Meet Red Mountain Ranch Cattle Co: Family Ranching in Phoenix
Cow, red mountains, peaceful serenity
Just along the original Hohokam Canal in Mesa, Arizona is Tyler Farms, also known as Red Mountain Cattle Company, raising grass-fed cattle since 1965. On over 47 acres of land, the ranch is home to cows, horses, and bees, as well citrus and mesquite groves - all of which create a harmonic symbiosis that supporting each other in an urban setting.
A Family Affair
Owners Scott Tyler and Tim Kenney took over managing the ranch after Scott’s mom retired 25 years ago. They sell specific cuts of their grass-raised and grass-finished beef to the direct public at farmers markets in Gilbert and Old Town Scottsdale and to restaurants across Phoenix. Scott says that their beef tastes better because of the sweet grass that they grow in the best certified organic soil. And their local cows are happy, calm, and not stressed.
Also on the farm is a boarding stable for over 130 horses. Donna Campbell Tyler, Scott’s sister, oversees care for the horses including top-tier alfalfa and feed, brushing, training, vet visits, and any additional requests.
Honey
A Sweet Addition: Bees
At the entrance to the farm is a large 22-acre grove of orange, mesquite, creosote, and palo verde trees. Here, their bees collect pollen from nearby orange blossoms and from mesquite trees before returning to their hives. This process is called cross-pollination and is responsible for creating mesquite honey. When crystallized, their mesquite honey has a rich caramel sweetness with just a light floral earthy tone not found in conventional grocery stores. Their orange blossom honey is light with delicate floral tones and sells out quickly when available.
Interesting tidbit: bees like to be cool in our Arizona climate and seek shade under the trees. Tim regularly moves the hives to stay out of direct sunlight where the honey can sit and harden into wax. This is just one step that Tim explains is the beginning of what he calls a “happy honey” operation.
According to the owners of Red Mountain Cattle Co, “Local raw honey has great antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In other words, it will keep you healthy when consumed daily.” And with new Arizona laws regarding marijuana, Tim is exploring a process of infusing medicinal marijuana into honey, which can then be sold to patients throughout the state.
Happy cows enjoying the sunshine
The Challenges of Running a Ranch
Tim and Scott recognize their biggest challenge is that they are not getting any younger. Getting up early day in and day out has weighed on them; however, it’s part of a rancher’s lifestyle and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Another challenge they face is competition from global channels. Many meat suppliers in China and Mexico are able to produce lower-cost meat. The issue, they explain, comes from the lack of public knowledge that cheaply produced meat found in many supermarkets can come with some health risks. Red Mountain Cattle Company beef is raised on water and grass and processed naturally with vinegar (no ammonia or bleach) and dry-aged for 21days, which is healthier and tastier.
“Many consumers are focused on quantity rather than quality and do not know what livestock is being fed and what living conditions the animals are raised in,” they explained. “It’s better to get your meat from farmers who care. The problem is not enough people care about where their food comes from and are focused on the cheapest price.”
The Future of Red Mountain Cattle
For the moment, Scott and Tim are content with the farm operation and would like to continue for a few more years. However, like so many urban farmers, as the reality of the increasing demand for houses, the reality of selling their farm to real estate investors seems inevitable.
Learn more about how to support this farm and how to order their locally made honey and non-GMO, grass-fed beef: https://rmcc-llc.com/.