Working Ranch Magazine March/April 2025

(RIGHT) Garrett Fish, Dean’s son, at the Santa Cruz County Fair

a lawyer by trade with a deep love and respect for the Western way of life. He attended the NCA’s annual meet ing each year, bringing back what ever trendy bull or breed came up at the conference. Various cattle breeds graced the ranch, ultimately settling on breeds that provided better car cass data. This brought in Angus Bulls with data and information to back up their performance. With that knowl edge and data, Mr. Sedgwick and Ron were able to build a robust commercial herd with an Angus base. Vaccines are administered at brand ing, pre-weaning, and weaning at the Santa Fe Ranch. Dean emphasizes that whether he retains ownership or sells at the sale barn, they are prepared to combat pathogens they may encounter. This not only plays a crucial role in the financial success of the cattle industry, but Dean also sees it as a moral obliga tion. He believes this practice is essen tial to the social sustainability the cat tle industry strives to maintain, saying, “Social acceptance of what we do cre ates understanding about this lifestyle and beef production. A big part of it is answering the question: how are these cows treated?” GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY Volunteerism has been a cornerstone of Dean’s life, shaped by his past expe riences and deep commitment to giv ing back. He encourages others to get involved, leading by example through roles in various member-driven organi zations at the state and national levels. Dean believes that success shouldn’t be determined by your zip code, espe cially in rural Arizona, where oppor tunities and services are often limited

successful, that are more talented, that have skills and talents than I do that I admire or put themselves in a place that I admire,” Dean explains. A circle of positive people and achievers is the first key to success. In an industry that relies so heavily on Mother Nature and her fickle moods, many ranchers and farmers turn to God to lean on during the challenges and difficulties of life in agriculture. Dean is no exception. Raised in a Catholic household and baptized in the church, he also credits his wife, who has a strong foundation in faith, for ensur ing his children were raised with that background. However, it wasn’t until later in life that Dean experienced a shift in perspective. “I had some expe riences where I knew that only God was able to pull me through and wake me up and say, ‘hey, you know there’s divine invention here that has allowed you to survive what you’re gonna sur vive,’” Dean says when asked what brought him closer to his faith. “I think farmers and ranchers are closer to the land and closer to God’s creation, and that’s just inherently an advantage that we have to watch that faith at work and express it.”

compared to other areas. Dean’s passion for supporting youth stems from his own experience receiving scholarships from orga nizations like the Arizona National Livestock Show, the Arizona Cattle Industry Research and Education Foundation, the Arizona State Cowbelles, and the local 4-H council. He says, “I’m so passionate about sup porting those organizations and more now because I know it makes a differ ence for young people to have that lit tle boost. It’s not necessarily even just the money. It’s about those profes sors acting as cheerleaders, with the scholarships being a little pat on the back that says, hey, we believe in you. Here’s 500 bucks. Go buy your books.” MOTIVATION AND GOD Dean’s motivation in life has often stemmed from the support he saw from other people as a youngster and his love for his fellow humans. “If I’ve had any success at all, it’s because of who I’ve surrounded myself with. Of course, that starts at home and with your family. Still, professionally, I’ve always strived to hang out with smarter people than me; that are more

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