Santa Cruz County

Item Type Article

Authors Kell, Bruce

Publisher College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ)

Journal Progressive Agriculture in Arizona

Download date 27/09/2021 01:36:07

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/299382 SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

Bruce Kell

They tell a little story: In Europe, all Americans are Yankees.In the United States, southerners classify all northern- ers as Yankees.In the north, we recognize that only New Eng- landers are Yankees.In New England, a Vermonter is a Yan- kee. And in Vermont a true Yan- kee is an old timer who eats apple pie and cheese for break- fast.

So it goes countries, states andWINNING BULL at the Arizona National Livestock Show in Phoenix was this big counties.The closer you get to a Santa Gertrudis from San Cayetano Ranch. Brand numbers indicate certification by place the more you realize how dif- the breed association, which does not certify animals until after they are grown. ferent it is from other places. Take Santa Cruz County, for ex- A Friendly Battleground ample.It is just like Pima County on One of a Series the north and west, and like Cochise Santa Cruz County has been scarred on the east until you take a close This is fourth in a series by the arrows and bullets of half a look. of articles describing Ari- dozen different cultures and to- day is the friendliest place on earth. Same But Different zona counties andtheir agriculture.Featured in our It still has a few oldtime prospec- Then you realize that Santa Cruz, tors, setting out into the mountains smallest county ( 1246 square miles ) next issuewill be G i l a with picks and pack burros and it in Arizona, has many individual char- County. has communities recently refurbished acteristics. by some of the stellar names in Holly- wood, and clustered with them are It is farthest south in the state, yetbut some of its best cattle are raisedartist colonies, with excellent artists has an exhilarating climate, with cool on irrigatedpasturewithout a gathered from a wide area into this mountain valleys and the clearest airmesquite or creosote bush to rubfriendly land. in the world. against. is range country, pretty much, Santa Cruz County has, roughly, It It grows no commercial fruits and795,000 acres of semi -desert range- vegetables yet more of these pourland.The "roughly" in the above Bruce Kell is as well trained for the par-through Santa Cruz County than al-sentence is applicable, too, for these ticular county he serves as one can be.The most anywhere else. chief items of Extension interest in Santa cattle feed up and down the sides of Cruz County are livestock and 4 -H.Bruce While the smallest county, itstillhalf a dozen mountain ranges. had two years in Michigan as a county 4 -H has some of the best beef herds in club agent, and his major, when he wasthe country, and a greater number of The county has 7,000 acres of irri- in college, was in Animal Husbandry.Born gated farmland, chiefly in the Santa in Indiana, Mr. Kell attended Michigan State beef breeds. Cruz river valley.This river offers University, graduating with his B.S. degree Itis"old" country, in the sense in 1949.He spent eight years in extension lush bottomlandsoil and plentiful work in Michigan, then cane to Arizona to that it was settled before the rest ofirrigation water.Surprisingly, 1,200 improve the health of a child.He was ap-Arizona( the first newspaper in theacres of this irrigated land is not in pointed to the U of A Extension staff July 1, state was at Tubac ),yet the countyfood crops but in permanent pasture 1957, as a county agent in Pinal County. seat, Nogales, is an ethnic mixture, He then went, after a year and a half in (Continued on next page) Pinal, to Nogales as countyagent -in- charge and is known nationally as the hap- of the newly opened Santa Cruz Extension piest integrated of any bi- ethnic com- office. munity in America. Progressive Agriculture Page 6 SANTA CRUZ COUNTY Then the cattle are taken to another pasture in the rotation series, while (Continued from Previous Page) the used pasture is irrigated and fer- and- againsurprisingly- mostof tilized and given three weeks to re- that pasture is not alfalfa. gain its growth before the next week of use. Fat Red Cattle Walter Hanson, manager of San Santa Cruz County has, on such Cayetano, and owner Charles C. Day, permanent pasture and elsewhere, agree that this pasture -rotation sys- some of the best Santa Gertrudis cattle tem is best for their use.The ulti- in the country.These rugged big mate in feed growth is reached and cherry -redcattle,genetically three- used, the animals can "fill up" quickly eighthsBrahman andfive-eighths YEARLING CHAROLAIS heifer on Yerba and without too much travel, and the Shorthorn, were started as a distinct Buena Ranch.This is typical of growthanimals are concentrated near head- breed 40 years ago on the famed King of this breed on irrigated grass pasture. quarters handy for a ranch which Ranch in Texas. Much refined, more specializesin the sale of breeding closely typed but still constantly im- proving, these cattle have found a stock. home-and buyers a Mecca- onother legumes, carry no bloat hazard. An interesting sideline is a cutting these Santa Cruz pastures. The combination of grasses gives wideof around two tons of excess grass per variety, with one variety or anotheracre each spring.This grass hay is The county also has one of the bestaffordingvigorousgrowth andeagerlysought by horsemen who Charolais herds in the nation, ownedfeed at almost all seasons- of thewillingly pay a premium price for it. by famed movie star Stewart Granger. year.Thus one warm- season grass A phenomenonofSanta It has one of the country's very goodmay have heavy growth at one sea- Cruz Brangus herds, as well as the predom- County is an Englishman who esteems son, replaced in cold weather by a non -Englishcattle. inatingHerefordsandtheblackcool season variety. The Hereford, Angus, the traditional British breeds. Angus, Santa Gertrudis, Brangus, Bra- ford are beef cattle with ancestry go- Becausethepermanentpasture Efficient Water System ing back to the British Isles. type of beef cattle husbandry is un- Water is close to the surface in the usual in Arizona, a description ofonelush Santa Cruz Valley.San Caye- Chaucer to Charolais such setup is warranted.Take, fortano has three wells which can pro- example, the San Cayetano Ranch atduce a total of 5,000 gallonsper min- Stewart Granger, born in London Tumacacori.This is a 500 -acre farm ute.Depth of wells is 30 feet.An half a century ago, star of the legiti- 180 acres in permanent irrigatedintricatesystemofconcrete -linedmate theater in England before going Iwithpasture.The pasture mixture, com-ditches, pipelines and gates makes itto Hollywood in 1948, is one of the mercially made up, includes alta( or possible for one man to handle all theleading U. S. breeders of those big, meadow ) fescue, orchardgrass, birds- irrigation.The pastures are flood- rangy, creamy -white French cattle, foot trefoil and burnett. irrigated. the Charolais. On his Yerba Buena ( good grass ) This was selected for severalrea- Pastures are small, five or sixacres, sons.The grasses, unlike alfalfa ranch east of Nogales,this famed or and are heavily grazed fora week.actor( "King Solomon's Mine," "A Prisoner of Zenda," "Scaramouche," STEWART GRANGER, below, with a 21/2 year old Charolais bullon his Yerba Buena Ranch. Note depth of loin, indicating meatiness. etc. )is increasing his Charolais herd from less than 200 head toover 400 head, making him the largest breeder of the big French cattle in America. The Charolais have been barred from this country the reasons are obscure- but a few years ago a Texas breeder imported a few via Mexico. A few other importations came along, and now there are several herds in this country.However, the demand for this "bootleg brand" of cattle far exceeds the supply, making the man with breeding stock available a much sought -after person. Stewart Grangertalkseasilyof $50,000 bulls, and abouta group of heifers which he sold for $2,500a head.Right now he is breedingup the animals he has, selectinghis sires with intense discriminationin order to get the type of animals hewants (Continued on next page)

Page 7 Progressive Agriculture SANTA CRUZ COUNTY (Continued from Previous Page) long- bodied with fullloins, deeply muscled, large frames for utilizing a big volume of feed.Granger's bulls can top a ton at two years of age, although the late -maturing Charolais keep on growing until five -year -old GROUP OF SANTA Gertrudis cows on irrigated grass pasture at San Cayetano. maturity.At that age a 3,000 pound animal is not a great rarity. Six Pounds Per Day! is part of a hyphenated word whichCruz County to markets throughout includes the syllable "bloat." the U. S. and Canada. Butevery car- Granger, a man who found his load, every truckload, firstwas in- Mecca notinHollywood butin Plant Pest Control spected for plant parasites, plant dis- Santa Cruz County, has a tremendous TuristasreturningfromMexicoeases, or soil which might carry one pride in his herd. He extolls the com-through the Nogales customs gatesor both. plete absence of pinkeye, the longmay be quite disturbed, as officers The inspection has a good purpose full loins where the meat is, the phe-take that last avocado, those three-keeping out of the U. S. thosepara- nomenal gaining ability. oranges or a stalk of sugar cane fromsites and diseases of which we are One young bull now in his corralsthem.After all, right alongside thefree, and also barring those plant pests was making a gain of six pounds perroad are lines of freight cars takingwhich we do have but whichwe are day over a period of weeks, a gainMexican produce to the U. S. andtrying to isolate and eliminate. sostartlingthatthescaleswereCanada, so what harm is an avocado checked, and feed company officialsor two? Even Soil is Searched clustered around to wonder just what The answer, of course, is the plant Soil is a natural carrier of plant was that stuff they were selling. pest control program of the U. S. De-pests, so even "empty" railroad cars partment of Agriculture's Plant Quar-and trucks which havesome soil in Granger'sYerba Buenalieson them must be cleaned up, insome both sides of the Santa Cruz River,antineDivision. Andtheturistacases fumigated, before they enter and like the Santa Gertrudis breedersshould know that those railroad cars and huge trucks of tomatoes, peas,the United States.Most of the corn- he takes full advantage of river bot- mercial growers and packers in So- tom wells for irrigating permanentbeans, peppers, eggfruit and other vegetables are all inspected, too. nora, Sinaloa and further south, in pastures.However, because of the Mexico's irrigated valleys, recognize slope of these fields, he uses a sprink- In 1963 more than 8,000 truckloadsthe need for top quality and cleanli- ler irrigation system.Granger, too,and 7,000 railroad cars of Mexicanness, so very little of the commercially esteems grass mixtures for permanentfruit and vegetables came throughshipped material is rejected. pastures.In his language, "alfalfa"Nogales, going north through Santa The turistas, with "a pretty bush we wanted to plant in our patio," or an unusual cactus carefully balled in the ( disease -infected ?) soil itgrew in, are relieved of their spoilsat the border, graciously and courteously- but firmly.America's own growing plants are too precious to risk infec- tion from a chance importation. According to the U. S. Department of Commerce, importation of food products from Mexico into Arizona totaled $71,142,956 in 1962,up from $55,090,351 the previousyear.The 1962 total includes in round numbers $111/ million in livecattle, half a million in dressed beef, $341/2 million in seafoods, $191/2 million in vegetables and $3 million in fruits. A largecattleholding yardat Nogales, Sonora, affords dipping vats where the animals are dipped to avoid their carrying parasites into this coun-. try.Veterinarians also reject any animals not in sound health. Mexican Cattle Imports Chiefly these cattle are thin feeders; INSPECTING CARLOAD of Mexican vegetables. Car is mixed lot, including eggplant, which enter the southwestern U. S. bell peppers, slicing cucumbers and tomatoes. At left, Eduardo Marquez, representative of railroad and of U. S. and Mexican brokers, and the man who is empowered to (Continued on next page) break car seals for inspection.At right, Luciano Garcia, inspector for USDA Plant Quarantine Division. Progressive Agriculture Page 8; Prices Received by Arizona Growers For Major Agricultural Products 1953 -1962 Commodity Unit 1963 1962 Average Price Price Price Dollars Dollars Dollars These U of A publications are avail- Upland cotton pound .323e .3133b .3224 Alfalfa hayb ton 30.70 26.20 25.90 able at your local County Extension Barleyb cwt. 2.60 2.54 2.33 Agent's Office. Grain sorghumb cwt. 2.21 2.07 2.21 Choice slaughter steersc cwt. 23.80 26.35 24.19 Choice yearling feeder steersc cwt. 23.64 24.53 21.99 Bulletins Choice feeder steer calves cwt. 26.02 26.95 23.23 Milkd cwt. 5.05 5.11 5.31 A -33 Growing Grapes in Arizona Eggs dozen .368 .384 .485 Woold pound .420 .390 .397 ( Revision of former Circular Lettuceb 251). Winter carton 1.97 2.10 1.77 Early spring carton 2.00 2.44 1.86 Fall carton 2.44 1.97 2.03 A -26 Protect the Cotton Plant from Insect Injury ( 1964 Revision ) A Average price to December 1. Source: Arizona Crop and Livestock Report- b Crop year average price. ingService,StatisticalReporting Twelve -month average price. Service, USDA, Phoenix, and Live- Folders d Twelve -month weighted average price. stock Detailed Quotations, Agricul- tural Marketing Service, Livestock 105Sonora Alfalfa for Arizona Division, USDA, Phoenix.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTYlation in demand, price factors which (Continued from Previous Page) may favor or shun imported animals,8 Countries, 24 States disease( such as hoof and moutha for more pasture fill and then feed- Represented Here At yard finishing. This importation variesdecade ago ) which placesa complete widely according to several factors embargo on imports. U A Extension School a drought in Sonora or rains in Texas, All of these cattle do notcome in The third Western Regional Exten- war or peace with consequent vacil-through Nogales.The Agua Prieta- Douglas gate accounts forsome. Butsion Winter School was last Feb. 3 Nogales gets the most,as well as allto 21 on this campus. Enrollment was of the fruit and vegetable shipments98, with participants from 24 states entering the U. S. through Arizona,and eight foreign countries. affording considerable agriculture-re- Enrollment of 11 from Arizona in- latedemploymentinSantaCruzcluded eight county agents and home County. agents, two graduate students at the The County Extension Office inU of A, and one social worker. Santa Cruz County was established in 1959, although previously it had been From states outside Arizona, Min- served by Pima County Extensionnesota led with 10 enrollees, West personnel.It is a county where 4 -HVirginia, Oregon and Indiana reg- work is actively and enthusiasticallyistered four each, there were three each from New York, Iowa, Michigan, pursued, with 4 -H exhibitsat theWisconsin, South Dakota, Utah and county fair in Sonoita being excellentIdaho, two each from Texas, Ken- in both quality and quantity. tucky, Oklahoma, Ohio, and New 4 -H is Important Mexico, and one each from Maine, There are 250 4 -H club membersMaryland,Virginia,Nevada,Colo- in the county, there's a very activerado, California and Montana. 4 -H council, and the program isen- Foreign participants were Canada, couragedby some50local4 -H 2; Argentina, 1; West Indies, 3; Chile, leaders. 1; India, 14; Zanzibar, 1; Indonesia, 3, Mrs.WilliamJ.Hagleristheand Uganda, 2. County Home Agent, handling the distaff side of the Extension program, Courses taught included Agricul- while Bruce Kell is countyagent -in-tural Policy, 4 -H Leadership, Exten- charge, the job he took when the of-sion Teaching, County Extension Ad- fice was opened early in 1959. ministration, Techniques for Working CARL SPITZER, Plant Quarantinein- with Groups, and Agricultural Corn- spector, opens cartons of tomatoes from The countyagent,seekingthatmunications. Sinaloa and closelyinspects individualhigher degree which county agents tomatoes for anything which might indi-want and are encouraged to get, will The winter school is held ,annually. cate disease or parasites. return soon to Nogales after a semes-Various scholarships are available,as ter's sabbatical leaveon the campusone can learn through the College of Page 9 Progressive Agricultureof The University of ..Arizona. Agriculture in his own state.