Author: Tiffany

Another successful week is coming to a close for the Summer Ag Institute. Every year, the University of Arizona Maricopa County Extension Office, along with other representative organizations including the Arizona Beef Council, plan a weeklong agriculture tour for kindergarten to high school level teachers from all over Arizona. Teachers fill out applications, and thirty are selected each year as participants of the tour to learn about the Arizona agriculture community surrounding them. This knowledge is then passed on to students within their classrooms.

The 2017 Summer Agriculture Institute participants in an alfalfa field at the Maricopa Ag Center.

This year, teachers experienced a variety of agriculture community aspects including the Arabian horse wonder known as Los Cedros USA, the University of Arizona Maricopa Agriculture Center and its research, various crop farms, and livestock ranches. They ended the week by splitting into small groups and spending a few hours enjoying a genuine, hands-on experience of everyday farm life with local farm families, followed by an intensive workshop on incorporating what they have learned about agriculture into their curriculum.

Teachers getting personal encounters with the Holstein steers at Heiden Field and Cattle.

Teachers learning how to siphon water for irrigation at the Maricopa Ag Center.

The tour was also a beneficial representation of the Arizona beef community. On Tuesday, the teachers visited the Groseta W Dart Ranch where they learned about raising cattle and how ranching intertwines with the economy and environment. Andy Groseta explained to teachers, “We are the only nation on the face of the earth where you can go to any store on a Monday and ask for any food you want in any quantity and get it by Friday. The only thing stopping you is your pocketbook. We are very efficient at what we do, and that was not an overnight thing; it started in 1776.” As he discussed ranch activities, his fifth-generation family ranch tradition, and his love for the land and his cattle, teachers gained insight on this piece of the beef community. Tracey Dodrill from Cocopah Middle School told us this stop was her favorite, “I loved meeting the Groseta family and learning that ranchers are people just like me. I want to be adopted into their family!” The ranch was a great transition into a delicious meal at Roux 66 and a discussion with the Diablo Trust which further highlighted the beef community’s dedication as environmentalists to raise healthy beef while taking proper care of livestock and the environment while involving consumers.

Andy Groseta with his Angus and Charolais cattle.

The teachers received the opportunity to hear how the Groseta W Dart Ranch is run, see the cattle, and gain incite on ranching as an integral part of their community.

Wednesday included a stop at Perkinsville Meat Processing, followed by Thursday’s tour of Heiden Land & Cattle and Triple G Dairy. At Heiden Land & Cattle, Paul Heiden took the teachers on the next step in the beef raising journey by giving a tour of his feedlot.  He explained how they raised Holstein steers with a carefully calculated diet, and answered questions about cattle feed, the beef product, and animal welfare practices including Beef Quality Assurance procedures. “We care a lot about our cattle and what they are eating, and consult a nutritionist frequently. We don’t do what we do just for regulation; we do it for the wellness of our cattle,” Paul shared.

Paul Heiden educating teachers on the importance of the cattle’s diet and grain processing, comparing whole and steamed corn.

After stopping at the Triple G Dairy, teachers were able to add learning the differences between the Holstein and Jersey breeds, seeing the stages of each cow’s life from calf to milking cow, and witnessing firsthand the dairy’s state of the art technology including a milking carousel, to their list of experiences. One teacher, Suze Manci, commented: “I now understand why producers do what they do. They have a passion for feeding you, and they have to be able to do that.”

A Jersey calf at Triple G Dairy, definitely one of the teachers’ favorite stops.

Members of the beef community were given the opportunity to showcase their family business, explaining how they raise their animals and add to their unique piece of beef’s gate to plate journey while answering teachers’ questions.

Jeremy Krones from the Diablo Trust explaining the non-profit organization created to promote social, biological, and economic sustainability in the ranching community.

Overall, the 2017 Summer Agriculture Institute allowed teachers to connect again, or for the first time, with the true source of their food, fiber, and fuel. Furthermore, the teachers gained skills on how to incorporate these concepts into their K-12 classrooms so that future generations even further removed from agriculture still understand the gate to plate journey and how everyone is touched by agriculture every day.

Andy Groseta welcoming the teachers onto his ranch and explaining how ranchers, and those who live off the land, are true environmentalists.

“I’m finding a lot of new ways to incorporate what I’ve learned about agriculture into my 7th-grade science unit.”

“I had a meat science minor in college, and it’s great to be able to go back to feedlots and places I have been before.”

“I teach middle school math and have started an agriculture elective in the afternoon to try and start an FFA program early on. It’s the nature of Duncan [Arizona], and I want to go back to that.”

These are just a few of the endless quotes from excited, and, at the end of the week, very tired teachers who enjoyed this year’s agriculture institute, and we are thankful to be involved another year helping ensure the connection between the agriculture community in the field to those in grocery stores and around the table.

Two Angus cross cattle on the W Dart Ranch.

Blog Post by Nicole Van Eerd, Arizona Beef Council 2017 Summer Intern.

Having the opportunity to serve as the Arizona Junior Beef Ambassador has been an absolute thrill and privilege!  I really do heart beef!!  My family ranched in southern Arizona in a small settlement called Klondyke when Arizona was still a territory. This is in the Aravaipa Canyon near the Graham Mountains, which is about an hour outside of Safford.  My great grandpa Neuel Weathersby started the family tradition of raising polled Herefords.  Though my grandparents sold the 7K Bar Ranch, they moved north and ran cattle on other ranches throughout the state.  I am so thankful to have been raised understanding the legacy of these amazing cattlemen as well as the example of my parents who are so very passionate about American agriculture.  It is from them that I get my love for Herefords and passion for the beef industry as a whole.  I have enjoyed carrying on their legacy by raising cattle of my own and being a member of the Arizona Cowpunchers Reunion Rodeo Association.  I recently bred my first heifer this year, and I am so excited to start my own herd with her offspring as well as my younger cattle.

My family has been heavily involved in FFA for years. My dad, aunt, and uncle have served as state officers. My dad also was an ag teacher when I was little, and my friends and family members have grown because of the amazing leadership skills acquired through being an FFA member.  I wanted to have this opportunity so badly! However, I have attended a small charter school, that I love, since fifth grade, but it did not have an FFA program.  Thanks to my incredible parents and headmaster, we were able to get a chapter chartered! Being a member of Trivium FFA has been such an incredible blessing, not only for me but also for those in my chapter.  Many people today are so far removed from where their food comes from and, even more so, from the incredible people who raise and grow it.  Being a member of FFA has been yet another venue for me to share truths about the industry and community that I am so passionate about and proud to be a part of.  I know that the skills and experiences I gain through the FFA are invaluable – from public speaking to budgeting, and from leadership skills to learning how to work as a team.  I know that I will often turn back to these skills throughout my life to help me, and I will look back fondly at all the memories made with members of my chapter and the Arizona FFA Association.

I am elated to be able to attend my very first State Leadership Conference as an FFA member this week.  Though I have had the privilege of attending a few sessions before, the feeling of sitting amongst the “sea of blue jackets” is indescribable.  It has been incredible to be a part of something so much bigger than myself.  At the opening session of the conference, Trivium FFA will be recognized as a newly chartered chapter, and it will symbolize the culmination of hard work and perseverance of so many people.  How grateful I am for them.  Because of their efforts, the members of Trivium FFA, as well as myself, can have a wealth of true knowledge and countless opportunities to learn and grow.

Happy State Leadership Conference week to all!  I hope it is filled with tons of laughs and memories made!  May your herds be healthy and let’s all pray for rain!

Kailee Zimmerman
Arizona Jr. Beef Ambassador

Arizona Culinary Institute students from the classes of Basic Culinary Skills, Meat Fabrication, and Baking filtered into a classroom of a different kind on an unseasonably chilly morning in May, ready for a tour of Arizona beef, from gate to plate. The room rang of excitement, anticipation, and sleepiness, as we did get started at 7:30 am. The real diversity and personalities of the classes began to emerge with introductions. The students were asked to tell us their name and their first memory of cooking. The future chef’s answers ranged from cookies to tamales, but there was a common theme: cooking with family. Lauren Scheller, Arizona Beef Council assistant executive director, made a connection with the group by saying, “Just like you all are passionate about cooking and feeding people delicious food, so also are Arizona ranchers passionate about raising quality and delicious beef for you to cook and serve to your restaurant guests.”

JBS, USA in Tolleson, Arizona was the first stop on the agenda. JBS continues to be a reliable partner in educating influencers on how beef is processed and this year was no different. Bill Munns, director of marketing & product management, graciously set up the tour and James Stell, operations manager, hosted an excellent tour of the large plant. Honestly, the results of this year’s tour weren’t much different from past year’s, which was also positive. The students went home with an understating that quality animal care is a priority all the way through the lifecycle of a beef animal and continues until that animal is harvested. The Ah-Ha moments are always fun to hear as most often people are amazed at the lack of “gross” they had envisioned and how the entire process is kept clean and safe.

A delicious steak lunch by Bruce Brown Catering at the Buckeye Elks Lodge with a brief overview of the beef lifecycle followed the plant tour. The morning’s excitement had not yet dissipated, and the room only grew quite when the New York strip carving station was assembled. The anticipation was palatable. A brief presentation by the Arizona Beef Council’s Lauren Scheller and Tiffany Selchow covered the beef lifecycle with tips on decoding the many labels on beef packages and the nutrition beef offers us.

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The beautiful outdoors greeted us as we stepped off the bus at Heiden Land and Cattle for a tour of the Heiden family’s feed yard. The seventy-six-degree weather made for a perfect backdrop as the students walked to the feed mill which steams and flakes corn, the bins of different grains and hay while learning how all these ingredients were mixed to provide the cattle a complete and balanced diet. Paul Heiden guided the tour to the cattle pens for more learnings the daily cattle care. This was followed by a detailed look at the working facilities which are used to tag, treat, and care for animals when they are first entering the feed yard or if an illness arises, which isn’t too common. Paul shared, “The care of our animals and the land we use is our top priority, and we are always excited to show off our feed yard to future chefs!”

Last chance for photos with the steers was given and then it was back on the bus to leave rural Buckeye and head back to the center of the 6th largest city in the United States. These culinary students left the Arizona Beef Council Gate to Plate tour armed with first-hand information straight from the feed yard owner and packing plant manager’s mouths. Honestly, we don’t think there is a better kind.

ABC board chairman Wes Kerr emphasized, “The Arizona Beef Council places immense value on the relationships the Gate to Plate Tours provide to cooking and nutrition influencers, such as the students at the Arizona Culinary Institute. We need to continue to be their first reference when faced with questions about how beef is raised or how it fits on a menu.” This tour is made possible by the Federation Initiative Fund, supported by beef councils in states where there are more cattle than people, and the Arizona Beef Council.

Arizona Beef Council: Where you are located? I live in Stanfield (in between Casa Grande and Maricopa) but my husband and I partner on a desert ranch south of Buckeye and I sell beef from my parent’s ranch in the Verde Valley.

What segment of the beef community are you involved in? Cow-calf/meat sales/mom/association staff.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your family and about your ranch.
Anna Aja: I grew up the 4^th generation on my family’s ranch in Cottonwood. I truly believe it was the best way to grow up. I am thankful for the independence it instilled in me and for the responsibility I was given in raising and caring for livestock. I was active in 4-H and FFA and served as the State FFA President my freshman year of college. I attended the University of Arizona and received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Economics. My husband and I actually met when we were 15 at an Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association convention but we re-met our freshman year and have been together ever since. We now have three kiddos, Basilio (5), Andy Marie (3) and Perry Craig (1). A year ago, I started selling beef directly to the consumer from our family’s ranches. I’ve always wanted to do it and since I’m located near such a large metro area I thought I would give it a shot. Our beef company is called 9F Cattle Co. 9F is the brand my husband’s grandmother gifted us after we got married and is what we use to identify our cattle. It was her father’s and she told us that the 9F stood for the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” –Galatians 5:22-23

How does the technology you use now differ from the technology that was passed down to you or that generations passed may have used on this ranch?
In regards to my direct sales, with today’s technology world, launching my beef sales business was completely different from when my grandpa and his dad would wagon their meat and produce from Middle Verde up to the mining town of Jerome. First I got my website set up and decided to utilize an order form that took customer information but I would take payment upon delivery. Once that was complete I started my Facebook page and began to utilize word of mouth referrals and purchase advertising on social media that hit my desired target audience. I still do plenty of handshake deals which is gratifying to be able to work with people who are true to their word.

What are some common misconceptions that you think people may have about the beef you raise and sell?
When I sell beef to a consumer I really enjoy that personal connection. And I’m thrilled when they have questions about our ranch or cattle. I do find my customers are often surprised that the majority of our cattle don’t get sold directly but in fact go through the conventional method and end up in a Fry’s or Safeway somewhere. I always see a light bulb go off when they realize that the beef that is found in their local market was raised with care and respect by a family just like mine. I do take pride in the beef we sell and do consider it to be premium as it is dry-aged 21 days, custom cut for my customers and delivered to their doorstep.

What is the most important thing that you want people to know about beef?
I’m often faced with someone who is nervous to purchase a lot of beef because they mention an inaccurate health claim. I want people to know that beef is part of a heart-healthy diet, that you can eat well and enjoy what you’re eating.

What is the most important piece of information that you want people to know about you and your family’s beef?
We take a tremendous amount of pride in doing a job well. We care about our animals’ quality of life and respect them for the protein they provide us. We care about the environment and being sustainable – we want to pass on our ranches to future generations. And finally, that the beef we raise and sell to them and their family is the same beef we feed our family.

If you could describe in one word the life of a rancher, what would it be?
Cyclical.

Lastly and of course most importantly, what is your favorite cut of beef and how do you like to prepare it?
I’m a ribeye girl through and through and I want it grilled over charcoal or mesquite by my husband. But really, I love brisket, tri-tip, flat iron, short ribs and more. One of my all-time favorite recipes is this one by Anne Burrell – I’m actually making these on Sunday!

Earth Day is an everyday thought for Arizona’s beef farmers and ranchers. This lists only includes 28 ways Arizona ranchers care for the environment, but we promise there are many other ways. Caring for the land, their cattle, and you, the consumer, are the most important priorities for Arizona cattlemen and women.

1. Maintain and introduce habitats as homes for numerous endangered and threatened species including Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Chiricahua Leopard Frog, and the Mexican Gray Wolf.
2. Utilize rotational grazing in which cattle are moved to different pastures every few days to prevent overgrazing. 
3. Maintain proper nutrients in soil by regularly analyzing soil samples. This also helps to determine if nutritional supplements are needed to help meet cattle’s nutritional needs.
4. Implement conservation tillage so that soil can be conserved and available moisture used more efficiently.

   

5. Manage streams and sensitive wetlands to create a buffer that helps prevent bank erosion, helps control runoff and improves fish habitat.
6. Utilize beef production practices and tools to raise more beef with fewer natural resources.
7. Arizona mines use cattle to slow water runoff on tailings slopes by feeding oat hay and allowing cattle to graze down the slope while depositing organic matter and encouraging trails which help to reduce quick moving water.
   
   

   Spent brewer’s grains which can be fed to cattle.

   

   Cattle enjoying the brewer’s grains.
8. Utilize biofuel on cattle operations. The grain by-product of ethanol production, distillers grains, are fed to cattle as a nutritious source of energy.
9. Fertilize fields with manure from cattle feeding operations to reduce fuel needed to manufacturer synthetic fertilizer.

   

10. Protect open spaces through programs like conservation easements, to ensure ranchlands and wildlife habitats are protected from development for perpetuity.
11. Utilize solar power to harness Arizona’s plentiful sun to power ranches including electric water pumps to provide water for cattle and wildlife.

    

12. Create retention ponds to protect waterways from excessive runoff and to contain rain water for cattle and wildlife to drink.
13. Provide habitat for ground nesting birds including the Bobwhite and Gambel’s Quail. 
14. Operate methane digesters, which capture methane from manure decomposition and utilize it to generate electricity for the farm.
15. Participate in university research projects that aim to improve agricultural environmental practices.
16. Compost cattle manure into fertilizer products that can be used by golf courses, athletic fields, gardens, etc.

    

17. Practice Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) in partnership with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to improve grasslands, soil, and wildlife habitat.
18. Plan soil nutrient management systems to control nutrient runoff and to minimize the need for additional nutrients to grow crops.
19. Monitor and document effective practices and regularly solicit input from University of Arizona Extension Agents to improve resource management. Ranchers also work with the university extension programs to receive a continued education.

    

20. Control invasive weeds and reduce plant fuel build-up on grazing land so it doesn’t turn into hot and dangerous fires.
21. Install irrigation systems that efficiently utilize limited water resources.
22. Facilitate fish passage at irrigation diversions so migrating fish can continue to spawn in creeks.
23. Install fish screens in ditches so that fish do not get trapped.
24. Partner with state, local and national environmental agencies to monitor land, water, and wildlife, and make improvements.

    

25. Hold up water on ranchlands for extended periods of time in order to replenish underground aquifers and filter out nutrients and particulate matter.
26. Improve plant density, work to eradicate invasive plant species and encourage native forages, promoting healthier rangelands, allowing cattle to graze and consume forages that convert to healthy, nutritious beef.
27. Feed cattle crops that are grown locally to reduce fuel needed for transportation.
28. Use windmills to harvest wind energy into usable mechanical power.

This is a short list compared to what is done on ranches to ensure the land is cared for properly. Work is also done to recognize others in the beef community who have made long-standing contributions to the preservation of the country’s natural resources through the Environmental Stewardship Award.

Photo by Kathy McCraine of Jim O’Haco

Ranchers: Jim and Jeanne O’Haco.

Arizona Beef Council: Where you are located?
Jim O’Haco: Our ranch is located 30 miles south of Winslow, Arizona sitting at an elevation of 6,200 – 7,000 feet. We raise mostly Black Angus cattle along with black baldy (Hereford/ Angus cross) cows who are bred each year to raise a calf. We sell first-calf heifers and bulls, along with calves in the spring and fall.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your family and about your ranch.
Our story begins in 1898 when my grandfather Michel O’Haco came to this country from the Basque Pyrenees in Europe. He immigrated at the age of 14, landing at Ellis Island in New York and made his way cross-country to Phoenix. He had an uncle who was a sheep man around Wickenburg, who promised him work upon his arrival. He saved his money while working as a herder and eventually bought his own sheep, and thus the O’Haco Sheep Company was started.

For many years, he acquired land and continued to increase his sheep numbers and ranches. In 1946, he was the largest sheep man in Arizona, with properties all over the state, including summer ranges in the northern plateau and winter pastures in the Salt River Valley around Phoenix, Arizona.

My grandfather had 4 children, but only one son, MJ O’Haco, (my father). MJ was attending the University of Arizona when World War II broke out. He was assigned to the last cavalry unit but ended up in the infantry when the horses sank at sea; he served with honors as a Captain. At Nuremburg, Germany, MJ was shot twice in the back by a sniper while saving the life of a commanding officer, which left him paralyzed and unable to walk. At this point, my grandfather began dissolving his holdings, as he figured his only son would never be able to ranch. He kept his best properties, the Chevelon Butte Ranch and the Divide Ranch in Wickenburg.

After five long years, my father regained his health and married his Army nurse (my mother) in 1946, eventually having 8 children. My father returned to Chevelon Butte, and slowly began the transition from sheep to cattle. MJ continued to ranch until his death in 2001.

Fast forward and here is a short history about myself. I was born and raised in Winslow, attended the University of Arizona earning a degree in Animal Science and a minor in Range. I was accepted into veterinary school, but returned home and started running the daily operations of the ranches, which at one time consisted of four ranches and a small farm. My entire life has been devoted to the outdoors and agriculture.

As we’ve learned from our past blog posts, conservation and proper land management are important topics. When did you start conservation projects? What is an example of a conservation project?

Range conservation projects have been a part of our outfit for as far back as I can remember. My father switched from sheep to cattle in entirety in 1948 -1950. He fenced the perimeter, then cross fence pastures, as well as built earthen tanks to provide water to the livestock.

In 1995-1997, the ranch started discussions with the Arizona Game & Fish Department (AGFD), the United States Forest Service (USFS), the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD), and the Natural Resource Conservation Service on a water project we now call High Point. A severe drought had been in existence for several years, and the concept of developing a well that could gravity flow water lines to several different pastures and open country that had no water was the vision and goal. Management agreements with the AGFD, ASLD and USFS were finalized, and the project began in 1998 when a well was drilled that would supply 40 gallons a minute from the depth of 1,350 feet, operated off a 35KW generator with a submersible pump.

A 100,000-gallon storage tank was erected on a state section, on the highest point on the ranch, and connected plastic pipelines. As time and money permitted, more lines were trenched over the following ten years, with drinker troughs strategically placed in pastures that needed additional water. To date, with gravity flow, approximately 35 drinkers (steel troughs holding between 750-1000 gallons of water), and 42 miles of buried pipeline, supply water to 60,000 acres. The last trough is 25-30 miles from the storage tank, all watered by gravity flow.

By providing more water throughout the ranch, it has improved range conditions with the distribution of animals ensuring they are not walking to the same water daily and killing vegetation. The water is cleaner, as it comes out of a storage tank, then to the water drinkers. The average rainfall in the area is between 12-18 inches per year, with an average being 16 inches. All earthen tanks are still cleaned regularly and maintained for rain water and run off. We have not had to haul water since 1998.

How do these water improvement projects effect the wildlife on your ranch?
Water is provided year-round for all animals and critters. After our cattle are removed, the lines are not shut off. AGFD helps maintain High Point Well while we provide the daily operation of starting and maintaining the lines and AGFD helps with the fuel expense and replacement of generators when needed.What restoration projects have you done on the ranch?
Grassland habitat restoration has taken place across 15,000 acres through mechanical mastication of invasive juniper and other brush to enhance grass growth and restore habitat restoration by at least 30%.

Supported by the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Apache- Sitgreaves National Forest Black Mesa District, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Arizona Elk Society, Arizona Antelope Foundation, and Winslow Elk Habitat Partnership Committee, we’ve restored, enhanced and/or improved livestock management practices on more than 20,000 acres of private, state, and federal lands.

What is the most important piece of information that you would want people to know about you and the work you do on you ranch every day?
One is being able to produce good, quality livestock. The other is to improve the habitat I have been blessed with, leaving it better for the next generation.

If you could describe in one word the life of a rancher, what would it be?
Hard work.

The most important question! What is your favorite cut of beef and how do you like it prepared?
A juicy cheeseburger, well done, with all the fixings is the best!!