Cattle is one of the original Five C’s of Arizona’s economy, and while the number of ranchers has declined, the business continues to survive in remote areas of the state.The Brown family began ranching in eastern Arizona before Arizona was a state, and the business has passed down through the generations.The Brown ranch has adapted cattle grazing techniques to help preserve the soil and grasses on the land, a commitment the family says isn’t widely understood.SPRINGERVILLE, Ariz. — In the forest near this eastern Arizona town, the smell of grilled beef and vegetables permeates the cool summer day. A group of children walk a fallen tree like a tightrope, their shouts echoing through the woods. The adults set up lunch nearby, ending a morning of moving cattle between pastures. The Brown family owns a ranch in St. Johns — J. A. Brown Ranches — so naturally beef tacos were on the menu for the family picnic. Jackson Brown banters with his brothers and cousins as they gather around folding tables and sit on stumps, their horses tethered to trees nearby. Jackson’s father, David Brown, looks on, watching his herd of grandchildren. After spending 10 years traveling the world as an officer for the U.S. Navy, including a three-year stint living in Japan, Jackson Brown ended up back where his life began. He grew up in St. Johns, working on the ranch through his teenage years, and returned with his wife and three kids in 2021. As his family gathered around him for the impromptu picnic, Jackson remembered why he moved back to manage the ranch.“Why did we come back? Family,” Jackson said. “The experiences of being with my brothers and cousins, we wanted our children to have the same.”“This is an amazing place,” he said. “It’s home for me.”His family has raised cattle in the area for the last 140 years. Jackson is the fifth generation to manage the land, following his uncle Norman Brown and grandfather Jack Brown, who served in the Arizona House of Representatives and the state Senate. Their ancestors were Mormon pioneers who began ranching in northern Arizona in the 1880s. But the industry transformed as the ranch changed hands. As one of Arizona’s Five C’s, the cattle business has historically stood as a key economic driver alongside cotton, citrus, copper and climate. Settlers were drawn to Arizona to establish ranches in the 1800s, with cattle outnumbering people, but overgrazing, drought and conflict with Indigenous tribes made keeping livestock far from easy. Despite spikes throughout the 1900s, the industry has declined, as ranchers contend with environmental pressures like extreme heat and drought, high prices and federal regulations. Ranchers and farmers are getting older; the average age of a producer in 2022 was 58.1, an average that has trended upward in recent years, contributing to fears that America’s aging workforce could impact the food supply.But Jackson is 39 years old, part of a younger generation of ranchers hoping to sustain the industry of their forefathers. “Markets are changing. You look at the five C’s of Arizona, cattle was just a prime industry up here,” Jackson said. “But all the big ranches have been chopped up. The industry has changed, so you can’t just keep doing the same thing we’ve done for 30 years.” ‘C’ is for cattle: Arizona ranchers endure drought, volatile prices, urban encroachmentThe Brown clan represents the past, present and future of ranching. So far, they have survived the industry’s downward trend, and Jackson is adapting ranch operations today to survive the future. “I think it’s exciting,” Jackson said. “There’s a pessimistic view that we’re on a negative trajectory because r …
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