Campbell & Sons Ranch

8 RANGELANDS 22(4)

Colorado Section SRM 1999 Excellence in Rangeland Conservation Award

by David Bradford, Floyd Reed, Jess Campbell, Calvin Campbell and Chad Campbell

The Campbell & Sons Ranch is a 500 plant growth or regrowth. The grazing Schools for Ranchers that were spon- acre family-owned and operated ranch periods on the seven pastures vary from sored by Colorado State University located on the North Fork of the 3 to 33 days. Cooperative Extension (see related arti- Gunnison River in western Colorado. Prior to 1999, the management on the cle in this issue). Based on the principles The ranch lies between the towns of West Terror allotment was typical of taught in these courses the Campbells Hotchkiss and Paonia. As part of their many National Forest grazing allot- and the Forest Service developed the ranching operation the Campbells hold a ments. Cattle were turned on to the al- new management strategy. grazing permit on the 9,000 acre West lotment when the low-range vegetation The change in management in 1996 Terror grazing allotment, north of was ready for grazing, usually on June produced immediate and dramatic im- Paonia, on the Gunnison National 16. They were moved to higher eleva- provements. Early grazed pastures were Forest. tions as the vegetation developed. The allowed to regrow after grazing and late Campbell & Sons Ranch received the cattle stayed on the allotment until grazed pastures were allowed to reach 1999 Colorado maximum devel- Section SRM's opment prior to "Excellence in grazing. Areas that Rangeland were repeatedly Conservation grazed prior to Award" for their 1995 were grazed outstanding man- only once under agement of the the new manage- West Terror graz- ment. We have ob- ing allotment. The served a continual Campbells run 3 12 improvement in cowlcalf pairs on conditions from the allotment from 1996 through June 16 to October 1999. 15. In 1996 the The change in Campbells initiat- management and ed a new manage- improvement in ment strategy that conditions has is based on grazing been noticed by their cattle as a neighbors and the single herd using public. On one time-controlled piece of private grazing. This graz- Campbell & Sons Ranch located on the North Fork of the Gunnison River-livestock han- land that borders ing strategy was dling facilities. Mt. Lomborn (L) and Lands End Mountain (R) of West Elk Mountains, the West al- accomplished by Gunnison N.F. in background. lotment the owners developing seven requested that the pastures on the al- Campbells graze lotment using temporary electric fence, October 16 and were kept scattered by the property to improve conditions for permanent electric fence, standard riding, salting and water developments. wildlife. The owners had originally pur- barbed wire fences and natural barriers Management was acceptable but some chased this oakbrushlaspen property for and constructing six new spring devel- areas here repeatedly grazed as cattle hunting-mule deer and elk. At the time opments. Pasture moves are based on drifted back to preferred sites resulting they purchased the property there had the frequency that plants are grazed, in- in over-use. In 1995 the Campbells at- been a grazing lease. The leasee was tensity of grazing and opportunity for tended the first Range Management grazing approximately 90 head of August 2000 9

since the 1880’s. The development of the fruit industry caused much of the valley land to be broken up into small parcels that were practical for fruit- growing. The large, open range livestock operations that are common in many parts of the West are unusual in the North Fork. The Campbells’ present operation is actually made up of seven different original homesteads, nearly all of which were in fruit at one time. It is now the largest area of open space between Hotchkiss and Paonia. The demand for land for housing subdivisions is moderate in the North Fork, compared to other parts of Colorado. But even this demand has caused real estate prices to increase. This demand is hampering ranchers from adding additional property to their land base. As a consequence the relationship of the ranch and the ad- jacent Gunnison National Forest is criti- cal. Without the National Forest grazing Campbell & Sons Ranch located on North Fork of the Gunnison River—Cattle just coming allotment, the Campbells would not be back to the ranch after grazing on the West Terror allotment, Gunnison N.F. for the summer. able to maintain their operation. This would likely result in the land being cow/calf pairs or yearlings from May has owned the ranch since the late broken into smaller parcels, thus reduc- through September. This type of graz- 1880’s. The ranch consists of approxi- ing open space in the valley as well as ing, allowed the cattle to repeatedly mately 500 acres of private deeded land the land being used more intensively graze preferred sites, resulted in over-use and runs 300 cow/calf pairs, 30–40 and probably being maintained in re- of these areas and caused a decline in heifers, and a small herd of bison. The duced condition. The Campbell Ranch is conditions. As a result the owners termi- ranch lands are all managed as improved a good example of the importance of nated the grazing lease. Over the next pastures. Irrigation water comes from public land grazing permits to privately few years as the ungrazed vegetation be- the North Fork River. The ranch pro- owned ranches and how these ranches came more overgrown and coarse, the duces 400–450 tons of grass or grass/al- provide open space in the West. owners noticed that the deer and elk falfa hay per year, in two cuttings. The The Campbell & Sons Ranch was rec- were using their property less and less— Campbells have worked at increasing ognized by CSSRM for their exemplary resulting in reduced hunting opportuni- the productivity of their lands by using management and demonstrating that im- ties. However, they noticed on the adja- time-controlled grazing on their private proved grazing management can be im- cent West Terror allotment that deer and lands as well as on the National Forest. plemented on a moderate sized allot- elk were commonly found grazing on Some pastures are grazed in the spring, ment with moderate investment and pro- the green regrowth. They asked the hayed one time in the summer and duce excellent results. Campbells if they would be willing to grazed in the fall. Some pastures are graze their land in a similar fashion to hayed twice during the summer and what they were doing on the West Terror grazed only in the fall. The ranch em- Authors are Range Conservationist on the allotment. The Campbells have incorpo- phasizes grazing where possible. Paonia Ranger District, Gunnison National Forest; rated this private land property into their The Campbells run primarily Range Staff for the Grand Mesa, Uncomprahgre and Gunnison National Forests; and owners/opera- grazing rotation. They graze this area Angus/Angus-Hereford-cross cattle. They tors of the Campbell & Sons Ranch, Hotchkiss, with their full herd from June 1 to June calve from early February through e a r l y Colorado. 15, just before they turn-on to the April. They wean over 90% of their National Forest. This early grazing fol- calves and finish 60% to slaughter. Last lowed by a full summer of rest, allows fall their steers averaged 610 lbs. at the vegetation to regrow and provides weaning in October. Since initiating the more palatable, nutritious forage for new management the cattle have come wildlife. It also provided two weeks of off the Forest in better condition than in late spring grazing for the Campbells’ the past—the cows rate an average of livestock. condition class 7. There are four generations of Like most ranches in the North Fork, Campbells that live and work on the the ranch is fairly small. The North Fork Campbell & Sons Ranch. The family valley has been a fruit growing region