dream, getting her hands dirty and working hard alongside Tom. She handles the grass-fed beef operation and also takes in travelers who stay in their bunkhouse b&b for the night.

Delane Atticity 

Delane lives at the Taos Pueblo in Taos, New Mexico. He is the Executive Director of the Indian Nations Conservation Alliance. He earned an M.S. in Ranch Management and Agribusiness from the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management at Texas A&M University-Kingsville and a B.A.Sc. in Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. He also serves on the board of directors for Navajo Agricultural Products Industry and is the former chair of the Native American Rangeland Advisory Committee for the Society for Range Management. Delane has been drawn to Holistic Management for a number of years but took his first formal Holistic Management training through HMI’s Whole Farm/Ranch Land Management Training course in 2016 with Kirk Gadzia. Delane is excited about being on HMI’s board and brings his expertise with tribal lands to share with the organization.