AGRICULTURE

Generational Ranching

Since 1909, Pine Canyon Ranch has worked as a multi-faceted agricultural operation. Our family has raised cattle and grown crops on the ranch for 6 generations.

Some cattle enjoying our native grasses. — Cattle enjoying our native grasses.

The 540 acres now known as Pine Canyon Ranch is about 1/3rd of the original Scott family cattle ranch. Since its founding, the Scott Cattle Ranch has been a full scale operation. We have raised cow-calf pairs, growing the calves fully before they begin the cycle themselves or sending them on for beef production. The Ranch houses all of the necessary equipment - from corrals to branding/dehorning chutes to watering troughs to wide-ranging pastures. Typically, we have between 40-60 head on the Ranch.

In the past, we have “backgrounded” cattle, rather than raising the livestock from calves. As such, we would take in weaned cattle, graze them for 4-6 months, and once they had gained enough weight, we would sell them on to “finishing” feedlot. Currently, we have a heard of around 60 cow-calf pairs on site.

Some of the 2021 bumper crop of Triticale and Native Grasses.

Historically, Pine Canyon Ranch has grown native grasses for hay in addition to our cattle operations. We mostly harvest a mixture of Ryes, Wheatgrasses, and Orchardgrasses. In years past, we have also grown Alfalfa on the Ranch. We have recently restarted our Alfalfa production, hoping for a solid crop in the coming seasons. Over the past few years, we have transitioned our focus from livestock to native grasses. As such, we have decided to lease the pastures to other ranchers who are raising cattle. Previously, we also allowed a group of pack horses to graze on the Ranch in between their hunting expeditions.

Today, we are keenly exploring the native grass mixtures and other crops, such as Triticale, to determine what crops are best suited for the ranch. We have worked with local Douglas County officials, experts from the regional NRCS office, and other local ranching and farming families from the area as we search for the best crops. This search has yielded excellent results as our Triticale and Native Grasses both produced bumper crops in 2021.We have been proud to work alongside our neighbors to keep Douglas County’s agricultural heritage alive and thriving.