Western Ag Life, Fall 2018

FALL 2018

Six generations of chile excellence the perfection of fall pyroglyphics

NOVEMBER 14 · REAL ESTATE

LAZY J2 RANCH

SAN RAFAEL VALLEY (PATAGONIA), ARIZONA 6,000 Acre Working Grass-Fed Cattle Ranch (200 Head Capacity) 952 Deeded Acres 5,112 Acre USAF Grazing Allotment

Offered in Two Parcels: 520 Acres & 432 Acres Including 5,112 Grazing Allotment One of the Last Intact Short Grass Prairies in the US San Rafael Valley is a little-known, sequestered valley in southern Arizona.

Its unique setting, extraordinary beauty and extreme privacy create a priceless, one-of-a-kind environment. Lazy J2 is located at 5,000 feet in the valley’s magnificent grasslands, contiguous to the Coronado National Forest. Here you will escape from the world and enjoy 17 – 25 inches of annual rainfall, and temperatures typically 15-20 degrees cooler than Tucson. Just minutes to the quaint town of Patagonia, and 1.5 hours to the Tucson International Airport.

Perfect for those seeking a working grass-fed beef operation, equestrian lifestyle, a sustainable environment and seclusion

SE LLE R G FI NAN C I N E AVAI LABL

Viewings by Appointment Only: October 6, 14, 20, & 28

FineAndCompany.com

312.278.0600

Fine & Company LLC – AZ Broker #LC677500000. In Cooperation with John A. Weaver, AZ Broker #BR010470000.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

2410 N. Willow Ranch Rd. Tucson, AZ 85749 info@westernaglife.com www.westernaglife.com 520-808-1229

WESTERN AG LIFE Paul Ramirez, Sales Director Paul@westernaglife.com

Dean Fish, Ph.D., Sales Consultant Dean@westernaglife.com Renée Bidegain, Creative info@westernaglife.com Jocelyn Robertson, Contributing Editor Editor@westernaglife.com SPECIAL THANKS TO THESE 2018 FALL ISSUE CONTRIBUTORS ARTICLES

~ Julie Carter Dean Fish, Ph.D. Janice Bryson Aaron Downey Arizona Beef Council Tiffany Selchow Ed Ashurst Mike Capron Joel Johnson Matt Russell Curt Brummett Patina Thompson Thomas K. Kelly Adam Avaritt Tony McBee Corbitt Wall Renée Bidegain PHOTOGRAPHY & ILLUSTRATIONS

~ Julie Carter Renée Bidegain Doug Milligan Curt Brummett Hazel Lights Photography Mike Capron Connor Freund DA Guides Rocking P Photography Samuel Bierne Donaldson Adam Avaritt

We most commonly associate the image of a cornucopia -- a rope or vine-woven basket filled to the brim with fruits, gourds, and the rich colors of fall-kissed leaves -- with Thanksgiving. This “horn of plenty” represents the bounty of harvest and reminds us that there are indeed fruits as the result of our labor.

Reading the articles in this fall edition of Western Ag Life, I am struck by how often that metaphor of the cornucopia could be expanded to represent a place, a family, a church, a farm or a community.

There are the families behind Snake Ranch Farms and the Buckelew Family Farms investing their time and energy in developing quality produce, especially their prized pumpkins and peppers, for generations, and sharing the fruits of their labor with their communities. There is Owen Young,

a hard-working and unassuming cowboy, who unexpectedly found himself the pastor of a church; he now spreads the word of God to his community while maintaining his position of ranch manager.

Adam Avaritt brings his Southern Soul Stew to the Southwest, sharing the bounty of one place, steeped in history and tradition, to another. Even Joel Johnson’s story of building a ranchland game habitat can be viewed through this lens: how do we make the most of what we have? What is the work required that ensures the success of our family, the health of our animals, the thriving of our crops and communities? It boils down to a simple equation, what you put into something is what you get out of it.

In the fall we reap what we sow; and in this issue we celebrate the lives and labor of some of the individuals that make up this beautiful and bountiful place we call the WEST.

IN THIS ISSUE SIX GENERATIONS OF NM CHILE EXCELLENCE :: THE SICHLER FAMILY..................4 THE PERFECTION OF FALL :: COWGIRL SASS..........................................................................8 AGRICULTURE ENTERTAINMENT :: BUCKELEW FAMILY FARMS.................................. 10 FALL STYLE GUIDE :: A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND........................................................................... 14 A SHORT STORY :: PRISONER......................................................................................................... 16 RESOURCE DESIGN :: BUILDING GAME HABITAT.............................................................. 20 WORKING DOGS :: DOUBLE AERO GUIDES.......................................................................... 22 REGIONAL REPORT :: STERLING CATTLE COMPANY........................................................ 24 PYROGLYPHICS :: HOT IRONS..................................................................................................... 28 IN THE KITCHEN :: ADAM AVARITT......................................................................................... 34 TOOLS OF THE TRADE :: PUMP MAINTENANCE................................................................. 36

I LIVE THE WESTERN LIFESTYLE :: CORBITT WALL............................................................ 38 IN REVIEW :: STATE FAIR CHEESEBURGER CHAMPIONS................................................ 40

WESTERN AG LIFE MARKETPLACE ............................................................................................ 43

WINTER 2018 ISSUE AVAILABLE MID-DECEMBER ADVERTISING RESERVATION DEADLINE :: NOVEMBER 1ST

© WESTERN AG LIFE MEDIA LLC

While every effort has been made for the accuracy of content, those listed above are not responsible for any errors or omissions appearing within the pages of this issue.

COVER: Snake Ranch chile fields, San Antonio, NM with sixth generation family member Erica Sichler Trevino and son Connor Trevino ©Jullie Carter

SIX GENERATIONS OF NEW MEXICO CHILE EXCELLENCE COVER, FEATURE PHOTOS AND ARTICLE BY JULIE CARTER ~

THE SICHLER FAMILY OF SNAKE RANCH FARMS PRODUCE PERFECT PEPPERS

For the Sichler family of New Mexico there are six generations of experience built into every harvest season. For more than 100 years, the Sichlers have distinguished themselves as growers of quality green chile with a dedication to “doing it right.” Excellence is a family tradition.

The Snake Ranch Farm Store in San Antonio, New Mexico is a testimony to the evolution of those traditions. Standing next to a large table of melons and another full of baskets of green chiles at her back, with a baby on her hip and a two-year-old tugging at her hand, 6th generation family member Erica Sichler Trevino expressed her passion for the farm experience, “I was raised in this life and my husband and I wanted to raise our sons in it, too. We moved back here just for this. This is what it is all about for us.”

The Sichler DNA undoubtedly contains farm soil sustaining the family for 146 years of farming in the Rio Grand Valley of New Mexico. From Los Lunas to San Antonio, each branch of a very large family tree has found their niche in producing from the land.

The journey from the past to present is a story of family and family traditions. Snake Ranch, LLC, is one branch of the family tree that began in the Middle Rio Grande Valley when the first Sichlers immigrated from Germany in 1868.

In 1872, patriarch brothers George and John Sichler purchased farmland near Los Lentes, a small village on the west bank of the Rio Grande near today’s current town of Los Lunas.

At first the farm was comprised primarily of

an apple orchard, vineyards and other fruits and vegetables similar to the family farm in Germany. In the early 1900s, Ernest Sichler

Sr. was the first to grow green chile, the product that would become the hallmark of the Sichler name.

Ernest Sr. passed this skill to his son Ernie Jr. who operated under the name Ernie Sichler Farms. Urban sprawl was encroaching on the Los Lunas farmland so Ernie found land to the south in the still rich, fertile Rio Grande Valley, the less populated area of Socorro County.

His son, Chris Sichler arrived three days after his 1985 high school graduation to take over management of the southern Sichler farm.

In the fall of that year, Chris married his high school sweetheart Paula and together they started their own farming operation under the name of Sichler Farm Produce. They quickly gained a reputation for producing some of the best green chile in the state, building a list of faithful clientele for their chile products along with other produce.

Ernie Sichler passed away in 1997 but his 4

belief:“if it’s not worth taking the time to do it right, don’t bother doing it all,” was solidly ingrained in his son Chris.

The now century-old tradition continues today with Chris and Paula, along with their son Steven and daughter Erica, at the San Antonio farm and their two farm stores (San Antonio and Los Lunas). In 2008, to distinguish themselves from other family operations, Chris and Paula began operating their farm under the name Snake Ranch, LLC. Often the curious are interested in how they came up with the name. When Chris was a young man, he made some farming rows that were rather crooked. His neighbor Maurice Benavidez stopped by and asked him, “Are you starting a Snake Ranch?” The name stuck in Chris’ mind and later become the name for his farming and marketing operation.

In 2011, Steven became a business partner in Sichler Farms Produce and in 2013 they rebranded the produce markets in Los Lunas and San Antonio with a new registered trade name - Snake Ranch Farm Stores™ assuring their customers of the superior quality and consistency they had come to expect without the added confusion of different names. At the same time Steven purchased a portion of the Snake Ranch LLC farming operation and began managing alongside his father Chris, qualifying the business in every way as a family-run farm.

Today, Chris and Steven manage the farming operations, while Steven also handles all the business end of the Los Lunas store. Paula

oversees business operations including bookkeeping, marketing, and website. Daughter Erica manages the San Antonio farm store, which employs 4 full-time and 2 part-time.

The farm employs 12 with additional seasonal help.

Erica returned to the family farm after earning a degree in Ag Business at New Mexico State University. She married husband Katlin Trevino and has two young sons, Connor, 2 ½, and Ryan, 9 months — the seventh generation in training.

Erica says family comes first when the day has ended and they all go home. They sit at the dinner table and talk family, not work. This focus is the key to their success.

The youngsters spend mornings with Erica at the farm store and afternoons with Grandma Paula at home. They are quite comfortable among the bushels of chiles, tables of melons, vegetables and the constant rotation of people

Ryan Trevino in shopping cart, brother Connor Trevino in background and holding heavy chiles (opposite page) ©Julie Carter

through the store. For them right now it’s all fun not an indoctrination.

Customers come from near and far during chile season. “We had a man just yesterday drive over 10 hours to buy our chile,” Erica remarked. “He bought his chiles, loaded them up and turned around to drive the same long way home. We also had some people fly in with two extra suitcases, load them full of chile, and fly back home.”

While Snake Ranch chiles are world famous in many places, there are masses out there that are familiar only with Hatch chile. It requires ongoing education for all New Mexico chile growers to explain to consumers that Hatch is not a type of chile, but a town in southern New Mexico where chile is grown. Due to the large quantity of chile farmed in Hatch, as well as the town’s concerted marketing strategy, Hatch has become a widely recognizable name in chile. Of course, Rio Grande

growers will continue to produce and sell their excellent brand of green chile.

There is also the ongoing problem of how chile should be spelled. Chile, the food, not the country, is a green or red spicy pepper. It is cooked up into dishes such as green chile, green chile stew, red chile sauce, red or green chile enchiladas, posole with chile, to name a few. The late New Mexico Senator Pete Dominici had the c-h-i-l-e spelling entered into the 1983 Congressional Record as the official spelling for the New Mexico chile pepper. When New Mexicans speak of chili spelled with an “i,” they are referring to Texas chili, which is normally made with ground meat, beans, chile powder and spices. Meanwhile back at the Snake Ranch, 2018 harvest is underway. The Sichlers raise alfalfa, field corn, winter wheat, watermelons, cantaloupe, peaches, plums, honeydew, pumpkins, summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes,

winter squash, bell peppers, jalapeños, yellow hot peppers, sweet corn, and of course chile.

The 650-acre farm supplies both Snake Ranch Farm Stores. As a service to their customers, both stores also offer produce items that they do not grow themselves.

Customers can buy chile fresh or frozen (peeled or unpeeled), dried pods and red chile powder. Roasters are running hot and standing by for those that wish to carry home their chile already roasted and just in case you need them, they’ll even sell you the Ziplock bags you’ll need for freezing.

“We work hard to provide only the best quality of everything in a clean and friendly environment,” according to Erica. “We don’t sell anything we wouldn’t buy for ourselves. We don’t pick until it’s ready and we don’t try to sell you anything that’s not perfect and ready to go.”

As their website states: “Remember, if it is not Snake Ranch chile, it is not our chile. Snake Ranch chile is not sold in local supermarkets.”

Chile season opens mid-August and runs through October.

PLANNING A VISIT? For seasonal hours and contact information visit their website at www.sichlerchile.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com SnakeRanchFarmStores

Los Lunas Market: 232 Main St., Los Lunas, NM 87031 San Antonio Market: 88 US Hwy. 380, San Antonio, NM 87832

THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTATION

AE R

INC

ON-LINE

YOUR PARTNER IN ANIMAL HEALTH SOLUTIONS

1.800.533.8115

IN-STORE

520.888.8489

WWW.VAQUEROFEED.COM WWW.ANIMALHEALTHEXPRESS.COM SHOP ONLINE OR IN OUR STORE AT

3301 N FREEWAY RD. (PRINCE & I-10) TUCSON, ARIZONA

BY DEAN FISH, PH.D.

Serving you since 1990.

Locally owned and operated by Tim & Barbara Jackson.

In the arid West, beef cow calf producers are faced with a growing array of options for nutritional supplementation. Not the least of these is the need to provide extra protein during times of low forage quality or other stress. The most effective supplementation programs will provide protein when the cow needs it and not waste it when she doesn’t.

Strategies for protein supplementation must be based on goals that the producer has for his or her operation. If an annual calving interval is desired, protein is part of a nutritional program to keep cows in adequate flesh to cycle after calving. Math tells us that in order to calve on a 365 days interval, cows must be bred back in 80-85 days (based on a 280-285 day gestation). The research has shown that cows should be in a Body Condition Score (BCS) of 5 or greater at calving to have acceptable rebreed rates. When spring calving in Arizona occurs, many times forage does not provide the needed nutrients to keep that cow from losing body condition at a rate that allows breed back in 80 days.

Supplemental protein works well in ruminants because of their unique digestive physiology. Simply put, protein supplementation increases digestibility of poor-quality forages, which in turn increases passage rate. An increased passage rate increases consumption, allowing a cow to reach her nutrition needs for maintenance, lactation and reproduction. Non-protein nitrogen (urea) can have a similar effect, but more caution should be used when feeding. Producers can consult with their nutritionist or extension livestock personnel to determine the requirements for their cows.

Protein is available in many different forms and delivery methods.

Most common today are 200-250 pound tubs of cooked or poured products. Many of these have added fat or mineral packages. In addition, blocks are available, as well as loose feed. Regardless of the way protein is supplemented, have a strategy for why and when it is provided. A well-planned supplemental protein program will pay dividends to producers through decreased calving intervals and heavier calves.

We’ve got great prices on all your product needs, all year long:

➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤

Vaccines Wormers Instruments Tack plus more....

Located in the West to serve you faster, better.

Orders received by 3:00 pm MST are shipped that same day.

No sales tax outside Arizona!

Please contact us for a FREE Catalog: ➤ 1-800-533-8115 ➤ www.AnimalHealthExpress.com ➤ Mail: 3301 N Freeway Rd, Tucson AZ 85705 We appreciate your business!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dean Fish-PhD has dedicated his life work to livestock production in the West. Growing up on ranches in southern Arizona, he participated in 4-H beef, livestock judging and leadership programs. He currently ranches and raises commercial Angus cattle and club calves in Santa Cruz County.

7

Fall Harvest © Julie Carter Opposite: Joel Maloney (left), Macfarland Donaldson (right) Branding at OCR 2018, Lead Steer in grass © Doug Milligan

THE PERFECTION OF FALL COWGIRL SASS & SAVVY BY JULIE CARTER

In my book, fall is the most perfect of the four seasons. It is the time when all things that make cowboys, aggies and assorted combinations thereof the very happiest.

At the ranch, it’s payday time. Cattle buyers resurrect from out of nowhere and all eyes, ears and cell phones are on the markets. Whether the crop is yearlings or fresh-weaned calves, every year is a new episode of “let’s make a deal.” The blooms on everything green, nurtured by summer rains and sunshine, are at the peak of beauty. Flowers abound in yards and thanks to the rain this year, also in the fields and on the hillsides. While your cowboy might not be big on posies, I guarantee you he’s happy with the tall grass and gleeful over the fat cattle lying in that grass, bellies full and hides licked slick.

The camouflage corps have their binoculars focused and their weapons of choice tuned while they dream of the perfect hunting season. Let a hint of crisp slip into the morning air and hunters everywhere trade in their ham-

mocks and barbecue tools for game calls and camping gear.

Cattle trucks start rolling down the highways between the ranches and the wheat fields or feedlots. Every small-town café has a parking lot periodically filled with flatbed pickups pulling stock trailers along with pickups loaded with 4-wheelers, coolers and all the trappings of a made-to-order hunting camp.

Here in the Southwest, throw in the smell of roasting green chiles to complete the fall ambiance and life is just about as perfect as it comes.

If that isn’t enough to paint a picture, add to the mix some pre-season football that seamlessly morphs into the regular season of high school, college and professional games.

Whether football is your thing or not, the onslaught of sports-mania permeates the air, unsurpassed by anything, including politics.

Neighbors helping neighbors to get all the fall cattle work done is a jewel in the crown of ranching. Calendars are full of marks on dates 8

for the ranch up the road, the ranch down the road and another one an hour or so away.

Those days will be dedicated to the time-honored custom of “neighboring”— where the work and the fun, and there is always some of that, is shared with folks that know you’ll be there when they need an extra man, horse and help. Now is the time for all good men... and horses, dogs, kids and ranch wives...to rise to the call of long hours, dusty corrals, sunrises that bless the “waiting on daylight” mornings, rattling trailers, ready ropes, the smell of sage and cedar, hot coffee poured from a campfire pot and the camaraderie of cowboys working a vocation they wouldn’t trade for anything.

The life is not all that glamorous or romantic, but it does have an intangible something that anchors our souls to the land.

Whether they own it or hire on to be part of it, it transforms an occupation into a belonging and an existence into a passion for living.

Julie, steeped in fall nostalgia, can be reached for comment at jcarternm@gmail.com

NANCY BELT, BROKER

HARRY OWENS, AGENT

Mobile: (520) 221-0807 Office: (520) 445-0633 Fax: (520) 455-0733 Sonoita, Arizona

Mobile: (602) 526-4965

~NEW! 440 Head Desert Ranch - Near Deming, NM The historic Spanish Stirrup Ranch dates back to the 1870’s and is rich in native artifacts and lore. Situated in the stunning Florida Mountain Range it contains 663+/- deeded acres, 16,963+/- acres BLM grazing permits; 5,184+/- acres of State grazing lease; and 12+/- sections of adverse grazing.

The ranch has a carrying capacity of 440 AU’s plus eight horses yearlong. This is a traditional working cattle ranch with rolling to somewhat mountainous terrain, good browse and grass, excellent water with storage tanks and drinkers. There are thirteen wells all with new pumps and equipment within the past three years. The headquarters includes a 3 BR, 1 BA remodeled historic brick/rock home; carport; garage; tack house; large set of newly constructed shipping corrals; and barns. There are five additional sets of working corrals on the ranch. $2,250,000.

~REDUCED! Hunting and 125 Head Cattle Ranch - Lindrith, NM

~NEW! 117 Head Tule Springs Ranch - Greenlee County, AZ

Laguna Seca Ranch is set against scenic bluffs with expansive views of open meadows and rolling hills covered in pines, juniper and oaks in the Santa Fe National Forest. 560+/- deeded acres, 7,757+/- USFS Seasonal Grazing Allotment. Abundant elk and deer.

Includes deer and elk permits, two homes, steel shop with equipment shed partially insulated and heated, hay barn, tack room, storage, second hay barn, steel corrals with sorting pens, steel lead-up and crowding tub, squeeze chute, scales, calf table and loading chute. Well watered with seven wells, eight dirt tanks, two storage tanks, and 10 drinkers. $1,900,000

Located in the beautiful Apache Sitgreaves Forest with a 56.6 +/- acre deeded forest inholding, and a 23+/- section USFS grazing permit. A well improved and maintained horseback ranch with a carrying capacity of 50-117 head year long. The headquarters is located in a scenic valley setting with solar power; two homes; barn with tack room, hay storage and horse stalls; shop; corrals with crowding pen and squeeze chute; root cellar/cold meat storage; hen house, irrigated gardens and orchard. The permit and headquarters are watered with springs, creeks, dirt tanks. Situated on the allotment are a line cabin, two sets of corrals one with a loading chute at the highway. Priced at $1,100,000.

for these and other properties - visit our website

~ GILA RIVER FARMS: Several offerings in Willcox and Safford areas; grazing, produce farming, greenhouse/warehouse $122,000 - $680,000 ~ POMERENE, AZ - 98+/- ACRE FARM: 70 plus irrigated acres, near I-10, schools and services $350,000 ~ DUNCAN, AZ - 29+/- ACRE FARM/RANCH: Comfortable home, alfalfa, pecan trees, fenced for cattle $350,000

WWW. STOCKMENS REALTY .COM

BUCKELEW FAMILY FARMS A FAMILY-FRIENDLY PUMPKIN FESTIVAL OFFERING A U-PICK-IT EXPERIENCE IN A FAIR-LIKE ATMOSPHERE.

BY JANICE BRYSON

Are you ready to get spooked for America’s favorite holiday? Head out the Ajo Highway, west of Tucson, for a spooky Halloween celebration!

Buckelew Family Farm is celebrating their 30th year of presenting a pumpkin festival that thousands of attendees enjoy each year.

Activities abound for all ages – a 45-acre pumpkin patch with wagon rides, corn mazes, a Kids Zone (zip lines, pedal carts and inflatables), 4-H petting zoo, arts and crafts tent, pony ring, Zombie Paintball Shootout, and the Country Store.

Nick and Laurie Buckelew are third-generation Arizona farmers. They work together with family members to bring a fabulous event, open to the public, in celebration of Halloween.

The first Buckelew to arrive in Arizona was Nick’s grandfather John who arrived in the early 1900’s from Texas along with his wife Mary and their twelve children. A farm was homesteaded in Chandler where John grew alfalfa, cotton, wheat and lettuce. The farm

was lost in the 1930’s during the depression and the family moved to the Buckeye area.

John’s son Robert (Bob) begin his farming career at the age of 19. John helped him lease his first farm near Buckeye. In his early years of farming, Bob leased farms in several locations in Arizona and in 1954 he leased a 1,000 acre farm at Three Points, twenty miles west of Tucson along the Ajo Highway. Bob and his wife Clara moved to the farm with their four children – Barbara, Dorothy, Nick, and Clara Lynn.

When his lease was up in 1956, Bob’s hard work paid off and he was able to purchase the farm at Three Points. Bob grew cotton and wheat as well as running cattle. Clara was a member of the Arizona Cowbelles and the Cotton Wives. The couple’s son Nick grew up working with his dad on the farm.

Nick graduated from the University of Arizona, as did his wife Laurie, they married in 1977.

The couple moved back to the farm where Nick grew cotton and wheat. A devastating flood

10

occurred in the Tucson area in 1983. It was the largest flood on record with between 10 to 13 inches of rain falling in five days. Bob decided to sell 600 acres of the farm to the City of Tucson for the water rights.

Farming went well for Bob and he farmed at Three Points until his retirement. In 1986, Nick took over the day-to-day management of the farm. Bob still volunteered his time at the farm helping with the tractor work.

Pima County has worked to preserve farm and ranch land and part of Buckelew Farm was included in a deal brokered with Arizona Land and Water Trust. The Trust works to preserve Southern Arizona’s vanishing western landscapes, wildlife habitat, working farms and ranches, and the waters that sustain them.

Nick and Laurie are able to use the farm land and live at the property headquarters.

One year, Nick and Laurie spent a large amount of money buying Halloween pumpkins for their children Clint and Amy. They decided to diversify their farming operation and began

The 2018 Pumpkin Festival & Corn Maze is fun for the whole family. Spend a day at the farm and enjoy U-Pick-It pumpkins, tractor-drawn wagon rides, a 4-H petting zoo, pedal cart races, food booths, paintball and so much more.

Open to the public: October 13th, 14th, 20th, 21st, 27th, 28th from 10AM - 5PM Tucson Zombie Mud Run is October 20, 2018 Starting at 3PM

the pumpkin business. An added bonus was that cattle could graze in the field and eat any remaining pumpkins not selected by a customer. They discovered the potential for a pick-your-own-pumpkin operation. In 1988 Nick grew his first pumpkin crop, that was the beginning of the Buckelew Farm Pumpkin Festival. It started small — providing customers with an opportunity to take a horse-drawn wagon into a field to pick their own pumpkin.

700 people came the first year; now 35,000 customers visit during the month of October. A hundred employees, many of whom are local students, are hired each October to help with the festival activities. Buyers will be surprised to see they can choose between 30 different varieties of pumpkins.

Nick studied business at the University of Arizona. If prices for his cotton crop are bad, he thinks of other ways to make money to support the farm, including agricultural entertainment.

After attending a business conference in

2000, Nick expanded the Pumpkin Festival to include a giant eleven-acre corn maze. In 2004, a section was set aside as a haunted corn field. The Pumpkin Festival provides u-pick-it experience with a fair-like atmosphere.

The Festival is definitely a family operation with family members working together to make the event a success. The Buckelew’s children, Clint and Amy, have worked on the farm their entire lives and have been a big part of the Pumpkin Festival growth. They were moved into management positions with the expansion of the corn maze hours. Clint and wife Laura, along with Amy and husband Greg Owen, work together to create and build the Terror in the Corn Haunted Corn Field and also assist with the festival growth. Grandchildren Rylin and Harleigh Owen along with Luke and Owen Buckelew add their happy faces to the festivities.

The Buckelews are proud of their farming roots and of being able to share a piece of the family tradition with their customers every October.

11

Their goal is to provide a wholesome family experience that creates lasting memories for their customers.

DO YOU WANT TO HAVE AN ‘A-MAZE-ING’ EXPERIENCE? Visit Buckelew Farm’s “Terror in the Corn!”

The maze includes props and live actors. The Buckelews have worked during the off season to create a variety of new scares! They promise to elevate the terror to the next level in the world of horror.

Buckelew Farm presents the 2018 5k Zombie Mud Run! A fun mud run for all those seeking a muddy good time. Zombies have infiltrated the Buckelew Farm and it is your job as the living to escape the mud and obstacles with all your limbs (flags) intact. Walk, run, jog or drag yourself through the mud and obstacles in the team and individual noncompetitive events. New this year…. The Kiddie Zombie Mud Run! Kids under age 12 can run, walk or jog through an obstacle course approximately 1 mile long full of mud and in front of cheering fans, and a few zombies. Kids must run accompanied by an adult.

Have you ever played Zombie Paint Ball?! Come out to the Farm and shoot live zombies running for their mortal lives.

And join us for Corn Maze Flashlight Night.

Tickets may be purchased online at: www.buckelewfarm.com

WESTERN READS

BY AARON DOWNEY

As fall arrives and nights get longer and cooler, you might find yourself under a wide-open western sky, maybe around a campfire, with a sea of stars above.

Consider this astronomy fact: In about 4.8 billion years, when our sun has expended its fuel, it will collapse into a white dwarf star about the size of Earth. Because of its reduction in size but not mass, it will be insanely dense. The amount of white dwarf material that you could fit in a matchbox would weigh 275 tons! Boom. Mind blown. More fun stuff like that can be learned in Sidney C. Wolff’s, The Boundless Universe: Astronomy in the New Age of Discovery.

Dusk in my neighborhood is alive with furry little guys flying around, and I welcome them because they are cute and they eat mosquitos. The excellent, fact-filled bat primer, the Stokes Beginner’s Guide to Bats, by Kim Williams, Rob Mies, and Donald and Lillian Stokes, says a single bat can eat 1,200 mosquitos per hour! Plus, they are strong pollinators and eat bugs that damage crops. Unfairly, bats get a bad rap.

The creepy things that populate Spooky Campfire Tales by S. E. Schlosser sure earn their awful reputations.

These retellings of classic hauntings, bone-chilling strangeness, and supernatural folklore will have your loved ones trembling around the campfire.

You know what else goes bump in the night? Me, when I’m looking for a midnight snack. Hmm, maybe I have some leftover southwestern corn fritters from The New Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook by Ellen Brown. This is a collectible read with 150 recipes for America’s favorite pan. It’s a well-conceived book, even down to how the texture of the dust jacket feels like a cast-iron pan.

Here’s something else you can put in your cast-iron to help spice up the cooler nights: chile peppers. The Complete Chile Pepper Book: A Gardener’s Guide to Choosing, Growing, Preserving, and Cooking, by Dave DeWitt and Paul W. Bosland, is a comprehensive guide with everything you need to know about chiles, including recipes. Once you get hooked, you can find even more excellent recipes in the slim, affordable Chile Aphrodisia by Amy Reiley and Annette Tomei.

Fall is definitely my favorite time of year. I hope you enjoy your cooler season of reading time and pumpkin-flavored everything!

Aaron Downey has worked in the publishing industry for eighteen years, five of them as the managing editor at Rio Nuevo Publishers, a division of Treasure Chest Books. Rio Nuevo Publishers creates compelling, visually exciting, award-winning books about the people, places, and things that make the West so distinctive.

Visit us at www.rionuevo.com Treasure Chest BOOKS

12

YUMMY MUMMY BEEF PIZZAS These quick and easy pizzas feature homemade beef sausage and have a mummy face made of string cheese.

INGREDIENTS: 1 recipe Italian-Style Beef Sausage 1-1/2 cups pizza sauce 4 round thin sandwich breads, any variety, split 4 individually wrapped sticks reduced-fat mozzarella string cheese (1 ounce each) 8 black or green olives, sliced horizontally COOKING: Prepare Italian-Style Beef Sausage. Stir in pizza sauce; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently.

Keep warm and set aside.

ITALIAN-STYLE BEEF SAUSAGE: Combine 1 pound Ground Beef, 1 teaspoon fennel seed, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon coriander, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper in large bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add sausage mixture; cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking into 1/2-inch crumbles and stirring occasionally.

COOK’S TIP: Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F. Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef doneness.

Place sandwich thins, cut side up, on rack of broiler pan.

Spoon equal amounts of sausage mixture on each bread half. Pull cheese lengthwise into thin strips. Cut each strip into thirds. Create mummy faces using cheese strips in crisscross pattern to resemble mummy bandages and olives to resemble eyes.

Place pizzas on rack of broiler pan so surface of cheese is 3 to 4 inches from heat. Broil 4 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

recipe and photo courtesy of BEEFITSWHATSFORDINNER. COM

Jim Olson; Owner of The Western Trading Post in Casa Grande, AZ with a collection of squash blossom necklaces available for purchase. © Hazel Lights Photography

FALL STYLE GUIDE - A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND

BY TIFFANY SELCHOW

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but a squash blossom necklace, well, that is a statement – a statement that is different for each person it adorns. For some, it is a statement of status or wealth. For others, it’s a history of grandmothers and great-grandmothers (or great-grandfathers) who wore the same necklace. For most, it is trendy and who doesn’t love to show off their sense of style? Outside of the Southwest people may see it as nothing more than a fashion trend. But, for those of us who live in this rugged terrain, using the words of Jim Olson, “The squash blossom is uniquely Southwestern, much like the bolo tie. It identifies us as a person who knows this land and the history that comes with it.”

Olson is the owner of the Western Trading Post located in Casa Grande, Arizona, which traces its vintage and old pawn jewelry selling roots back to 1877. He’s an expert in his field. When asked why the squash blossom is so popular right now, he admits it’s a trend and over the last few years he’s sold hundreds. Olson has seen this fad before: the 1970’s saw Native American jewelry reach the level of Vogue. An iconic, easily Googled image of Cher shows her in a large squash blossom

necklace. Jim Morrison and even “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Elvis, sported this style. But long before the Native American jewelry boom of the 70’s, the squash blossom, or similar jewelry, had made its mark on cultures around the world.

The Naja, the crescent-shaped pendant that hangs from most squash blossom necklaces, is one of the most recognizable parts of this style.

This shape was identified in the Paleolithic period and has been seen all the way from ancient Rome to the present day. Each culture has interpreted this shape in a slightly different manner; it was used as a fertility amulet and a protective piece for a horse and rider. The shape made it to North America from both coasts and from different cultures.

The Moors, who conquered and occupied Spain for eight centuries, used this symbol as one of protection on their horses’ browbands. It transferred across thousands of miles, from the Moors to the Spaniards, to the Mexicans, to the Navajo, and to other Native American tribes.

Silverwork became part of the Navajo culture in the 1820’s and continued to rise in popularity amongst the Diné people. While the Naja doesn’t hold spiritual significance in the Navajo culture, it is still held

14

Turquoise and silver squash blossom necklace, Circa 1920 © Hazel Lights Photography

in high esteem. Turquoise, the most common stone used in the squash blossom, is thought to bring good fortune. In the Navajo culture it is used to ward off evil, protect warriors in battle, and used as offerings to various gods, one of the most significant being the god of rain, Neinilii.

The squash blossom necklace doesn’t always hold a Naja and isn’t always made from silver and turquoise.

The style of this piece has evolved, following trends brought about by forward-thinking artists who are willing to experiment with the traditional using different materials and styles.

Currently, the squash blossom necklace is considered in style. Olson cautions that there are plenty of knockoffs and cheaply made replicas available. When asked how a buyer can be certain of quality when purchasing a squash blossom, Olson emphasized working with a reputable dealer. This is the first and easiest step to authenticity. Once you find your dealer, ask lots of questions including about the material and the authenticity of the stone(s), and inquire about a money back guarantee. Much like the way a seasoned cowman can spot a quality horse from a look over, it takes years to develop an eye for quality turquoise and Southwestern statement pieces such as a squash blossom necklace. Olson also notes that buying the best possible piece for your budget is key.

Much like any trend, this one will most likely reach its boiling point and dissipate. But for those of us who are connected to this style through the land we call home, it will remain a treasure in our families to be passed down along with the bold story and history that is the Naja and squash blossom.

© Hazel Lights Photography

A special thank you to Jim Olson at the Western Trading Post in Casa Grande, Arizona for provided information.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tiffany Selchow lives and works on the historic Quarter Circle U Ranch in the Superstition Mountains with her husband and their daughter. She also works for the Arizona Beef Council promoting delicious, nutritious beef to consumers. Her love for the Southwest and the Sonoran Desert goes hand in hand with her fondness for all things silver and turquoise.

Navajo Necklace using less traditional material; gold circa 1970 © Hazel Lights Photography

PRISONER

BY ED ASHURST

In the summer of 1971, the Diamond A Ranch north of Seligman threw a crew together and camped out north of Rose Well on the Cataract Plains and proceeded to round up hundreds of wild Indian horses that had been free grazing on Diamond A grass longer than the management wanted to admit. Jim Lowrance, who was the big boss at the time, got the tribal chiefs of both the Supai and Hualapai tribes and the Arizona brand inspectors to agree to liquidate any Indian horses the Diamond A cowboys could gather and pen in the shipping corrals at Camp Sixteen, which is about ninety-five miles north of Seligman if you go north on the paved road that ends at Hualapai Hilltop. Eventually the fifteen cowboys, who were led by Burley McDonald and Mike Landis, gathered close to 500 horses and loaded them on trucks.

Dave Ericsson was among that crew, and one day he rode up on a small bunch of wild horses; one of which was a bay stud about seven years old. The stud had no visible signs of ever having been touched by a human hand. He stood about 14.2 hands and might have weighed 950 pounds, but he was pretty good looking in comparison to his peers.

Dave was four or five miles from camp and mounted on a good fresh horse, and he was cinched up so he built to the bay stud and roped him and proceeded to tie him down.

Another member of the cowboy crew showed up and helped Dave roll the stud under his saddle, and he put his bridle, complete with a curb bit, on the stud’s head, and he and his companion untied the stud, and Dave rode him up.

The stud bucked and squealed and pawed at his face and stampeded with Dave on top and laughing, and he rode the stud into camp in the midst of a bunch of loose broomtails. In the coming weeks he continued to ride the horse, who was changed into a gelding, and he named him Prisoner.

The first time I saw Prisoner was the fall of ’72 when I first worked on the outfit, being a member of Mike Landis’s crew. Mike had Prisoner in his string and rode him in a gag snaffle and got along with the horse well.

When the wagon was on the south end of the ranch, Prisoner would stay close to the other horses when turned out in the horse pasture; but when the wagon was camped anywhere near the plains, he would separate himself and hang out on the north side of the pasture with his head hanging over the fence and his eyes staring north toward his old stomping ground.

In the fall of ’73, I worked for Mike a second time, and I asked him if I could have the horse in my string, and he gave him to me. He wasn’t gentle and had no desire to be petted, but if you slipped up on him fast and didn’t mess with him, he wouldn’t buck. He was as smooth and agile as any horse I ever rode, and very tough.

There was nothing counterfeit about him. He only bucked with me one time, and that was when I had a big Mexican steer roped on a tied rope. I rode him through the storm and then someone heeled the steer, and we got the steer down, and I got my rope untied and off my saddle horn. When I dismounted

I found that the hobble between my front and back cinches had broken, and the horse was flanked.

One day the eight men, which made up Mike’s crew, gathered the biggest part of Trinity Pasture starting at the Shafer fence and taking in the western two-thirds of Trinity Pasture, probably about thirty sections. There were lots of canyons and ridges covered with trees and brush. It was brutal, we had way too many cattle and too far to go and a short time to get there. Jim Lowrance had ordered Mike to make the drive the way he did. We finally counted over 2600 steers through a gate into the Black Mountain Pasture; and when the last steer was counted through the gate, we headed back toward camp five miles to the north.

Everyone’s horse was done in, and we walked the whole way, which was unusual for Mike Landis; he was usually traveling fast everywhere he went. Prisoner wouldn’t go any faster. When we got to camp, we unsaddled and turned our horses loose. Prisoner walked by the water trough but didn’t stop but, instead, went out a hundred yards and stood hipshot like the famous End of the Trail painting and stayed there with his head hanging low for three hours. Bob Scott had been riding a big, good looking yellow horse called Scotch that had the reputation for being the toughest horse on the ranch. Scotch stopped at the water trough and took a big drink and then walked half the distance to where Prisoner stood looking like a ghost, and then he fell over dead. About sundown Prisoner walked back into camp and drank and then disappeared out in the cedars in the horse pasture. Three days later he was as good as new. I wish I had six or seven more just like him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ed Ashurst is the author of seven books and is currently working on his eighth. He is also a working cowboy who has ridden and gathered cattle and horses on over seven thousand square miles of the American West accumulating over fifty years of experience as a big ranch cowboy. He currently manages a large cattle ranch in southeastern Arizona. He has also been involved in producing rodeos and horse shows as well as horse sales and has competed in the rodeo arena for over fifty years. His books are about his life’s experiences covering different aspects and scenes that race across his vivid memory and water a fertile imagination.

All that he has written originated from stories that are well worn from being told many times. He believes that storytelling is an art form that is no less important than painting or sculpting and people say that his books read as if the storyteller is there in person. Contact Ed Ashurst directly at azashurst@gmail.com or 520-508-2846.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Mike Capron was born January 19, 1945. Mike’s art is a product of studying with many artists, correspondence courses, seminars, books, videos and constant practice. He is living his art and constantly working to better illustrate his experiences. He and his wife Anne have lived and worked on ranches in West Texas since he was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corp in 1968. Blending his family, life, religion and art into a daily practice has sent him many chances to share his art in books, magazines, art shows, museums, galleries, private collections and any place where common interest might shine.

17

A RACING LEGEND IN THE MAKING: J. CLAY SPARKS IS SOUTHERN ARIZONA THE HOTBED FOR PRODUCING WINNING RACE HORSE TRAINERS?

BY R. DEAN FISH, PHD

J. Clay Sparks is the best race horse trainer that you’ve probably never heard of. Sometimes it’s the right horse, the right race or just pure fortune that elevates someone into the public limelight. Other times fame finds a person, whether they are looking for it or not.

Clay’s story begins in Casa Grande, Arizona in 1972. The youngest of Gene and Ginny Sparks three children, Clay was born while Gene was managing the feed mill for Arizona Feeds. Gene was born in Missouri, moved to the Phoenix area as a kid and grew up around agriculture. He made some lifelong friends and business partners during this time. He further developed these relationships as a student at Cal Poly and later at Arizona State University. Gene’s example of perseverance and entrepreneurship helps explain some of Clay’s success.

Gene spent much of his career in the feed industry, ranching and later branching out into real estate. He was one of the founding partners of Headquarters West, Ltd., a leading ranch real estate brokerage in Arizona and the Southwest. The venture that brought the Sparks family to the community of Sonoita, Arizona in the early 1980’s was starting a feed store. Sonoita is located in the high desert of southern Arizona and is the site of the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. In those days, the fairgrounds hosted four main events: the annual races, Quarter Horse Show, Labor Day Rodeo and county fair. County fair racing during Kentucky Derby weekend was always a highlight for locals and businesses alike.

Growing up, Clay was a member of the local 4-H club and participated in the market and breeding beef projects. He exhibited a Grand Champion steer at the County Fair eight times and was one of the most dominant steer showmen in the area throughout the 1980’s. He also had a small herd of registered Herefords and recalls purchasing a bull during junior high school from Larry Stark at the Las Vegas Ranch for $4,800, an unheard-of amount in that time. While he was good at the “cattle thing,” his passion was with the horse industry.

In the early 1980’s, Gene took in a race horse from a feed store customer in exchange for an overdue feed bill. Papa’s Last Chance turned out to be a very good horse, running five second place finishes. This started the family’s foray into the horse racing world. Later, Owen McDaniel found them a great filly and they took off from there. Clay has a philosophy, “Horses have so much more personality and 18

are more sensitive than other animals. You need to treat a horse as an individual.” He applies this philosophy to training horses.

After graduating from Patagonia High School, Clay attended the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program. He credits the program with helping him to learn about the fundamentals of the racing world, as well as building lasting relationships. Clay was training horses during this time and officially got his license in 1992. Most of his stable were Quarter horses and he cut his teeth racing at Prescott Downs, Turf Paradise in Phoenix and the Arizona County Fair racing circuit. Clay says he was very fortunate to get some nice horses from the start and found success early.

His first owners were contacts from the cattle world and they helped to get him a good start.

By 1995, Clay was training full time and had a full stable of racehorses. He was still mostly training Quarter horses but was gradually transitioning to Thoroughbreds. By his own admission, he preferred Thoroughbred racing over Quarter horses, as it is a “more even” type of racing. By 1997, Clay found himself racing at Los Alamitos in California as well as in New Mexico. Soon after, Clay made the move to New Mexico.

Clay talks about the great horsemen who influenced him, including Owen McDaniel and Bob Baffert. He owes much of his success to these influences, as well as to the owners who trusted him with their horses. Some of his memorable horses include Cattleman Prospect, who won the New Mexico Bred

Invitational Handicap in 2006 and Stamps One. The Rush Gets to You won the 2002 AQHA All Star Jockey Challenge as well as the MBNA Challenge.

Clay says that the racing industry is changing, and he has some concerns about the longevity of it. Casino gambling has “saved” the tracks in some places, but is this sustainable? In addition to the economics that must support racing, what are the other pressures that face the industry? Looking at recent headlines, one can imagine all types of challenges, including the use of performance enhancing or illegal drugs and ethical treatment of horses. In addition, owners are changing.

There are three types of race horse owners that you will find at the track. The first are the breeders who have planned and invested in genetics. The second are those who like to go to sales and speculate on horses. Finally, there are the owners who pick up horses in claiming races. These owners often have different goals and require being managed by a trainer in different ways. Today’s owner may not be as patient or loyal to a trainer as they were in previous eras. However, Clay still enjoys the competition of horse racing, breaking colts and seeing their progression.

Today Clay is training with respected New Mexico trainer Joel Marr. It is easy to see why Clay is great at what he does when you spend a morning around him and his horses. He has a very keen eye for the details that make or break a horse on the track. Clay interacts with his horses and fellow horsemen with ease and comfort.

Regardless of where Clay’s future leads, you can rest assured that he will be successful. He is an example of a man that came from humble beginnings, works hard and perseveres despite the industry’s many challenges. He remains a good son, brother, uncle and friend to many, regardless of how famous he is. It is often said that you can tell a lot about a man by studying his horses. In that case, Clay is a winner that is very comfortable and confident in his future.

19

Clay Sparks

Patterson waters in a Bartlett Pear on the edge of a food plot © Connor Freund

BUILDING RANCHLAND GAME HABITAT

BY JOEL JOHNSON

Before permits are signed and bows are strung, trophy bucks need prize-worthy pasture. In a modern ecosystem that often includes more roads and subdivisions than native forbs, that pasture doesn’t come naturally.

In fact, altering natural environments to improve herd life is an ancient practice.

For thousands of years, indigenous people modified the North American landscape to encourage healthy game populations. Typically this meant initiating controlled burns to maintain open prairies—native grasslands being a key source of forage for animals, and an opportune environment for hunters.

In January of 2018, long-time hunting guides Kent Giffin and Kyle Windquist formed Habitat Commanders, a land management consulting agency, to apply ancient principles to modern properties.

For Kyle Windquist, habitat design starts and ends with the mind of the animal. When thinking about designing a property to support

game animals you’ve got to start by thinking, “what are you looking for as a person” and then transition to “what am I looking for as a big buck?” Windquist explains. “I want somewhere that I feel safe. I want somewhere that has plenty of food to eat. I want somewhere that has great water that’s right there for me.

If you give them safety, water, and food, why are they going to leave?”

At the start of each project, Windquist and Giffin walk the landscape with their clients, taking inventory of resources and limitations, and cross-referencing client goals with game animal needs. In general, the equation is simple: create a property capable of supporting a large herd, growing big bucks, and providing maximum hunter access with minimal herd disturbance.

More often than not, the first barrier to that goal is a uniform tree canopy that has choked out a more diverse understory. This uniformity can be a major problem for deer development.

20

Deer have much smaller rumens than cattle, which means they have to be highly selective in what they eat. Instead of browsing a high quantity of low-quality forage, they select the most nutritious parts of a vast array of plants. A study on the “Diets of Desert Mule Deer” conducted by the University of Arizona documented 237 different species of browse and forbs.

To correct this imbalance, Giffin and Windquist thin the canopy, a disturbance that provides needed sunlight for understory trees and brush. The change is palpable.

“You can just tell, the woods breathe so much better,” Windquist says. “If me and you can barely walk through there, a deer is not going to walk through there—a big buck with big antlers, he’s not going to walk through all that junk—but if you thin it out, give him some visibility so he can tell if a predator is coming from a ways away . . . deer feel real comfortable in there.”

Of course, visibility is a double-edged sword.

Clear vision makes deer comfortable, but also skittish. Enter phase two: access.

The best game habitat in the world won’t provide a successful hunt if it gives away the hunter. This is when the Commanders start considering elements beyond the soil.

“We always take wind into consideration when you’re thinking hunting,” Windquist continues. “The wind has always got to be in your favor because it will give you away nine times out of ten, and you won’t even see deer because he smells you first.

Once wind-favorable access points, trails, and stands are established, the next step is creating habitat that will force deer to linger. At this

point, Windquist describes, “you are really manipulating how the deer walk through the woods.”

Hinge-cutting, cutting three-quarters through a trunk and folding the tree over, will keep the tree alive for five or six years, providing shoulder-level browse and bedding that deer love. A circle of hinge-cuts creates a dome that is “just like a fort you build as a kid.” Raked out, the bed has plenty of exit holes and good visibility, a perfect resting spot. If your choice is between sleeping on the pavement or a 5-star hotel, “you’re going to walk in the 5-star hotel,” Windquist adds with a laugh. “What we’re building is like that.”

When herds have access to a diverse diet of forage, plenty of water, and places to rest, the focus shifts to drawing prize bucks into the open. Habitat Commanders uses proprietary blends of grasses and grains to grow high

screens around food plots. These tall borders prevent bucks from checking out plots from a safe distance.

“If you have this tall stuff planted, like sorghum,” Windquist explains, “[a big buck] has to nose his way through that stuff to check the shorter food plot to see if there’s any other animals in there.” The screen forces “him to come out in the open . . . and naturally he’s going to do that because he’s got to see if there are any does or bucks in his territory.”

Of course, as soon as he pokes that nose out in the open, the real fun begins.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Joel Johnson is an agroecologist currently working as the Trades and Agriculture Interpreter at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum. He is a freelance writer for all things agriculture, ecology, and sustainability.

Below, a summer screen plot contains nine browse varieties, including sun hemp, sunflowers, sorghum, and cow peas. © Connor Freund

21

WORKING DOGS

Aero & Quiver on point. Mearns’ quail. SE Arizona © DA Guides

S

ince the age of 12, my father has taken me hunting. He grew up in the 40’s and 50’s when it was imperative to harvest a deer for the winter instead of spending hard earned money on meat. He tells me stories of time he spent with his father in the woods and cherishes the time that he and I have with each other outdoors. I thank my mother for tolerating the hunting talk and time away from the family as my father and I ran off on various hunts. Times have certainly changed since my father’s childhood hunting stories, but my desire to leave the city and be in the wilderness is certainly in my blood. To quote John Muir, “The mountains are calling and I must go.” I have sat at the shore of Muir Lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with a trout on my line. I know exactly what Muir means.

Scouting was a big part of my younger years and will be forever, after achieving the rank of Eagle Scout in 1996. I still hunt big game and upland birds with fellow Eagles every year from Oregon and Montana to Oklahoma and Arizona.

Speaking of upland birds…that’s the addiction. Set the GPS waypoint to the truck and wander the hills with dogs. What kind of dogs you ask? I exclusively run Braque du Bourbonnais pointers with my guiding business in Southern Arizona — Double Aero Guides. The breed’s French name may be difficult but the dogs are so easy to please, train and love.

Their disposition is amazing at home and they are absolute machines in the field. Being that I live in Tucson, it can be difficult to run dogs with our excessive heat. Early mornings before sunrise in Sonoita is a great way to spend a day out of the city training dogs. Trips to Pinetop happen often during the summer months, too.

As we ramp up to the beginning of the upland bird season and the end of this article, I’d like to thank my amazing wife for her complete support in this adventure I call life. Most men living this lifestyle would be a bachelor by now. She cares for and loves our dogs at home and misses them when I’m away in the field guiding. What I bring home from the field she turns into an incredible array of flavorful meals.

22

Zona, Quiver & Aero. California Quail hunt - Eastern Oregon Š DA Guides

F

eel free to cruise the website at www.QuailArizona.com to meet the dog staff, consider a guided hunt or purchase our very own 1stAidK9 kits, quail t-shirts, stickers and more. Contact Matt Russell, Arizona Licensed Hunting Guide anytime at shooter@doubleaeroguides.com, @gundogrun.

Aero & Quiver, Chukar hunt -Eastern Oregon Š DA Guides

REGIONAL REPORT

STERLING CATTLE COMPANY

BY CURT BRUMMETT

© Curt Brummett

When you are in Texas it is impolite to ask a rancher how many cattle he has or how much land he owns. If you’ve got a basic knowledge of cowboy etiquette, you already know that.

I met a rancher from Coahoma that raises a sizable herd of cattle that you might call exotic or at the very least, very good beef.

Jimmy Sterling uses Akaushi bulls on his commercial black Angus herd to produce quality half-blood calves. The Akaushi breed originated from Japan in the early 1990’s and means (depending on what part of Japan you’re from) either a red or brown cow.

Jimmy has ranched all of his life and is always striving to improve. In 2011, he and his daughters went to Harwood, Texas to meet the folks at Heartbrand Beef. His daughters were reluctant to entertain such a substantial change, but after seeing the cattle and meeting the quality people at Heartbrand Beef and the American Akaushi Association, they purchased a truckload of bulls that day.

The Sterling’s keep a sustainable herd and raise the calves to weaning age on the ranch.

They wean and straighten out the calves and then send them to the feed yard for finishing.

Most years the calves are vaccinated 3 different times on the ranch and weaned at 60 days.

The calves are either sold to Heartbrand Beef as yearlings or are finished and sold to them as fats, which allows the ranch to spread their income out over different times of the year.

The ranch raises their own replacement heifers and uses calving ease Akaushi bulls to produce a calf that has value without sacrificing the safety of the heifer.

The Sterling’s have two distinct calving seasons, utilizing their bulls twice a year instead of the typical one season herd. Akaushi bulls are hearty and have the stamina to cover both sets of cows they encounter each year.

The Sterling’s still work all of the calves the cowboy way, acknowledging traditions of old.

The calves are roped and drug to the fire. This is done quickly because of the quality of the cowboys and their ability to work together.

All are top hands and work well with each other. The Sterling ranch hands are provided

24

with beef for the freezers for a job well done.

When the Akaushi calves are branded they are ear-tagged and blood sample is taken.

The blood card, is sent in for DNA verification to an Akaushi sire. Heartbrand then has the opportunity to purchase the calves as DNA verified and will reimburse the cost of the DNA testing. Record keeping is essential to the process, but organization has proven to be essential to the operation.

The Akaushi offspring are fed in a Bovina Feeders feedlot and finished out slowly on all natural feed, specifically with no growth additives and no antibiotics. Once they are finished they head to Caviness Packers in Hereford, Texas weighing between 1450 to 1500 lbs.

The ranch currently has 55 full blood bulls and 15 half blood bulls purchased from Heartbrand. They like the disposition and fertility, as well as the adaptability of the bulls. There are Akaushi cattle spread to the corners of Texas and in many states around the U.S., from Idaho to Florida. The breed works well

in climates from cold to very hot and have prospered in all areas.

The Akaushi breed is famous for the high marbling meat, even the first cross is performing at previously unseen levels.

The grades have been fantastic for the Sterling family as their average is around 40% prime with only a handful of select carcasses over the years.

Another advantage the Sterling’s have is when Heartbrand purchases the cattle, they share the carcass data and in an industry that strives for premiums this is unheard of. Heartbrand markets their meat to high-end restaurants and retailers and after a taste you can see why.

Jimmy educated me about the Akaushi beef and its natural tenderness due to the fat and marbling. I smoked three briskets for him; I cut the slices just a little thicker because the meat was so juicy, perfect for a main course or a delicious sandwich. A true meat lover’s delicacy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Writer Curt Brummett is a story teller and cowboy. He has told stories at cattlemens conventions, chambers of commerce and schools, as well as 4-H and FFA banquets. He has shared his knowledge on writing and telling short stories with advanced English classes. He lives in the West Texas town of Colorado City.

© Curt Brummett

Read more from Curt like Roping Can Be Hazardous To Your Health or Welcome To Querecho Flats because not everyone could make a funny story out of diving off a thirty-foot windmill into a holding tank with three feet of water in it. Or out of a day that started with being stung by three scorpions roughly the size of draft animals and went downhill from there. Through the wit and the one-liners, Brummett portrays an American West in which the old way awkwardly accommodates the new, in which the day’s drudgery is seasoned with humor and punctuated by practical jokes, and in which the irrepressible frontier spirit continues to prevail.

ARIZONA AGRICULTURE EDUCATION/FFA FOUNDATION

GATOR RAFFLE Provided by:

$20 DONATION PER TICKET PROCEEDS SUPPORT IMPORTANT FFA PROGRAMS IN ARIZONA

WIN A JOHN DEERE GATOR VALUED AT $10,000 OR A $10,000 CREDIT AT ANY STOTZ EQUIPMENT STORE IN ARIZONA.

Winner will be announced on January 26, 2019 at

The Arizona Ag Ed/FFA Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization. Your Donation may be tax deductible as allowed by law. Participants must be 18 years of age and be a U.S. resident, with a valid current drivers license. Tickets must be purchased and submitted by Jan. 26, 2019 at Noon. Winner is responsible for all applicable taxes. Please see full contest rules on website.

25

IN LEHMANN’S TERMS

BY PATINA THOMPSON

© Rocking P Photography

© Rocking P Photography

© Rocking P Photography

Like mesquite, Lehmanns Lovegrass, Eragrostis lehmanniana, is another contentious species that lends itself to debate when it comes to its presence on the landscape. It may not be at the top of the list for ranchers or livestock, but it’s a warm-season grass that can sure save your bacon in early spring and winter months, either before the native grasses have greened up or long after the native grasses are dormant or have been consumed.

E. lehmanniana grows 18 to 24 inches tall with an open panicle inflorescence, housing thousands of hard, tiny, prolific seeds. A non-native species from southern Africa, Lehmanns was first introduced to the Southwest in the 1930’s for range restoration and roadside stabilization. Due to the similarity of climates, the grass flourished in the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts at elevations ranging from 3,200 to 5,000 feet and quickly out-performed native grasses. The grass can produce up to three to four times the biomass of native species.

Lehmanns can be extremely aggressive in disturbed areas or on burned sites, and is said to be more flammable and more fire tolerant than native species. Research conducted in southeastern Arizona by Erika Geiger in 2004 tested the timing of fire on native and non-native grass species. Spring fires tend to burn cooler because the plants and soil have more moisture. Summer fires burn hotter since the grasses are dry. The year’s rainfall is also something to add to the equation, but results show that no matter what time of year Lehmanns

lovegrass was burned, the grass grew back either the same or at a slight increase.

Extensive studies have been conducted on the Santa Rita Experimental Range in Arizona regarding grazing pressure and stocking rates on stands of Lehmanns. The grass remains productive even when heavily grazed. The tendency of Lehmanns to thrive in times of drought also makes it a top contender to overtake native species on a range site. Wildlife, especially birds, utilize the bunchgrass for cover and feed (although the tiny seeds can make the grass a less desired species for them too).

In summer months, livestock typically prefer and seek out native species of grass as they are tastier than Lehmanns during this time of year. However, cattle make greater use of Lehmanns and graze it readily during the fall, winter and spring because the foliage remains green longer than native grasses. A yearlong study on Lehmanns in southeastern Arizona showed it averages about 5% protein over the growing season. Although low, this protein content provided to livestock during the winter months can be vital when native grasses are dormant, especially on browse deficient range. While native species of grass are preferred on rangelands, Lehmanns is pretty much a “naturalized citizen” and is a species that can be an important component of a grazing management plan. It’s definitely a relationship that can be categorized as “complicated”.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Contributor Patina Thompson earned a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife, Watershed and Rangeland Resources from the University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.

© Rocking P Photography

She works in the agriculture insurance field. She is a wife, mother, rancher, hunter photographer and conservationist living in southeastern Arizona.

27

PYROGLYPHICS - HOT IRONS: OWNERSHIP, IDENTITY AND LOCATION - A SUMMARY OF THE ARIZONA SUPREME COURT’S RECENT LIVESTOCK BRAND DECISION

BY THOMAS KELLY

Although associated with western cowboys, branding one’s cattle to assert ownership and identity began centuries before the legendary cattle industry of the American West.

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics depict the earliest record of livestock branding 4,700 years ago. Later, ancient Romans used hot irons to sear unique markings into livestock hides to evidence identity and ownership.

Herńan Cortés, the legendary conquistador who defeated the Aztecs for the control of Mexico in 1521, is thought to be the first person to brand cattle in the new world. Cortés marked ownership of his cattle with a brand of three Latin crosses.

The practice of branding was adopted by cattle growers in the Americas and the act of “dragging calves to the fire” was made famous by the cowboys of the American West. The earliest recorded brand in Texas is believed to be by Richard H. Chisholm, registered in

Gonzales County in 1832. Among one of the oldest continual brands in Texas is the “Running W” belonging to the King Ranch, originally registered in 1869. During the same year, one of the oldest ranches in Arizona,the Sierra Bonita Ranch marked its cattle with the Crooked H brand, which is still in use today.

With the completion of the railroad through northern Arizona in 1881, the cattle business flourished in Arizona; the Arizona Cattle Company ran over 16,000 head of cattle under the A1 brand in some of the finest grazing lands surrounding Flagstaff.

Branding cattle in the Southwest remains largely unchanged today. Branding irons are carefully fashioned from a hand-forge, calves are “mothered up” and sorted, irons heated over a fire, the calf roped, dragged to the fire, then the brand applied at a specific, approved location on the animal. The pride of ownership can be seen with a brand expertly

28

applied showing consistency in quality, size and location.

A brand is more than a symbol: it indicates proof of livestock ownership and is associated with the ranch and the rancher’s identity. As a result, the ranch brand is often reproduced anywhere and everywhere —on entry gates, burned into doors, walls and beams, laid in tile entryways, set in concrete walkways, carved into saddles, chaps and leather furniture, embroidered on jackets and shirts, on license plates, painted on the side of pickups and stock trailers – anywhere the rancher wants to communicate their identity. In fact, a ranch itself is often identified, not by the name of its owners, but by its brand. The O RO, Seven Up, Yolo, PZ, Bar U Bar, Cross U, TK Bar, Hash Knife, Bar Triangle and Diamond A’s are a few of many ranches identified by a brand.

Even the United States has a unique brand. A brand may be passed through generations of a ranching family as an heirloom, indicating a proud connection to the past, a reminder of when cattle growers flourished during the settling of the Southwest.

In addition to its specific design, a brand is placed on livestock at a specific location. The rib, shoulder, neck, nose, jaw, side, flank, thigh and loin are specified locations on cattle. The US brand was originally placed on the left hoof of an animal and later changed to the left shoulder. The brand is still used today by the United States Forest Service.

Recently, the issue of ownership and the location of a livestock brand became the subject of an Arizona Supreme Court Case, Stambaugh v. Killian. The case arose as a result of a proposed duplicate use of the Bar 7 brand by two different cattle growers in Arizona. The Bar 7

~ Most brands in the United States include capital letters or numerals, often combined with other symbols such as a slash, circle, half circle, cross, or bar. Brands of this type have a specialized language for “calling” the brand. Brands are called from left to right, top to bottom, and when one character encloses another, from outside to inside. Some terms used in brand identification are; crazy, rafter, reverse, lazy, tumbling, flying, walking, running, rail, stripe, box, diamond, hanging and rocking. What’s your brand? Post a picture on social media and use #westernaglife.

brand, located on the left hip, has been owned

by David Stambaugh in Arizona. The Eureka Springs Cattle Co., LLC owns an identical Bar 7 brand in California, this brand is located on the left rib of the cattle. When Eureka Springs moved its cattle from California to an Arizona ranch, it applied to the Arizona Department of Agriculture to use the Bar 7 brand on the left rib to avoid re-branding its cattle. The Department found Stambaugh’s existing Bar 7 brand during a conflict review, and twice the brand clerk rejected the Eureka Springs application.

The brand clerk was eventually overruled by her supervisors and the Eureka Springs brand was approved on the grounds that the brand would be located at a different location on the animal. The department also noted the Eureka Springs brand was not so similar to any other brand on the left rib that the brand would be misidentified or easily converted. As required by statute, the Department of Agriculture publicly advertised Eureka Spring’s request to record its brand. Stambaugh noticed the conflicting brand, objected and filed a protest. The Department denied the protest and approved Eureka Springs Bar 7 brand..

David Stambaugh then hired Paul Orme, a Phoenix attorney, rancher and descendant of the historic Orme Ranch in Yavapai County, to sue the Arizona Department of Agriculture and Eureka Springs. Both the Superior Court and Arizona Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Eureka Springs. Basing its analysis on the Department’s discretion to consider the location of a brand when deciding if a proposed brand is of the “same design or figure” under A.R.S. § 3-1261.B, the Appellate Court determined the statute was ambiguous and considered the repeated references in the Ari-

zona statutes to the significance of the location at which a brand is approved for placement on the owner’s livestock. The court noted the brand location must be designated on numerous documents such as brand applications and certificates, advertisements of proposed brands, bills of sale for brands, brand lease forms, and instruments of distribution for a decedent’s estate and self-inspection certificates. The Appellate Court recognized that for many decades the Department exercised discretion to approve duplicate brands as long as they were applied in different locations on the animal. “[T]o now invalidate the manner in which the Department has construed statutes over many decades would cause havoc with untold numbers of recorded brands.” Thus, the lower court determined “the Department’s longstanding practice of accepting similar brands that are applied in different locations on their owner’s livestock serves the statutes’ purpose of identifying ownership and preventing theft.”

The Arizona Supreme Court disagreed, reversing the holdings of the Superior and Appellate Courts. Basing its analysis on the plain language of the statute, the Court ruled the Department is precluded from recording “two brands of the same design or figure” regardless of their location. The statute in

29

question, A.R.S. § 3-1261(B), provides: B. No two brands of the same design or figure shall be adopted or recorded, but the associate director, may, in his discretion, reject and refuse to record a brand or mark similar to or conflicting with a previously adopted and recorded brand or mark.

In its reasoning, the Supreme Court disagreed with the lower court and determined A.R.S. § 3-1261(B) was not ambiguous and did not include a location for the brand. In a step-bystep analysis, the Court found the common meaning of “design or figure” did not include “location” as part of its meaning. Next, the Court found the statute as a whole could only be subject to one reasonable interpretation – as barring the recording of two brands of the same design or figure, even in different locations. The Court then reasoned that adopting the Department’s argument would render subsection 3-1261(G), which makes it unlawful to apply a recorded brand in an unrecorded location, unnecessary or superfluous violating basic statutory interpretation. Further rejecting arguments of ambiguity, the Supreme Court noted subsection G, mandating location has a purpose, to deter a cattle rustler by requiring the thief to overcome a two-prong security test: a matching design and a matching location. Moreover, this subsection specifying location assists the Department in where to look for a specific brand, quickly identifying its owner during livestock inspection. Finally, in response to the assertion by the Appellate Court that ruling against the Department would cause chaos invalidating hundreds of brands, the Supreme Court determined that the Department could find only thirty-two instances of possible duplicate brands out of

10,000 registered brands. As a result, Stambaugh v. Killian ensures a recorded brand in Arizona is unique in its design and feature and has only one owner regardless of its location on livestock.

Our oldest son and his wife own a ranch located deep in the Blue Primitive Area in Eastern Arizona near the Arizona/New Mexico border. The ranch is a road-less Forest Service allotment. Access to the ranch through the steep, rocky canyons and rugged mountains of the southern Blue Range overlooking the San Francisco River is by horseback. After several hours in the saddle you rim out above Coalsen Canyon. At the bottom of the steep rocky trail, sits the ranch headquarters surrounded by huge cottonwoods and sycamore trees, built decades ago next to Coalsen Creek. The headquarters consists of old corrals made from cedar posts and stays, a small hay barn and a little rock cabin with no amenities: no electricity, no running water, no cell phone coverage, and miles to the nearest neighboring ranch.,This place is a throwback to an earlier time in Arizona ranching history. Despite its antiquity the ranch still shows remnants of the pride of ownership of its earliest cowboys. The cabin was laboriously constructed with native rocks, hand-hewn log rafters and a tin roof; its architect included a small but highly functional fireplace. Embedded into the mortar above its mantel is inscribed the date it was built – 1941, and the brand of its owner – the Cross Y. Identity preserved for generations.

REFERENCES: Stambaugh v. Killian, 398 P.3d 574 (2017).

Stambaugh v. Butler, 249 Ariz. 353, 379 P.3d 250 (Ariz. App. 2016) Decoding the Range: The Secret Language of Cattle Branding. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/decoding-the-rangethe -secret-language-of-cattle-branding-45246620/ What’s In a Brand? The History of Cattle Branding. https://agamerica.com/brandhistory-of-cattle-branding Graham County, Arizona BRANDS. http:// genealogytrails.com/ariz/graham/brands.html.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Thomas K. Kelly is a retired attorney who now manages family cattle ranches and helps his wife in her ranch real estate business

30

that point she will advance in age group and the level of competition.

Understanding her drive and determination, I feel she is a talent that will be just as tough a competitor as she has been in the junior association.

Everett competes in the breakaway roping, goat tying, ribbon roping, team roping and pole bending events and qualified for the Texas Junior High Rodeo Association Finals (TJHRA) by placing in the top ten of an event in her region, the Texas finals are in Gonzales. TJHRA in the State of Texas has 10 regions and when you figure 10 competitors from each event from each region will compete at the TJHRA Finals held in Gonzales, that puts a lot of kids in one place at one time. Then to qualify for the National Finals in Heron, South Dakota she will have to place in the top 4 in one or more of her events. I do not know how many regions are in all the other states but I can guarantee there are a lot of kids in one place at one time at the National Junior High Rodeo Association (NJHRA) Finals in South Dakota. That’s not counting horses, and parents. Continued on page 39...

A WEST TEXAS SPORT

BY CURT BRUMMETT

In West Texas, sports are important to just about anyone and everyone that has ever had a competitive thought. It makes no difference if it’s football, basketball, baseball, golf or checkers, there is some kind of competition going on year round.

The one sport that doesn’t get all that much recognition is youth rodeo.

That doesn’t mean it’s not competitive!

Generally in youth sports, there are items furnished for each competitor: uniforms, equipment, transportation to and from the event. Coaches are hired who specialize in various skill sets, managers, and don’t forget the huge support from family and community that travel to and attend each game or event. But there isn’t a team bus to load up in to go to a rodeo. In order for a cowboy/cowgirl to get to a rodeo they generally have to depend on dear old Mom or dear old Dad to get everything hooked up and ready to load. At least this is the way it is until these competitors are old enough to drive on their own.Aspiring young rodeo hands can join a number of associations, they are scattered all over the west these rodeo associations are supported through dues and attract sponsors like western clothing and boot companies, rope, trailer and feed companies and producers of tack, bits, spurs. Even silversmiths provide trophies, generally in the form of silver buckles. Visibility of their trades among these associations ensures their livelihood.

I met a young lady a few months ago, Jessi Everett. She is the daughter of Cody Bob and Shana Everett. She is a member of the Texas Junior High Rodeo Association (TJHRA). Not only is she a member, she is the new president of the TJHRA for 2019. At 13 years of age she is not afraid to compete against older kids or adults. This will be the last year she can compete in the junior high school age group. After the 2019 year she will compete in the Texas High School Rodeo Association. At 31

FOLLOWER OF CHRIST FROM THE RANCH TO THE PULPIT

BY JULIE CARTER

~ His quiet demeanor and soft-spoken words relay the heart of a man who has found his identity not in what he does, but what he is divinely called to do.

Owen Young, 51, is a ranch manager and has been a cowboy all his life. He grew up on a multi-generation ranch about 30 miles south of Hachita, New Mexico. If you check your map, that’s close to the Mexican border down in the boot heel part of the state.

From there he worked on ranches all over the state until finally settling in as manager on the Ruby Ranch just north of Las Vegas. Along that route he met and married Kamee Wolf Young, and together they raised a son Kade and daughter Kayla. Kade did a four-year stint in the Marine Corps and is now married and a Santa Fe County firefighter. Kayla just earned her Bachelor’s Degree in graphic design and while finding work in that field, she seeks adventures in a bigger world where she’s traveled often through ministry trips.

Owen’s story is that God “back-doored” him into preaching and the ministry. “When I was in high school, if there was an assignment that required getting up and talking in front of people, I’d just take a zero,” he said. There was nothing whatsoever in him at that time that suggested he would one day be the spiritual leader and voice for a 50-60 member church.

The road was slow. As a child, it was his mother’s influence that brought Christ to life. Later, as a church member and deacon, his involvement in his church opened other doors.

When they moved to Las Vegas in 1992, Owen and Kamee began attending Calvary Baptist church and he became a deacon. He was asked to fill in at the pulpit from time to time and led to more sermons in other churches in the district as a “supply preacher.”

Seeing a need among the ranch families that he worked with and around, Owen started a Thursday night Bible study and worship service at the ranch. That quickly grew to 20 or so weekly participants and through prayer God worked mightily among them. He was ordained by the Calvary Baptist Church in 2004.

Owen saw God moving him forward in spite of himself. “I said then, I don’t mind preaching, but I’ll never pastor a church.” And of course, that is exactly what happened.

He had served as an interim pastor in Mora for a year, but he went in knowing and declaring that to be temporary, even putting a one-year deadline on the position. When Owen was asked to sit in on a business 32

Rociada Church © Julie Carter

meeting of Rociada Baptist Church to offer some advice for direction, he had no idea yet another door was about to open for him.

For 21 years now, Owen has served God at the helm of that same Rociada church. The growth has been steady; he started out with a handful of members in the off-season. Summer would fill the pews with those that came to their summer homes. In time, as the Rociada Valley infilled with more year-round residents, so did the Rociada Baptist Church.

Owen’s methods and messages of the gospel have kept them coming back. If you ask him to describe himself, he says,” A follower of Christ who works as a rancher.”

He explains. “I’m not really a ‘cowboy church’ guy. I really believe that your witness as a church, if the world looks in and everybody’s from different backgrounds, different races, different likes and dislikes, and yet they come together in Christ, that’s your witness to the world.”

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Owen and Kamee spend the long days and long hours required in ranching together. For many years, the ranch has been a yearling operation but is in the process of transitioning to handling more on the cow-calf end. They also do a little farming, raising grazing forage.

Kamee, ranch-raised herself, is Owen’s number one help, both at the ranch and at the church. She thought she knew before Owen did that God had called Owen to the pulpit. With that came the realization she was to become “a preacher’s wife.” What evolved was both Owen and Kamee taking their work ethic of long hard days of ranching to the church.

Owen’s belief is that if a church is to impact the community, a church must be filled with workers; his church is blessed to have just that. As in 1 Corinthians 15:58 … “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Julie Carter is a New Mexico writer and photographer.

Kamee and Owen Young © Julie Carter

For 15 years, she wrote a weekly syndicated column, Cowgirl Sass & Savvy, painting cowboy pictures with words and wit in an attempt to bring a unique point of view to cowboy life. From her ranch-raising in Colorado to her ranch living in New Mexico and a lot of miles and rodeo arenas in between, she writes and photographs with a passion for the Western way of life.

33

FROM THE KITCHEN

FEED THE SOUL A FALL STEW BY ADAM AVARITT

My grandfather was a Southern preacher. In a little town on the edge of the Arkansas Ozarks he pastored a small country church; his congregation consisted mostly of family and friends.

Throughout the summer months during the 60s and 70s the church would gather school supplies, clothing, and money. Come fall the youth group would pile into the old school bus that my grandfather had converted into an RV and travel the 1,500 miles to Nayarit, Mexico.

There they would help to build churches, a few of which are thriving to this day. They would give the supplies and money to the local churches to disburse as they saw fit.

At some point in the 1960s, during his first trip across the American Southwest, my grandfather fell in love with Arizona. Something about the people and landscapes drew him in. I was exposed to it when I came across his boxes of Arizona Highways. I would show him an article I was reading and ask him if he had been there or seen this. He would go into great detail describing the incredible things he had seen while traveling through the Southwest.

To me, Arizona wasn’t just a different state, but a different world. Growing up in the sultry verdant South I was in awe of the Grand Canyon, the old ghost towns, rodeos, and cowboys, cacti and coyotes. Arizona was Bisbee and Tombstone and Monument Valley. Horseshoe Bend and Havasupai Falls. It was a world I had seen only in magazines and it represented the Old West that was still thriving.

Last year I was living in southern Louisiana when some childhood friends called me. They asked if I would be interested in moving to Arizona to help with their business. My answer was yes. A quick and enthusiastic yes! As an adult I had experienced this place and fallen just as in love with it as my grandfather had. I saw the pictures come to life; it was a life-changing experience.

I grew up in a family and culture that loves food, cooking and eating.

I enjoy cooking. I love feeding people. I was somewhat concerned with how the cooking that I do would translate to an entirely different food culture. The ingredients were so different.

I worried for nothing. I don’t cook fancy meals, but I do prepare them with love; for the dish itself and the people I feed. It’s low-cost ingredients but cooked with attention and love —food for working people.

Something to feed the belly and the soul, which in the South we call soul food. By now, I’ve learned that it’s all the same. No matter what region of the country, no matter the ingredients, it’s all the same.

For years I cooked in restaurants, many of them in the delta region of

Callum Cole with Stew © Adam Avaritt

Arkansas, birthplace of the blues and soul food. Not a bad gig if you can get it. This recipe is a staple where I’m from. Turnips are known for high nutritional value and lots of flavor. The greens are chock full of Vitamins K, A, and C, foliate, copper, manganese, fiber, calcium and many more. They taste good, too.

There are a thousand different ways to cook this dish; this is just the way I do it. The beauty of it is that the recipe lends itself to experimentation: you can add coconut milk and fish for a Caribbean flavor, make a minestrone out of it, make cornmeal dumplings and put it in the broth (also known as potlikker) or serve it mixed with rice and black-eyed peas for a traditional new years dish known as Hoppin’ John. The possibilities are endless. And as Jacques Pepin says, “Food always tastes better when you eat it with the people you love.” ~Thanks to the Cole Family for sharing this meal with me.

34

ADAMS SOUTHERN SOUL STEW: Personalize this recipe by picking your protein and an accompanying starch.

Don’t forget: This stew will serve a crowd, so no matter how many gather around your table or chuck wagon this fall, there will be second helpings. Bon Appétit!

INGREDIENTS: 2 bunches of mixed Greens, chiffonade (I like to use a combination of mustard, turnip, and collard greens) 2 Onions, chopped (You can use white, yellow, or red) Turnips, chopped (I love turnips so I put in as many as I can fit) Garlic, minced (This is to taste, but honestly the more the better) Red Pepper Flakes (This is to taste;I usually use about 1 – 2 tablespoons) White Vinegar (This is to help cut the bitterness of the greens; I start with ½ cup) Protein (We typically use smoked ham hock, pork neck, or even smoked turkey necks, but really any meat works. Put as much as you want and will fit in the pot) Water (It’ll become the stock) Salt/Pepper (To taste)

KITCHEN TOOLS: Cutting board Large kitchen knife 8 qt stock pot / dutch oven

COOKING TIP: You can cook the ingredients on the stove over medium heat for one hour. But to get the optimal flavor I like to cook them in my Dutch oven for at least 2 hours at 350 degrees. This gives such a great radiant heat to them and the ham hocks will literally melt off the bone. About halfway through I’ll take them out of the oven and add water. Ideally the stock will have acquired a darkish green tint. The turnips and onions will melt in your mouth and the vinegar will have taken the bitterness out of the greens.

4

6

8

GET COOKING:

1. Rinse greens and turnips thoroughly.

2. Put ham hock, garlic, and red pepper flakes into pot and fill with water-about three or four inches above the meat.

3. Set pot on medium-high heat and cover.

4. Roll single bunch of greens into a tight tube, like rolling a cigar, and chop greens into pieces no wider than finger width. Chop greens along the width the other way; they don’t have to be perfect, but you do want a good chop on them.

5. Place half of the greens into pot; wilt to make room for second half.

6. Add chopped onions and turnips to the covered pot.

7. Add more water, about 3 or 4 inches above the greens.

8. Pour in the vinegar and stir slowly throughout.

9. Cook on medium heat for 1 hour.

10. Nourish your belly and soul!

Above: Michelle and Rowan Coll © Adam Avaritt

TOOLS OF THE TRADE: PUMP MAINTENANCE

BY TONY MCBEE, EMPIRE PUMP CORP.

and efficiently meet goals pertaining to in-house maintenance and repairs. Even if you choose to hire a contractor to perform periodic maintenance on your pumping equipment, periodic monitoring is crucial in identifying potential issues before they become catastrophic failures.

The two types of pumps most commonly used in well pump applications are submersible pumps and line shaft driven pumps. While both are used to perform the same function, there are distinct differences between the two. The submersible pump uses a submerged electric motor directly coupled to the pump end to drive the pump end down in the well. A power cable supplies power to the motor from the ground surface. A line shaft driven pump uses a driver located at ground surface to drive the pump end in the well through a series of shafts connected between the two. The shafts, and bearings supporting the shafts, require lubricant, either water or oil depending on the configuration of your equipment. Your experienced pump professional will guide you as to which type of pump best suits your application.

Following are some general points to assist you in monitoring and maintaining your pumping equipment. Remember to follow all safety regulations and safe work practices for pressurized, rotating and energized equipment. If you are not qualified to do so, contact a professional contractor.

• Monitor your pumps and drivers for changes to any noises emanating from the equipment during start up and operation.

• Monitor your equipment for any changes to noticeable vibration.

• Ensure that there is an adequate supply of oil in the pump’s oiling system reservoir. Never let the oil reservoir run dry.

• Regularly inspect the pump’s lubrication system for proper function and any conditions that may prohibit the system from working correctly. In the case of oil lubricated pumps, this would include inspecting the metering valve(s) and solenoid valve (if so equipped) for proper function and the oil feed line to ensure it is not broken or crimped. Inspect all connections. Ensure there is an adequate amount of oil being delivered to the pump. On water lubricated pumps, inspect the pre-lubrication system for proper function. If your water lubricated pump is equipped with a foot valve (suction intake check valve), your pump professional should have installed a hose bib or ball valve between the pump discharge head and above ground discharge piping check valve

Many people take for granted that if you turn on a faucet, water appears for us to drink, bathe and cook with, wash our cars and water our lawns.

For those of us who rely on water to irrigate our crops, water our stock and process our goods, we know water appearing at our taps is not just a miracle, it’s a miracle that requires many components, properly sized, selected, installed and maintained to make it happen.

As water is such a crucial part of our day-to-day lives, many farmers, ranchers and dairymen own or lease groundwater wells equipped with pumping equipment to ensure an adequate, reliable water supply is available. While the typical well owner is not an expert as far as wells and pumps go, most are capable of maintaining and repairing their equipment and knowing when they can “go it alone” or when they need to contract a professional to help.

So what can you do to help keep your pumping equipment running and minimize the need for water professionals? First, select reputable licensed contractors with a proven track record to design your systems, select the appropriate equipment to efficiently meet your needs and, of course, install the equipment properly. Once it’s installed, it is up to you to operate and monitor that equipment.

What maintenance tasks you choose to take on and which are better left to your pump professional will be a decision you make based on knowledge of your assets and the ability of your employees to safely 36

to periodically check that the piping remains full when the pump is shut down. A pipe plug in the water jacket of the pump discharge head can be removed to see if there is water in the discharge head water jacket or piping below the head.

• Adjust packing on water lubricated pumps as needed and periodically replace the packing.

• Monitor water levels in your well, both static (at rest) and during pumping (pumping level).

This information is invaluable to your pump professional to track the performance of your pump and well, identify problems with your equipment and determine pump and well efficiencies.

• Periodically monitor and record flows if possible.

• Regularly inspect the oil level in your electric motor or right angle drive. Change the oil at the manufacturer’s recommended intervals based on the conditions the driver operates in and use the proper lubricant.

• Clean the air intake and exhaust screens on electric motors as needed. Periodically clean the residual oil and dirt that accumulate on the motor.

• Regularly monitor amperage draws of electric motors. Changes to amperage will indicate changes to the physical condition and/or operating conditions of the pumping equipment.

• Periodically have your electrical gear cleaned and inspected. Clean out cabinets, ensure that any vents and filters are clean and free of debris. Check that all terminations are tight and there are no loose connections or hot spots developing. Clean and inspect components per the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Your pump professional can assist you with setting up a preventative maintenance program, training your employees and discuss in more detail the importance of monitoring your pump and well performance.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call (602) 254-6145 or email tony@empirepumpcorp.com

37

I LIVE THE WESTERN LIFESTYLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH CORBITT WALL In each issue, Western Ag Life introduces someone who is the fabric of western life.

In this issue, we catch up with Mr. Wall from “Feeder Flash”

What is your occupation?

Commercial Cattle Manager / Market Analyst for DV Auction

What are the best skills that you bring to your job?

I’ve spent my whole life in and around the commercial cattle industry.

I know the struggles, I know the satisfactions, I know the terminology, and I know the factors that affect the market.

What’s a typical day like for you?

If I am not on the road, I work from my home office. I correspond with cattle buyers and sellers across the country to see what the pulse of the market is doing. I also watch the futures and on-line sales as I prepare to record my daily cattle market video, the Feeder Flash. I usually finish up downloading the video late each evening so that it is fresh and timely for viewers, first thing the next morning.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Master of Science Degree in Agriculture from West Texas A&M University What makes you #westernlife?

I love the fact that there remains a celebrated spirit of romance to cattle production. Lonesome Dove wouldn’t have been near as interesting if Gus and Woodrow had been relocating swine, on their way to Iowa to set up a confinement hog feeding operation. In all the places I have lived and the different people I have served, I have always stayed true to the Cowboy Way. I hope the cattle market information that I offer and the manner in which I deliver it, is perceived as an attempt to preserve the western way of life. I hope my reports help cattlemen and ranchers make decisions that will enable them to stay in business and keep America’s grazing lands in cattle production.

I most definitely have a passion for my chosen profession and believe this comes directly from my roots. My maternal great-grandfather came to this great country on a ship from Wales with his two brothers. They all moved west but in different directions. One of the brothers ended up riding in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, while my branch founder homesteaded land in Union County New Mexico. Hard times enabled him to buy out weaker-hearted settlers and build the ranch where eventually my mother was raised.

My paternal great-grandfather would take his horse and dog down country lanes in Missouri, stopping at every farm along the way and purchasing any cattle they might have for sale. He would build his co-mingled herd until he had enough to send to the East St. Louis Stockyards. Craving larger strings to purchase, he moved west to Benkelman, NE and traveled south on gravel roads each week buying cattle across eastern Colorado. Railroads were the main source of livestock transportation in those days. He established a collection point in southeastern Colorado to ship his cattle to the Denver Stockyards. In the 1940’s his son returned from World War II and brought a train load of railroad ties down from Raton, NM to build a sale barn in Clayton, NM and a railroad spur for cattle cars to reach his loading docks.

Those are my roots, and they’re pretty Western...

Do you have any skills or talents that most people don’t know about?

I attended the Missouri Auction School in 1991. I honed my skills, selling pies and junk and anything else I could sell until I was good enough to sell cattle. Then, I sold odds and filled-in whenever I could and finally called the weekly cattle auction that my dad and I owned and operated in eastern New Mexico. We eventually sold that sale barn to dairy interests and I finished graduate school and moved on to a career with the USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS). Sometimes I think that dream has passed me by, but I still sell several fund-raisers and stock show premium sales each year and secretly wish I worked a regular weekly cattle auction.

Flashback to when you were 10 years old. What did you want to be when you grow up?

Drive a cattle truck for Jimmy Rogers Trucking of Liberal, KS….might have had something to do with the cap he gave me.

What is your greatest fear?

Rattlesnakes!

What are 3 of your pet peeves?

Straw hats with a coat. Felt hats with a short-sleeved shirt. Auctioneers that don’t say “SOLD” at the end of each lot.

What is your most treasured possession?

My three daughters and an 8 foot long set of mounted horns that were handed down from my great grandfather that he supposedly salvaged from an abandoned homesteaders house on a ranch he once had leased.

What would be your personal motto?

Don’t Sweat the Petty Stuff, Don’t Pet the Sweaty Stuff

Feeder Flash provides real time feeder cattle prices, reports and commentary. If you would like to receiver our daily newsletter, please send an email to RobCookKC@gmail.com with subscribe in the subject line.

38

Continued from Page 31... 95% of these young people share ranching or agriculture heritage as a common background. This is a heritage that is normally passed down for generations. They have an appreciation for their God, Country and their elders (that’s not to say they won’t jigger with the elders on occasion).

Which brings me back to Jessi Everett. When I met her I was impressed with how friendly and well mannered she is. During our visit she always addressed me with a courteous “yes, sir” or “no, sir.”. Also, while she is very talented and accomplished in the rodeo events she competes in, she presents herself as confident but not conceited. No brag, just fact.

She is a young lady who is not only a top hand in the arena but outside of rodeo as well. She is an honor student and is involved in school

sports competing in basketball, track and cross country.

Everett may be an aspiring politician relative to her election platform for TJHRA president this year campaigning against 4 other youth competitors.

She did not go into any detail as to what qualifications were needed to be elected, but I feel sure that her outgoing and warm personality assured her of the position.

Everett’s best horse is called Snortcake, which is a fitting name for him considering his demeanor, she just calls him Snort. But he has done a really fine job for her. He came from the Thompson ranch at Munday, Texas and has carried her to a lot of first places. In the pictures, he is the little sorrel horse she is roping on.

For her inauguration parade she carried the American flag in the grand entries on her good head horse Catfish. Ben Pierce gave Catfish to Jessi because he figured a top hand needed a top horse.

If and when you get a chance to go to a TJHRA rodeo, watch and learn just how tough and competitive the ranch and ag kids can be, I promise you will not be disappointed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Writer Curt Brummett is a story teller and cowboy.

He has told stories at cattlemens conventions, chambers of commerce and schools, as well as 4-H and FFA banquets. He has shared his knowledge on writing and telling short stories with advanced English classes. He lives in the West Texas town of Colorado City.

Here at Smith Ford, we go above and beyond for our customers!

Serving Lordsburg, Deming, Silver City, Safford & Bayard 412 East Motel Drive | Lordsburg, NM 88045

Sales: 888-564-9475 | Service: 888-572-7645 | Parts: 888-648-7976 39

STATE FAIR CHEESEBURGER CHAMPIONS GREEN CHILE CHEESE BURGER FAME SPOTLIGHTS YOUNG NEW MEXICO RESTAURANT

BY JULIE CARTER

Sometimes when dreams come true, they arrive even bigger and better than we’d hoped for. Oso Grill in Capitan, New Mexico is the “we want a small Mom and Pop restaurant of our own” dream of Brian and Pam Cleckler.

Located on a corner where two main highways intersect, and across the street from the Smokey Bear Park and Museum, Oso Grill has, in just three years, become an established part of the local community and a destination; many travel great distances on word-of-mouth recommendations.

Home of the world-famous Smokey Bear, Capitan boasts just over 1300 residents, a 500+ student school district, the Smokey Bear Market, along with other Smokey Bear named businesses (motel, restaurant), one gas station and an assortment of other small businesses that serve the locals.

Capitan is also home to the Lincoln County Fairgrounds, a destination for thousands of visitors during the annual 4-day Fourth of July Stampede rodeo. In August it’s county fair time, again filling the fairgrounds with people and livestock. And if all that isn’t enough for a visit, the historical stomping grounds of Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett, Lincoln, New Mexico, is only 12 miles to the east.

What does a weekly tally of 400 pounds of fresh ground chuck for burgers and 40 pounds of daily cut cube steaks for chicken fried steak say about a business that first opened their doors August 3, 2015? According to Brian, Oso Grill is on target to do three quarters of a million dollars in sales this year, topping the $550,000 they did last year. “We are a year and half ahead of our projections,” he said,

“And this has been with no advertising. We support a lot of local events like the county fair as well as the FFA, 4-H and different things at the school, but we’ve never advertised.”

The family, food and service speak for itself, but a prestigious award recently added to their fame. Last year, Oso Grill won the People’s Choice Award at the 2017 New Mexico State Fair Green Chile Cheeseburger competition. It was their first time to enter, but definitely won’t be their last. The restaurant closed for the day while the Oso crew headed to Albuquerque and the New Mexico State Fairgrounds for lots of hard work with great rewards.

Last year’s winning burger, now named the State Fair Burger,was a standout with its fresh (never frozen) 8 oz. patty, chopped New Mexico green chile cooked directly on the meat to give the patty an infusion of chile flavor, then a layer of melted cheese, all topped with battered deep-fried green chile strips. Served on a toasted bun with a chipotle ranch dressing sauce that adds a tangy sweet zap, it all adds up to a flavor explosion. The Cleckers have deep roots in the Lincoln County area. Pam is fourth generation to the local mountains, while Brian has spent most his adult life in the

hospitality and restaurant industry including 9 years as the Special Events Director of Inn of the Mountain Gods in Mescalero and 2 ½ years as manager at Ruidoso’s Casa Blanca Restaurant. “When we’d travel, we would always stop in little restaurants along the way and dream about how we would do it if it was ours,” Brian shared.

Finally, the time came when a new business venture wouldn’t take them away from family time with their kids. “We knew that this would take 100% devotion in order to succeed,” Brian said. “We put it on the back burner until such a time it would not impact our kids. Our life has always been to put family first. We do that still today with our employees. That rule makes many of our decisions for us.”

The Clecker children, Jenna and Caleb, left the nest for college and careers. Jenna has her Master’s in Special Education with an emphasis on Autism and is currently working for Region IX Education Cooperative in Ruidoso.

Caleb will graduate from New Mexico State University in December 2018 with a degree in Business and Ag Finance.

The Clecklers knew they wanted to have their restaurant in Capitan where they lived, where it was home. They even sought the use of the current location a year or so earlier, but it wasn’t available at the time. When it was, the Cleckers jumped at it and the rest is family recipes, pots and pans history. “We started out

cooking what we always cooked at home,” he said, “Family favorites, family recipes.”

In the beginning there were 5 employees but soon increased to 19 , not including Brian and Pam. The operation has grown fast and not without growing pains, but now, according to Brian, it has leveled out to a manageable daily routine. “The best that it’s been,” he said.

The first menu was one page of plain paper run off on a copy machine. They began with a limited number of family favorites including a good burger and a determination to offer food the people of Capitan wanted. Still today, the menu is ever evolving, and the daily specials determine the dishes that are in demand — what could or should end up as a regular menu item. “Most of our recipes we’ve cooked in our home for 30 years,” Brian explained. “If we want something new, we try it out on family first before we bring it to the restaurant.”

Today the menu lists 9 different burgers including the now-famous State Fair Burger. It also offers steaks (cut to order locally), chicken, catfish, chicken fried steak (also cut daily and breaded to order), 9 different sandwiches, appetizers and assorted salads. The dessert menu varies with the day but always includes fry bread with fresh strawberry puree, an apple or mixed berry tart with ice cream and a root beer float. Pies are made fresh and often include chocolate molten lava cake, Pam’s grandmother’s recipe for buttermilk pie, and one of Pam’s own creations, the Almond Joy pie. To round out a memorable meal, a nice beer and wine list is available.

What makes their customers return again and again? Brian’s belief is that it’s as simple as friendly service and food that is dependably fresh, homemade and with a unique twist. A raspberry chipotle sauce is served with the bacon-wrapped poppers and the Oso egg rolls (stuffed with brisket, green chile and cheese). The loaded baked potato comes with brisket, bacon, cheese and candied jalapeños.

The Oso chile relleno is a large poblano chile 41

stuffed with cheesy mashed potatoes and fried chicken strips. They do all their own breading, battering and make all their gravies and sauces.

Since writing this article , Oso Grill won the 2018 NM State Judges Choice and People’s Choice awards for Best Green Chile Cheeseburger. –making them back to back People’s Choice champions (2017 and 2018) and first time Judge’s Choice winners (2018)

PLANNING A VISIT? Oso Grill has a private dining room for special occasions and will also cater an event upon request.

They are open: Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.

They are located at: 100 Lincoln Avenue, Capitan, NM 88316 (575) 354-2327

Photos above top left: Pam Cleckler at bar.

Above (left to right): New Mexico State Fair 2017 People’s Choice Award Winner - Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge, 2018 State Fair Winners; Pam & Brian Cleckler holding trophy, The State Fair Burger & Side of Fries on plate, The Oso Grill Dining Room in Capitan, NM.

COOP SCOOP

BY RENÉE BIDEGAIN

Most Americans agree that the sound of chirping chicks is the sign that spring has sprung, but in the desert Southwest fall is the ideal time to start your poultry flock.

Yes, that’s right — order your favorite breeds from hatcheries NOW! Why? All winter long your fall hatchlings will acclimate to their new home and by spring you will have your very own farm fresh eggs.

Most hens mature after four to six months, putting your new flock at the perfect outdoor temperature to start laying.

New or seasoned poultry farmers, remember these few tips for raising fall chicks

CHICK TIPS

- A brooding pen is a small chicken coop to keep chicks warm, dry, and protected from predators. Keep it draft-free, clean and dry. Brooders can be fashioned from recycled boxes, plastic tubs, galvanized troughs, or an old bathtub. Chicks should have enough room to get away from the heat source and stretch their legs.

- Red light bulbs keep chicks warm without stressing them out, they need to be between 90°–95°. Reduce 5° each week until the coldest part of the day is 65°.

- Day-old chicks without their mothers love to make flock friends — remember, two is better than one.

- Chicks can go without water for only 48 hours after they hatch. Make sure they know where the water stations are. One way to help them acclimate is to dip their beaks in the water. Remember, the size of your waterer should change as they grow. You can get a health booster that can be added to water, or just use sugar water to give droopy chicks a burst of energy (use a half cup per quart of water). You can also add probiotics or live-culture yogurt to water or feed for better digestion.

- Chicks do not need to eat for the first two days of life because they survive on residual yolk. You should still keep their feeders full of feed with an 18 percent ratio of protein. No feed on hand? In a pinch, you can use mashed hard-boiled eggs, uncooked blended oatmeal and cornmeal, or ground up scratch grains.

- Poopie bottoms — a.k.a. pasting — is a common occurrence. Carefully remove the hardened dropping with warm water, dry the chick completely, and coat the tender bottom with Vaseline or Neosporin.

- Chicks grow fast, so make sure the outside coop is ready when they are. If introducing new pullets to an existing flock, make sure they’re big enough to defend themselves; slip into the coop late in the evening or before their new friends wake up in the morning for an easy transition.

42

dale smith: 520.403.9621

Gordy Alderson (520) 839-9250

champion club calves for sale Dean Fish, (520) 988-8009 anchorf@gmail.com

3 bar 3 ranch & feed

NO SPREAD TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL We offer quality service, feed, hay and delivery to Southern Arizona and beyond. Call today!

www.emilymccartneyphotography.com

( )

3BAR3.COM • 3113 Hwy 83 Sonoita, AZ 85637 • (520) 455-5734

Unplug • unwind•stAY

Western Ag Life Magazine is mobile read online•anywhere, anytime!

209.678.5179

OPEN CROSS RANCH Private Guest Houses 520-455-4603

opencrossranchaz.com 43

Download the mobile app on Google Play or iTunes

ARIZONA

NEW MEXICO

Tamra Kelly, Associate Ranch & Farm Division of Commercial Properties Northern Arizona 140 N. Montezuma St. Ste 300 Prescott, Arizona 86301 tamra@cp-na.com www.aglandssw.com

Tamra Kelly Designated Broker Ag Lands Southwest P.O. Box 409 Prescott, Arizona 86302 tamra@aglandssw.com www.aglandssw.com

Ranchers working for Ranchers - it’s not just a business, it’s our way of life NEW LISTING! Deep Creek Ranch, Glenwood, NM - $1,189,000.

The Deep Creek Ranch is nestled in the beautiful Gila Forest with a live year-round creek running through the headquarters of the ranch.

With 106 deeded acres and the 6,288 acre Whiterock Allotment, this perfect gentleman’s ranch has a carrying capacity of 45 CYL. Adorable 3 bedroom-2 bath cabin, corrals, barn and three shallow wells on the deeded property. Wildlife in abundance - Gorgeous country!

Everything you need to live the cowboy dream.

NEW LISTING! Bar U Ranch, Deming, NM - $1,980,000.

The Bar U Ranch seven miles west of Deming, New Mexico allows you to run a minimum of 50 CYL on +/- 2,560 NM State Lease acres and farm to your hearts content on +/-1,770 deeded acres. With shallow water and ownership in the Mimbres Valley Irrigation Company this ranch offers an excellent farming opportunity. A total of three acre feet of water per acre on 1,300 acres irrigates its excellent soil. The beautiful 3,000 sq. foot custom home was built in 2006. Numerous out buildings and much more!

Under The Hill Ranch, Tatum, NM - $1,800,000. UNDER CONTRACT The Under the Hill Ranch is a historic 10,700 acre cattle ranch (800 acres deeded) located on the Mescalero Ridge at the western edge of the Caprock near Roswell, New Mexico. This working cowman’s ranch is a cow/calf operation (95 CYL) which is easy to manage and weens heavy calves. There is additional seasonal yearling production of up to 300 head. This ranch is very well watered with wells, pipelines, drinkers, storage tanks and dirt tanks. The water system make this ranch easy to rotate cattle and maximize utilization of seasonal feed.

Offered as turn-key operation with cattle and equipment. The ranch also provides an opportunity for a wind energy contract at an additional cost. This potential lucrative income opportunity would supplement the cattle sales. Call for details and equipment list.

NEW LISTING! Moore Farm, McNeal, AZ - $485,000.

The Moore Farm located in McNeal, Arizona consists of 240 deeded acres with 56 acres irrigated by two Zimmatic mini pivots and 20 acres of flood irrigation. Improvements include a 2,023 sq. ft home with a covered porch, a 351 sq. ft bunk house, two detached garages, two livestock barns: 3,920/3,337 sq. ft, and three livestock sheds: 1,632/1,488/144 sq. ft. Call today for more information!

End Of The Road Ranch, Snowflake, AZ - REDUCED $429,000.

End of the Road Ranch includes a 2,844 sq ft single story home on 259 acres of deeded land well watered with three deep wells including one large irrigation well rated at 1,500 gpm.

No pumping restriction and no metering to irrigate approximately 200 acres of tillable pasture. With three matched metal-sided barns and a spacious garage/ workshop this ranch is a turnkey property ideally suited for a small farm, livestock breeding outfit, personal roping facility or self- sufficient hide-a-way. Additional 80 acres available for sale that has one well with a stock tank.

Judd Ranch, Alpine, AZ - $3,850,000.

The historic Judd Ranch located in the beautiful mountain community of Alpine, Arizona consists of 210+/- gorgeous acres bordering the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest Alpine, Arizona is full of clean mountain air and abundant wildlife. There are six cabins nestled into the pines along the historic Coronado Trail. The property includes the unique feature of Judd Lake on the San Francisco River. With 150 acre feet of irrigation rights and open meadows surrounded by tall Ponderosa Pines, this property has abundant investment possibilities or just a beautiful mountain home. The ranch has been used by the Judd family since the 1800’s and has historically run 100 head seasonally from May to October.

NEW LISTING! Triple Crown Estate, Prescott, AZ - $1,980,000.

This incredible estate is located on 21 acres just north of Prescott, Arizona - home of the World’s Oldest Rodeo. Prescott has been known as one of the best places to retire. Beautiful views from a three story 5,000 sq. ft home with a large garage. A ropers dream setup with hay barn, tack room, corrals and a lit arena. Barbecue on the Ramada by the pond while watching Prescott’s famous sunsets. Close to town, paved roads with privacy, this property has it all!

NEW LISTING! Arlington Farm, Arlington, AZ - $399,000.

The Arlington Farm is 22.87 acres with irrigated pasture with 177.44 acre feet transferable groundwater rights. Three bedroom, two bath home with den and large covered patio.

White Mountain Ranch, Show Low, AZ - $899,900. UNDER CONTRACT The White Mountain Ranch is a working cattle ranch located in beautiful north-eastern Arizona along the Mogollon Rim near Show Low, Arizona. The ranch consists of 42.65 acres of deeded land with BLM and State grazing leases. The carrying capacity is rated at 200 head in a cow/calf operation. The ranch is offered turnkey with cattle and equipment including a three bedroom, two bath 1,680’ cozy main house. This ranch is outlined with over 75 miles of fencing and includes three sets of working corrals. Some lead cattle included. Additional cattle available.

TT Ranch, New River, AZ - SOLD! The TT Ranch is a working cattle ranch located in New River, Arizona.

The carrying capacity is 363 CYL as a cow/calf operation. The TT Ranch includes approximately 160 acres of deeded land with a three bedroom, two bath block main house with a garage and workshop.

There is a hay barn, horse barn, arena, round pen and shipping pens at the headquarters. The TT Ranch presents an excellent opportunity for development as a guest ranch, dude ranch or RV and roping facility. $2,875,000.

• Indian Springs Ranch - Central Arizona - 40 head CYL - SOLD! • Alpine, Arizona Cabin Propety - SOLD! • La Cienega Ranch - Western Arizona. 490 CYL - SOLD! • Tom Lockett Ranch - Central Arizona. 60 head CYL - SOLD! • Three C’s Ranch - Central Arizona. 700 head CYL - SOLD!

Buying or Selling... Call Tamra Kelly Today!

(928) 830-9127