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Carl Johnson
Region IV
Director
Carl Lane Johnson learned to love ranching from the age of 1 ˝ years. He was born on May 28, 1938 in Abilene, Texas. He moved onto the Diamond and a Half Ranch near Jal, New Mexico with his parents Carl A Johnson Jr. and Mary Lane Johnson and his sister, Janora in 1939. The ranch had been given to his parents and an aunt and uncle by his grandfather Joe Lane, an ambitious, hardworking man. There were ranches given to each of Joe Lane’s four children and one to share among four of his grandchildren. From that beginning Carl became the third generation in New Mexico, to live and operate within the cattle business. His two sons, Jarrod and Justin, have now followed in the family tradition, each living on and managing their own ranches in Northern Lea County, New Mexico. Carl’s father, Carl A Johnson Jr, was born in a homesteaders shack at Ragland, NM, eventually moving to Roswell, NM where he met Mary Lane. She was born in a dugout on Sulfer Draw outside of Gomez, Texas. Her father, Joe Lane, born in Gunsight, Texas was from a ranching family. Mary was raised in the home her parents built in 1916 on The Nine Ranch near Tatum, New Mexico, but attended school in Roswell. The Diamond and a Half Ranch became the beginning of Carl’s ranching career. As there was no school bus service and no road for it the family had to move to Lovington so the children could attend school. This saddened Carl as he was worried that the ranch could not be taken care of without his help. All holidays and summers were spent on either the Diamond and a Half Ranch or The Hackberry Ranch located in northern Lea County, New Mexico. The Hackberry Ranch was purchased by Carl’s parents around 1943. After graduating from Lovington, NM High School in 1956 Carl attended the University of Arizona, pledged the Phi Gamma Delta social fraternity becoming their House Manager in 1958-1959, and graduated with a BS in Range Management and minor in business in1960. Upon graduation Carl went to work for his father at “pretty poor wages” on whichever of the two ranches he was needed. In 1957 Carl’s folks picked up the paper on the 96 Ranch in Grant and Hidalgo counties near Lordburg, NM. The ranch was turned over to Carl and his sister, Janora Johnson Bilbo, to operate and pay off the note. Carl served his time in the NM National Guard during this period. When that time was up Carl went to work for his grandfather, Joe Lane, to run the Nine Ranch which was inherited by Carl, Janora and two cousins in equal shares. The year was 1962; Carl has made the Nine Ranch his home ever since; moving into that same home where his Mom grew up. By 1965 Carl had traded his shares in the 96 Ranch for the shares from his sister in the Nine Ranch and by 1975 purchased the remaining shares from his two cousins, thus giving him 100% ownership in the Nine Ranch. In 1968 a daughter, Melanie, was born followed in 1970 by his twin sons, Jarrod and Justin. For awhile there, a light was always on in the house and a baby always needing “tending to”. But soon diapers went by the side and all three children became great “hands” for their Daddy – helping in every way imaginable. In 1969 Jewel Avent got Carl and 10 other men (Billy Cogsdill being one) to form Prairie Cattle and Grain Co. – a 30,000 head feedlot and grain storage and handling facility at Tulia, Texas. Carl and others sold out in 1975. In 1970 Carl bought the Lovelace Ranch in Lincoln and Socorro counties near Carrizozo, NM. After the 1973 to 1985 wreck and being nearly broke he sold the ranch in 1986. Throughout his career he periodically ran cattle on wheat in Texas and New Mexico and also grass cattle in the north eastern area of New Mexico; in addition Carl fed cattle off and on from 1969 until 2004. Carl’s parents turned the operation of the Diamond and a Half Ranch and the Hackberry Ranch over to Carl around 1975. Eventually these ranches were to pass through to their five grandchildren. In 1990 Carl bought the Hedgecoxe Ranch at Caprock, NM for the five grandchildren with himself as a partner. In the same year, he bought Janora’s two children’s shares of the Diamond and a Half, Hackberry Ranch and Hedgecoxe Ranch for his own three children. In 1980 Carl purchased a plane to oversee all ranches. The ranches were scattered, and since he was raising his children by himself the plane would give him an opportunity to be home at night. Zip Franklin taught him to fly. After flying hard for many years he sold the plane in1992. His boys had come home from college to help with the operations. He lost his daughter, Melanie, in 1994. Carl met Barbara Weaver at a New Mexico CattleGrower’s meeting in 1980. Finally, at long, long last they were married in 1996. They sure didn’t want to hurry into that one, but the devotion has been steadfast ever since. In 1997 Carl bought the Veda Pruitt Ranch in Northern Lea County, NM. He also assisted his two boys in the purchase of the Peveler-Bedford Ranch north of Tatum, NM. In 2001 Carl sold his interest in the Hedgecoxe Ranch to Jarrod and Justin. In 2004 Carl bought the McGuffin Ranch in Northern Lea County, NM. Since the 1960’s Carl has invested in the stock market and in commercial real estate. Carl served as Vice President of the New Mexico Cattle Grower’s under Bob Jones in 1982-1984 and under Bill Humphries in 1996-1998. He was a founding member of the Paragon Foundation that was set up by Tom Lineberry to protect and preserve private property rights in the USA. Carl has always sought to take care of the land and cattle for others that will follow. To represent the grassroots cowman to the best of his ability has been foremost for Carl. He himself has said “it has been damn hard for me just to hold this deal together, much less to accumulate more ranch country. I sure couldn’t have accomplished it without the help of grandparents, parents, children, my wife and some good hands!!”
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