Economic and Operational Characteristics of Arizona and New Mexico Range Cattle Ranches

Excerpts from the report: The objectives of this report are: (1) To present the cost, income, and investment of typical ranches in the Southern Intermountain and Southern Desert Ranching Areas as of 1960, and (2) to evaluate the effect of changes in costs, prices, and range forage supplies on the net income of these ranches. The investment, cost, and ranch organizational data used in developing representative ranch budgets were obtained from interviews with about 140 ranchers in the two ranching areas. These data were supplemented with additional data from other research, and from Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management records. Representative ranch budgets were developed for cattle ranches holding both a Forest Service and a Bureau of Land Management permit, and for cattle ranches with either a Forest Service or a Bureau of Land Management permit