Archive All Issues October 1944

Suncrest Hereford Ranch

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Featured in the October 1944 Issue of Arizona Highways

Camelback Mountain and orange groves near Phoenix form a backdrop for Suncrest Here ford Ranch, one of many fine Arizona cattle ranches.
Camelback Mountain and orange groves near Phoenix form a backdrop for Suncrest Here ford Ranch, one of many fine Arizona cattle ranches.

The fertile Salt River Valley lends itself to many types of agriculture and is the hub around which revolves a great livestock industry. This industry is made up, from the standpoint of beef cattle, the producing of range cattle. the feedng and pasturing of cattle for the market and the production of registered cattle. The producing of range cattle for the nation's feedlots is a long established business in Arizona and these ranches are constantly improving their herds. The majority of Arizona cattle are Herefords and their improvement has been brought about by the purchases of better sires and dams sires and dams of better breeding, conformation and higher quality. There are several ranches in the state producing registered Herefords and it is from these ranches the range men get the sires and dams that add weight, improve the conformation and quality of their herds. Producing registered Herefords is a specialized business. It requires special knowledge of breeding, feeding, management and marketing. It definitely is not a Cinderella type business because it takes years of hard work and patience to build a herd of registered Herefords that will definitely improve the cattle into whose herds they go.

We want to tell you about one of these registered Hereford ranches. It is the Suncrest Hereford Ranch located at the foot of Camelback mountain near Phoenix consisting of sixty acres of fertile irrigated land. It is owned jointly by the Western Farm Management Company and Dr. E. L. Scott. The ranch is a natural outgrowth of a desire on the part of Dr. Scott to provide breeding cattle that will improve the general level of Arizona range cattle.

It is very interesting to take tour of this modern breeding plant with Dr. Scott and learn how registered Hereford cattle are produced in the Valley of the Sun. Sixty-five registered females are kept in the herd on the sixty acres figuring about one cow to each acre of land. The cattle are pastured the year around with some hay fed to supplement the pasture when it gets short. The surprising fact is that no grain is fed to the breeding cows and every pound of their feed must come from a pasture program. It is about September 15th when the alfalfa is renovated with special equipment and approximately 110 pounds of barley and oats are broadcast into the alfalfa land. Sixty-five pounds of barley and forty-five pounds of Oats is the proportion used. It is then irrigated and within about ten days the grain is sprouted and well on its way. This provides pasture for the cattle through the winter and early spring months. When the barley and oats begin to die out the alfalfa continues to grow. It is the practice at Suncrest to keep the water off the alfalfa during July and August and part of September so Sudan grass is planted in the spring also. It is rotated with the alfalfa during the early spring and then Sudan is used during the time the alfalfa is dormant. The Sudan grass is then plowed up in the fall and the barley and oats mixture is planted. It is the hope of the owners of Suncrest to work out a successful permanent grass mixture and they have started this spring by planting a portion of their land to a permanent grass mixture. Sudan grass is also being planted with the mixture to provide pasture in case the mixture fails to produce enough feed. There is a great advantage in permanent grass in labor saving and lower production costs. Pasturing alfalfa is a common practice in the valley and no animals have been lost at the ranch by bloat but it takes special precautions. Animals will bloat when pastured on alfalfa but Dr. Scott takes the following precautions: waits until the alfalfa is in bloom; does not pasture when the alfalfa is wet or when a high wind is blowing; feeds the cattle before turning them in or takes The Suncrest herd is headed by a great sire, WHR Royal Flash, a typey, meaty, thick, straight-legged bull, valued at approximately $35,000.

SUNCREST HEREFORD RANCH

them off other pasture so they are not hungry; a few head of dairy animals are put on as test animals and the cattle are watched very closely while they are in the pasture.

It is necessary that the registered Hereford breeder practice seasonal breeding. If he doesn't his calves will be dropping at wrong times for the show classifications and it complicates the fitting and marketing. The cows are bred to drop their calves in the winter time at Suncrest. The senior calves come in September, October and November; the junior calves in January, February and March. If at all possible May and later calvings are avoided because of hot weather and feeding conditions besides the other reasons mentioned.

The cows and calves are grazed together on the pasture. It is necessary to milk out the mothers for a while until the calves are old enough to handle all the milk. After awhile the calves take all the milk the mother gives and could use more. It is then that a creep is provided for the calves and they have access all the time to a grain mixture. This self-feeding grain adds to the weight and growth of the calves and saves in labor and expense.

The practice of using nurse cows on a registered Hereford ranch is one of concern to cattlemen. The range men prefer and must have breeding cows in their herds able to provide enough milk for their offspring or a big percentage of "dogie" calves result. The registered breeder is the source of supply for the rangemen and he is inter-nested in breeding the kind of cows able to feed their calves. The feed the breeding herd has access to is of course a vital factor. It is important when Suncrest owners say any Hereford cow at Suncrest which can't provide enough milk to produce a calf under the excellent feed conditionsat the ranch, goes to market as soon as her case is proven. This is not going too far because feed is ample under the irrigated conditions in the valley.

The calf crop is sorted over at about three months of age and the calves chosen for the show string and regis-tered sales are put up in the barns and given special care. This is the only place nurse cows are used at Suncrest. Competition is too keen in the national shows so it is necessary to give the show animals added milk besides what they receive from their mothers. At first the calves are allowed to nurse their mothers and a nurse cow too; but after thirty days the calves are weaned from their mothers and nurse cows are used exclusively plus all the grain the calves will eat.

All the calves are weaned when they are about seven months old. When the calf crop is ready to wean, the herd bull and herd matron prospects are sorted out and the remainder are sold to range producers and the ex-tremely low end are sold on the beef market. The calves, mainly heifers, which are kept as herd replacements, are fed a small amount of grain in troughs the first winter and then are turned on pasture exclusively.

Registered Hereford producers in the Salt River Valley must pay particular attention to their marketing problems. The high overhead necessitated by high priced land, labor and other factors makes it necessary that Suncrest sells a high percentage of its calf crop as herd bull and herd matron prospects. This means they have to produce the kind of Herefords that will really go into the Arizona herds and improve their cattle. Arizona breeders have taken nearly 95% of the output at Suncrest. Many breeders have bought their bulls from this ranch for a number of years and they include: Ralph Cowan, McNeal, Arizona; Greene Cattle Company, Patagonia, Arizona, Heady and Ashburn, and the Rail X Ranch from the same district; Ivan Mc-Kinney, Clifton, Arizona, and others. Herd bull and herd matron prospects have gone to many surrounding states and this number will increase as the breeding program goes on.

The All Star Selection Sale held at Tucson each year in connection with the Tucson Show is sponsored by the Arizona Hereford Association, and is an excellent place for the registered breeders to sell their top individuals. It serves as a show window for their cattle because only the tops of each herd is sold the sale entries are determined by a sifting committee. It is also an excellent opportunity for the range cattle producers to buy and secure sires for their herds. It is an opportunity for them to keep informed of the type of cattle being produced by the registered breeders and to keep abreast with all changes in type.

The average of the All Star Selections sales is very high and breeders think of it as a very good place to sell their tops. Twenty-seven halter bulls and nineteen halter heifers sold for an average of $686 in the 1942 sale held in December. Forty-four range bulls sold for an average of $251. Twenty-seven halter bulls and twelve halter heifers averaged $664 in the 1944 sale held in February. Range bulls were much in demand in the 1944 sale and fifty sold for an average of $277.

Suncrest is, of course, a member of the Arizona Hereford Association and has been a consistent consignor to the All Star Selection sale. Its entries have been much in demand and have topped many sales. Miss Dreamer, sired by WHR Royal Flash, topped the 1942 sale when she sold to the Thornton Hereford Ranch, Gunnison, Colorado, for $1,225. Flashy Belmont, another Royal Flash calf, topped the 1944 sale when he sold to Ralph Cowan for $2,900.

The herd sire is the one important factor in whether the breeding program as a Hereford breeding establishment is successful. The Suncrest herd is headed by a great sire, WHR Royal Flash, a typey, meaty, thick, straightlegged bull. He was sired by WHR Royal Domino 51st It is necessary to have a herdsman in attendance all the time.

He must be schooled in feeding, breeding, fitting and other problems involved.

SUNCREST HEREFORD RANCH

and carries the richest blood ever produced at Wyoming Hereford Ranch, Cheyenne, Wyoming. His get are much in demand because he produces the kind of cattle Arizona breeders want for herd improvement. Proof of his ability to sire championship animals was demonstrated when his offspring placed second in the get-of-sire class at the strong National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado in 1942. This same year one of his daughters was reserve champion Hereford female of the same show and another of his daughters placed second in her class to the grand champion Hereford female of the show entered by Wyoming Hereford Ranch.

All of the Royal Flash calves that have been fitted for show and sales have brought an average price of $1,732. The highest priced bull ever produced and sold in Arizona was SU Real Flash, sired by Royal Flash. He was sold to an Illinois breeder for $7,500. The highest priced individual ever sold in the ten years of Arizona Hereford Association sales was Flashy Belmont. This is truly a great record for the sire and he will continue to rank as one of the breed's greatest sires.

In order to spread his services and to make him more valuable to Arizona breeders his owners sold a half interest in him two years ago to the White Mountain Hereford Ranch, Springerville, Arizona. He has sired some outstanding individuals for this ranch since they secured an interest in him.

It is the desire of the owners of this great bull to get as many calves from him as possible and to further extend his services they practice artificial insemination. This practice will increase the life of the bull and make him much more valuable. It is also the only way the usefulness of a bull can be extended after they become incapacitated with age or injury.

The cost of operation of Suncrest is kept at the minimum. It is necessary to have a herdsman in attendance all the time. He must be a man schooled in feeding, breeding, fitting and all other problems involved in operating a purebred herd. Lou Burleson, a Texan with years of experience, handles the job at Suncrest, with supervisory assistance from Dr. Scott. An assistant is provided during the busy season. A farmer is also employed to do the seeding, irrigating and other necessary farm work: If it becomes necessary to put up some alfalfa this is done on a custom basis.

The owners at Suncrest keep their ranch in the best of condition at all times. They are honestly and sincerely trying to breed the kind of cattle Arizona cattlemen need to improve their herds. It is being operated for a profit. They are employing methods at the ranch they believe to be sound and businesslike, so other producers in the state may profit by their experiences. Suncrest is dedicated to the improvement of Arizona Herefords. Breeders are invited to visit this breeding plant and study its operations.

A modern home has been built on the ranch by Dr. and Mrs. Scott. It is a home designed by Mrs. Scott and is one of the best arranged and most comfortable homes in the valley. Home Economics experts from many of the educational institutions in the state have used it as a model in their teaching work. It is the result of careful planning and work, and is truly an asset to Suncrest.

Suncrest Hereford Ranch is an asset to the Valley of the Sun. It is also very definite the Valley of the Sun is giving it plenty in return.