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The Alien Seeker News Arizona's small ranchers, cowboys use old and new ways by Steve Hammons Posted March 4, 2008 Some Arizona ranchers and cowboys are returning the ways of the old West while moving ahead into the 21st century. As competition with big cattle operations and beef producers has grown more challenging over the years, many smaller Arizona ranches have found it difficult to thrive or even survive. Now, some are finding that by going back to cattle ranching in traditional ways, they are able to find lucrative new markets for naturally raised beef. Instead of keeping cattle in huge feed pens, fattening them with grains and using pesticides and hormones, some Arizona ranchers and cowboys are going back to natural grazing out on the range. They are producing more naturally-raised cattle for customers who may feel the quality and even the health aspects of the meat are worth paying a few more dollars for. This extra edge in what ranchers can get for their beef may allow more small operations to survive. BURGERS, STEAKS AND NATURE In a Feb. 11, 2008, article in the daily newspaper The Arizona Republic, reporter Erin Zlomek interviewed Arizona agriculture officials, ranchers, cowboys and consumers. "The smaller guys are going to these niche markets to stay alive," Zlomek quoted Arizona Department of Agriculture spokesman Ed Hermes as saying. Hermes was referring to the small ranchers and the buyers who will pay higher prices for naturally-raised beef. Zlomek also told the story of Pat Browning of the XO Ranch in Yavapai County. According to Zlomek's reporting, "Browning traded modern techniques for old-fashioned practices." Browning's ranch was going through hard times. So, as part of a five-year project, he turned to managing his cattle with more natural, time-tested ways. He lets them graze on natural grasses, though he does have to provide hay in the winter. A spring provides the water and the hay is grown on the ranch. Zlomek also reported that ranchers can obtain federal funds of up to $450,000 to cover improvements to their operations if the ranch meets Natural Resources Conservation Service environmental guidelines. Browning has installed hydroelectric turbines and solar panels, which qualify for the federal funds. Browning's grass-fed beef is in demand as "specialty beef" in restaurants and other retail sales outlets. When this beef is marketed as also having no pesticides or antibiotics, customers are available. Currently, Arizona has just seven grass-fed ranches, Zlomek reported. But, state officials expect increases with the completion of specialty-beef standards implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These new guidelines may also attract more restaurants, retailers and hungry Arizonans to demand this kind of beef. PRESERVING A WAY OF LIFE Arizona Republic reporter Zlomek provided some troubling statistics in her report. About 5,200 cattle ranches were operating in Arizona in 1986. By 2006, the number had dropped to about 2,600. In 1993, small ranches (less than 1,000 head of cattle) accounted for 36 percent of total ranching operations. In 2006, small ranches comprised only 21 percent of the total. Now, more Arizona ranchers are finding out about the possibilities and opportunities involved in going back to the old ways ranchers raised cattle. They are making the changes necessary and applying to state agriculture officials to conduct inspections of their new methods. However, Zlomek reported that the state Agriculture Department denied 12 inspection requests last year due to a shortage of department staff. Are some of these old and new ranching and marketing methods a trend? Ranchers and cowboys like Browning and others seem to think so. Browning says other ranchers are asking him questions about how he transformed his operation, and he is glad to tell him what he has learned. The Web site Eatwild.com is a clearinghouse for information about grass-fed, wild and natural eating. "EatWild.com is your source for safe, healthy, natural and nutritious grass-fed beef, lamb, goats, bison, poultry, pork, dairy and other wild edibles," the Web site states. "Eatwild.com is your source for safe, healthy, natural and nutritious grass-fed beef, lamb, goats, bison, poultry, pork, dairy and other wild edibles," the Web site states. According to the site, Eatwild.com "Provides comprehensive, accurate information about the benefits of raising animals on pasture, links consumers with local suppliers of all-natural, delicious, grass-fed products and provides a marketplace for farmers who raise their livestock on pasture from birth to market and who actively promote the welfare of their animals and the health of the land." The home page also noted that, "Eatwild.com is owned and operated by Jo Robinson, an investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling author who specializes in science-based health information. Jo has been investigating the differences between animals raised in feedlots and pasture-based farms for the past seven years." As for the Arizona ranchers and cowboys who want to preserve the land and the Western way of life they love, they must find ways to make cattle ranching economically feasible and save these parts of Arizona from development or other destructive impacts. Reporter Zlomek summed it all up with her quote from rancher Pat Browning. "We cowboys are environmentalists in the first sense; we have to be. Preserving the quality of this land is paramount to our survival." Express your Views and Opinions about this or any other article on our website at: The Alien Seeker News Feedback Page

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