Working Ranch Magazine January/February 2025

Swayze McCraine

PHOTO BY KATHY MCCRAINE

to learn how to live in a feed yard set ting before turning out on the stocker ground, which sits at 5,000 feet in ele vation, a mile high. KJ has found that a calf doesn’t gain well if he is under 500 pounds at that elevation, so get ting their weight up before turning them out is essential. Because of the 7 Up’s terrain and rough landscape, Kathy began breed ing horses solely for use on the ranch in 1999. Horses raised in town couldn’t hack the almost completely lava rock-covered ground. Initially, the McCraines purchased a stud named Dual Winner, a son of Dual Peppy, that was shown in cutting. Today the broodmare band comprises 17 mares and two studs, Easy Movin Streaker by A Streak of Fling, and A Rhinestone Cowboy by Sadies Frosty Drift. With KJ’s successful background in the cutting showpen, he brought his ideas and genetics to refine the pro cess. “We are looking for blue-collar horses with black tie pedigrees,” he said when asked about their current

goal for their breeding program. The horses on the 7 Up need to work in the rocks, mountains, trees, and canyons, but they can also head into the show pen and do well there. Talking about finances is essential in any operation. KJ’s goal, along with Kathy and Swayze’s, is to ensure the ranch and family are set up for life in the future. This requires thinking beyond how Granddad did it. “We try very hard not to leave a dime on the table. We stay liquid enough to take advantage of the market whenever it presents an opportunity to be profitable. What we don’t do is sell the calves in October because we’ve always sold the calves in October,” KJ explains about the finan cial goals of the operation. Another method of maximizing profit is using value-added programs such as GAP, all-natural, non-hor mone, and age source verified. Not only does Campwood follow and par ticipate in a third-party audit yearly to ensure compliance with these pro grams, but all of the ranchers who sell JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2025 I 67

for the fall work in October. Branding starts in the middle of May and helps to shape how the fall season will operate as it allows KJ and Kathy to assess the herd. Predator problems are seen in lower calf numbers, and if the monsoon was late the year before, calves come in younger because cows were late to cycle. Many factors con tribute to how cattle are marketed each year, but with the diversification implemented at Campwood Cattle Company, KJ can make the best deci sion for that particular year. Fall is one of the busiest seasons, with workings at the 7 Up happening while also moving steers off leased grass near the Grand Canyon, that are then sold and shipped in the middle of September. They also wean and work their first calf heifers earlier than the rest of the herd to allow the heifers ample time to heal before winter hits. The operation also buys calves from other ranches to stock the grow yard during the fall. These are typically fresh-weaned calves who need time