Az Cattlemen's Association

The Food Impact of the AZ Cattlemen’s Association

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Think cattle ranching is an outdated business model from the 1950s? Think again. Today, Arizona cattle ranching makes up over $500 million in food exports from the state alone. Of the 19,500 farms in the state, one out of every five is a ranching operation whose primary food product is beef. Cattle-ranching isn’t from a bygone era either; it operates on over 26 million acres in Arizona today, producing a $1.7 billion economic impact to the state. In addition, ranching is entirely enmeshed with state land conservation and land use management as well. The state’s industry has worked consistently towards more efficient production with less environmental impact. That includes 12 percent less water usage, 16 less carbon emission and a third less land dedicating to grazing or operations. In turn, the industry is producing a higher quality beef product than that of the late 1970s and a far more robust income base for communities. There is no question that cattle-ranching is integral to the future of Arizona as a state. And the AZ Cattlemen’s Association works to educate everyone nationally on these basic but powerful facts.