Tonto National Forest Ranches

Ranches that are permitted to use grazing allotments administered by the Tonto National Forest and have benefited from government assistance. The Tonto includes about 2,964,308 acres of public land, and despite being called a forest, about 27% of it, or 791,284 acres, is hot and rugged Sonoran Desert. (Additional ranches are added to this list as information becomes available.)

Visit the Arizona Public Land Ranches Home Page for information about ranches in other regions of the state.

Government Assistance For Ranchers Program Key
ALLBAWPFECPEQIPEWPHPCHeritage FundLCCGPLFPLOFFAPLRPPFWPWHREFWQIG
AALB - Arizona Livestock Loss Board, Arizona Livestock Loss Board (federal/state)
AWPF - Arizona Water Protection Fund, AWPF Commission (state)
ECP - Emergency Conservation Program, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (federal)
EQIP - Environmental Quality Incentives Program, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (federal)
The EQIP program absorbed the NRCS Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) after 2014.
EWP - Emergency Watershed Protection, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (federal)
The Arizona EWP Drought Program was discontinued in 2001 after a critical audit.
HPC - Habitat Partnership Committee, Arizona Game & Fish Commission (state)
Arizona Heritage Fund, Arizona Game & Fish Commission (state)
LCCGP - Livestock & Crop Conservation Program, Arizona Department of Agriculture (state)
Note: Open Space Reserve Grants became LCCGP Grants after 2002.
LFP - Livestock Forage Disaster Program, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (federal)
LOFFAP - Livestock Operator Fire & Flood Assistance Program, Arizona Department of Agriculture (state)
LRP - Landowner Relations Program, Arizona Game & Fish Department (state)
PFWP - Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (federal)
WHREF - Wildlife Habitat Restoration & Enhancement Fund, Arizona Game & Fish Department (state)
This fund was created by a one-time $3.5 million appropriation by the Legislature in 2006.
WQIG - Water Quality Improvement Grant, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (federal/state)
Note: These grants were previously called Section 319 nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution prevention grants.
2 Bar Ranch76 RanchBar F Bar RanchBar X Ranch (Pleasant Valley District)Bar X Ranch (Tonto Basin District)Boquet RanchBuzzard Roost RanchCartwright RanchCherry Creek RanchCircle Bar RanchCross F & Diamond RanchCross Y RanchDagger Springs RanchDC Cattle RanchDiamond Butte RanchDiamond Rim RanchFlying H RanchGovernment Spring RanchGreenback Valley RanchGriffin Cattle RanchH4 RanchJ-4 RanchHale RanchHay Hook RanchHerron RanchHorseshoe RanchJF RanchJI RanchJones RanchJH6 RanchJohnson RanchM Bar K RanchO Bar C RanchO Bar O RanchPotato Butte RanchRafter Cross RanchRafter P RanchRockin Four Ranch
2 Bar Ranch (Earnhardt Ranches LLC) - Schoolhouse Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
1993BOR$36,7951993 AMP
1999EWP$9,614Paid to Take Cattle Off the Land During Drought (David Jordan)
2006-2014EQIP$79,471Kendrick Leroy Tucker
2017HPC #16-626$13,922Water Pipeline
2018HPC #17-602$8,000Dirt Tank Cleanouts
$147,802TOTAL 1993-2018
The assistance listed above benefited previous permittees, including Kendrick Leroy Tucker and Tucker Ranch LLC.
The 1993 allotment management plan (AMP) was funded by a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) as part of a mitigation plan for the local wildlife habitat flooded after the height of Theodore Roosevelt Dam was increased.
76 Ranch (Troy Neal) - Seventy Six Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
1999EWP$30,290Paid to Take Cattle Off the Land During Drought
2002OSR #48*$38,873
2005-2021EQIP$164,039
2011-2021LFP$85,558
$318,760TOTAL 2002 - 2021
* OSR grants became LCCGP grants in 2005.
Bar F Bar Ranch (Walter Grantham) - Capitan Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
1999EWP$15,765Paid to Take Cattle Off the Land During Drought
2005-2016EQIP$265,480
2007LCCGP #07-33$69,885Livestock Water and Fencing
2009LCCGP #09-44$55,920Conservation, Restoration & Resource Augmentation
2011-2015LFP$35,962
2011LCCGP #11-25$30,543Conservation, Restoration & Resource Augmentation
2022APWIAP*$497,240Rebuild Livestock Fences & Waters Burned in the 2021 Telegraph Fire
2023APWIAP*$336,600Rebuild 7 Miles of Livestock Fence Burned in the 2021 Telegraph Fire
$1,307,395TOTAL 1999 - 2023
*Temporary program administered by the Arizona Dept. of Forestry & Fire Management.
NOTE: In 2021 $2.325 million in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2021 Telegraph Fire. The money was shared among eight grazing allotments, including this one, in the Tonto National Forest's Globe Ranger District.
Bar X Ranch - Pleasant Valley District (The Bar X LLC) - Bar X Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2008-2015EQIP$401,362
2010CREIP$21,767Solar Water Pumps (Program no longer exists.)
2011LCCGP #11-74$83,596Livestock Water and Fencing
2015HPC #14-603$11,526Water Pipeline
2015HPC #14-604$12,0007 New Dirt Tanks
2016HPC #15-617$9,0003 New Roadside Dirt Tanks
2017HPC #16-606$11,360Water Storage Materials
2018 - 2021LFP$47,123
2021HPC #20-602$15,000Colcord Dirt Tanks
$612,734TOTAL 2008-2021
Grazing began to be authorized in 2008 on pastures that hadn't been grazed since 1979. But a decision to implement a new allotment management plan wasn't completed until December 2019, in response to a lawsuit filed in April 2018. Ranch manager Mike Hemovich is a former president of the Gila County Cattle Growers Association.
Bar X Ranch - Tonto Basin District (Dorothy Cline Wells Trust) - Tonto Basin Northwest Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
1996BOR$61,6001996 AMP
2002OSR #9*$76,500Awarded to John Stephen "Steve" Cline
2002OSR #10*$13,500Awarded to John Stephen "Steve" Cline
2017HPC #16-609$12,000Dirt Tanks Cleaning & Sealing
2017HPC #16-610$16,000Dirt Tanks Cleaning & Sealing
2017HPC #16-611$9,580Water Pipeline & Troughs
2018HPC #17-609$12,000Livestock Water Storage
2018-2021LFP$54,532
2022HPC #21-601$5,908Malone Water Well Improvement
2023APWIAP**$261,600Rebuild Livestock Fences & Waters Burned in the 2020 Bush Fire (Project #6)
2024APWIAP**$324,160Rebuild Livestock Fences Burned in the 2020 Bush Fire - shared with two neighboring permittees
$847,160TOTAL 1996 - 2024
* The previous ranch manager, John Stephen “Steve” Cline, Mark’s father, passed away in 2012.
**Temporary program administered by the Arizona Dept. of Forestry & Fire Management.
NOTE: In 2020 $279,167 in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2020 Bush Fire. The money was shared among seven grazing allotments, including this one, on the Tonto National Forest.
The 1996 allotment management plan (AMP) was funded by a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) as part of a mitigation plan for the local wildlife habitat flooded after the height of Theodore Roosevelt Dam was increased. Another AMP was implemented in 2016.
Boquet Ranch (George T. Cline Equity Trust) - Tonto Basin Southeast Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
1996BOR$61,6001996 AMP
1999EWP$21,130Paid to Take Cattle Off the Land During Drought
2002OSR #7*$76,500
2018-2021LFP$53,344
$212,574TOTAL 1996 - 2021
* OSR grants became LCCGP grants in 2005
The 1996 allotment management plan (AMP) was funded by a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) as part of a mitigation plan for the local wildlife habitat flooded after the height of Theodore Roosevelt Dam was increased.
Buzzard Roost Ranch (D.G. Fenn Land & Cattle Co., LLC) - Buzzard Roost Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2005-2013EQIP$147,275
2009HPC #08-602$7,000Juniper Tree Removal
2010HPC #09-604$4,000Juniper Tree Removal
$158,275TOTAL 2005 - 2013
Ranch manager Dan Fenn is a former president of the Gila County Cattle Growers Association, and was their 2012 Rancher of the Year.
Cartwright Ranch (Schmidt Ranch LLC) - Cartwright Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2018-2021LFP$50,197
2020HPC #19-606$100,000Livestock Waters
2020BAR*$2,750Rebuild Livestock Fences & Waters Burned in the 2020 Sears Fire
2022LFP$15,411
$168,358TOTAL 2018 - 2022
*Federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds.
Grazing was reauthorized on the allotment in 2017 after about 10 years of nonuse.
Cherry Creek Ranch (Tilting H Ranch, LLC) - Cherry-Frio Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2009LCCGP #09-108$75,000Riparian Area Conservation
2010-2015EQIP$238,354
2011HPC #10-604$36,000Remove Juniper Trees
$349,354TOTAL 2009 - 2015
Circle Bar Ranch (Horse Creek Farms) - Sunflower Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
1996AWPF #95-003*$115,522Sycamore Creek Riparian Exclosure Fences
1999EWP*$40,530Paid to Take Cattle Off the Land During Drought
2002OSR #6*76,500
2019EQIP$12,890
2019-2021LFP$65,081
2022HPC #21-605$74,343Rebuild Livestock Waters Burned in the 2020 Bush Fire
2022APWIAP**500,000Rebuild Livestock Fences & Waters Burned in the 2020 Bush Fire
2022LFP$36,573
2023LFP$58,670
$980,109TOTAL 1996 - 2023
* This assistance benefited the previous grazing permittee, John Whitney.
**Temporary program administered by the Arizona Dept. of Forestry & Fire Management.
NOTE: In 2020 $279,167 in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2020 Bush Fire. The money was shared among seven grazing allotments, including this one, on the Tonto National Forest.
Grazing was reauthorized on the Sunflower allotment in 2018 after several years of nonuse.
Cross F & Diamond Ranch (Cross F Cattle Co. LLC) - Cross F and Diamond Allotments
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2005LCCGP #05-101*$65,295Erosion Control & Livestock Water
2005-2014 EQIP*$231,026
2009LCCGP #09-59*$39,575Ranch Projects
2018-2021LFP$70,768
2022APWIAP**$499,830Rebuild Livestock Fences & Waters Burned in the 2020 Bush Fire
2023APWIAP**$122,100Rebuild Livestock Fences & Waters Burned in the 2020 Bush Fire (Project #5)
$1,028,594TOTAL 2005 - 2023
* This assistance was received by the ranch’s previous owner Johnston Properties LLC.
**Temporary program administered by the Arizona Dept. of Forestry & Fire Management.
NOTE: In 2020 $279,167 in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2020 Bush Fire. The money was shared among seven grazing allotments, including these two, on the Tonto National Forest.
Cross Y Ranch (Woody & Letha Cline) - Crouch Mesa , Pleasant Valley & Vosberg Allotments
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2006-2012EQIP$370,982Letha Cline
2008HPC #07-605$29,200Remove Juniper Trees
2008HPC #07-606$27,500Remove Juniper Trees
2010-2016EQIP$98,464Woody Cline
2016HPC #15-618$5,745Trick Tank Development
2016HPC #15-620$5,900Solar Water Pump
2018LFP$10,671
$548,462TOTAL 2006 - 2018
Woody Cline is a former president of the Gila County Cattle Growers Association, and was their 2018 Rancher of the Year. He was elected to the Gila County Board of Supervisors in 2016, and is a Tonto Natural Resource Conservation District (NRCD) supervisor.
Dagger Springs Ranch (Charles E. Erickson Jr. & Mitchell R. Holder) - Dutchwoman Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
1994BOR$92,4001993 AMP, Salome Creek Riparian Unit
1999EWP$20,934Paid to Take Cattle Off the Land During Drought - Charles Erickson
1999EWP$49,946Paid to Take Cattle Off the Land During Drought - Mitchell Holder
2002OSR #37*$33,388Charles Erickson
2002OSR #53*$13,116Mitchell Holder
2005-2011EQIP$164,685Erickson Family Trust
2005-2016EQIP$147,648Mitchell Holder
2005LCCGP #05-36$7,006Livestock Water
2007LCCGP #07-26$50,000Livestock Water
2011-2015LFP$41,309Mitchell R. Holder
2014-2020LFP$108,391Erickson Family Trust
$728,823TOTAL 1994 - 2020
* OSR grants became LCCGP grants in 2005
Note: The Dutchwoman grazing allotment has two grazing permittees. Mitchell Holder is the permittee for the western portion of the allotment, and Charles Erickson is the permittee for the eastern portion, which includes the old Armer Mtn. allotment.

The 1993 allotment management plan (AMP) was funded by a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) as part of a mitigation plan for the local wildlife habitat flooded after the height of Theodore Roosevelt Dam was increased.
DC Cattle Ranch (DC Cattle Co. LLC) - Coolidge-Parker Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2004-2015EQIP$339,226
2005LCCGP #05-23$17,926Livestock Water and Monitoring
2007LCCGP #07-20$76,989Livestock Water and Fencing
2014-2018LFP$36,125
2019HPC #18-603$10,560Parker Coolidge Tank Cleanouts
2022EQIP$3,228
2022APWIAP*$500,000Rebuild Livestock Fences & Waters Burned in the 2021 Telegraph Fire
2023EQIP$17,007
$1,001,061TOTAL 2004 - 2023
*Temporary program administered by the Arizona Dept. of Forestry & Fire Management.
NOTE: In 2021 $2.325 million in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2021 Telegraph Fire. The money was shared among eight grazing allotments, including this one, in the Tonto National Forest's Globe Ranger District.
Ranch manager David L. Cook also manages some other local ranches. From 2005 to 2021 his DC Cattle Co., LLC, received another $395,599 in EQIP assistance. Some of it was likely used on the Tonto’s Sleeping Beauty Complex grazing allotment, which he managed for a local mining company. On May 24, 2017, Cook , who had been elected to the state’s House of Representatives in 2016, testified at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation that his ranch had been “held hostage” by federal red tape.
Mr. Cook was a board member of the Gila County Cattle Growers Association and the Arizona Section Society of Range Management’s 2004 Ranger Manager of the Year. He was elected to the Arizona Legislature in 2016. According to his 2016 and 2018, financial disclosure statements, he was also one of the co-owners of the Rockin Four Ranch .
Diamond Butte Ranch (M-Lazy-S Cattle Co.) - Diamond Butte & Soldier Camp Allotments
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2006 - 2014EQIP$341,469
2010HPC #09-608$7,000Dirt Tank Maintenance
2015HPC #14-605$24,000Soldier Camp Area Dirt Tanks
2018-2021LFP$86,192
2019HPC #18-607$12,000Dirt Tanks
2019LRP$18,0003.5 Miles Water Pipeline, Two 5,000 Gallon Water Storage Tanks, 3 Water Troughs
2022LFP$40,266
$528,927TOTAL 2006 - 2022
Diamond Rim Ranch (Earnhardt Ranches, LLC) - Diamond Rim, Pine, Christopher Mtn., Ellinwood & Marsh Creek Allotments
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2007LCCGP #07-85 (1)$100,000Grassland Restoration, Livestock Water
2008HPC #07-608 (1)$34,500Remove Juniper Trees
2008-2013EQIP (1)$89,122
2010HPC #09-606 (2)$20,000Kill Juniper Trees & New Dirt Tank
2010HPC #09-612 (1)$6,500Dirt Tank Cleanouts & Repairs
2009LCCGP #09-110 (1)$100,000Little Green Valley Grazing Complex Range Improvement Project Phase II
2011-2018LFP (1)$236,665
2012HPC #11-608 (1)$85,000Houston Mesa Restoration
2015HPC #14-607 (2)$11,6004 Dirt Tanks & 2 Trick Tanks
2019-2021EQIP (3)$46,055
2020-2021LFP (3)$37,195
$766,637TOTAL 2007 - 2021
1. This assistance benefited the TW Land & Livestock, LLC, the previous permittee of the Diamond Rim allotment .
2. This assistance benefited Woody Cline, a previous permittee of the Christopher Mtn./Ellinwood & Marsh Creek allotments.
3. This assistance benefited Walnut Creek Ventures, LLC, a previous permittee of the Christopher Mtn./Ellinwood & Marsh Creek allotments.
In 2002 Hal Earnhardt received a $76,500 Open Space Reserve (OSR) grant for a ranch he owned in Coconino County, and another OSR grant for $13,500 for a ranch in Gila County. OSR grants became LCCGP grants in 2005. Earnhardt Ranches LLC also holds the permits for the Dagger and Schoolhouse allotments in the Tonto Basin Ranger Disrict.
Flying H Ranch (John L. Johnson) - Flying H & Flying V Allotments
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2005-2010EQIP$116,622
2007LCCGP #07-49$51,122Livestock Water
2011HPC #10-603$24,000 Remove Juniper Trees
2011-2021LFP$492,793
2022LFP$7,341
$691,878TOTAL 2005 - 2022
Ranch manager John L. “Johnny” Johnson was the Gila County Cattle Growers 2015 Rancher of the Year.
Government Spring Ranch (Government Spring Ranch, LLC) - Lyons Fork Allotment, State Sublease #05-000539
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2005-2013EQIP$120,810
2012-2015LFP$140,496
2014HPC #13-610$12,600Spring Water Development
2022LFP$14,068
2022APWIAP*$445,770Rebuild Livestock Fences & Waters Burned in the 2021 Telegraph Fire
2023APWIAP*$245,400Rebuild 5.25 Miles of Livestock Fence Burned in the 2021 Telegraph Fire
$979,144TOTAL 2005 - 2023
*Temporary program administered by the Arizona Dept. of Forestry & Fire Management.
NOTE: In 2021 $2.325 million in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2021 Telegraph Fire. The money was shared among eight grazing allotments, including this one, in the Tonto National Forest's Globe Ranger District.
John R. Hoopes, Vice President of the Salt River Project, is an owner of the ranch.
Greenback Valley Ranch (Greenback Valley Ranch, LLC) - Greenback Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
1999EWP$30,240Paid to Take Cattle Off the Land During Drought
2002OSR #22*$59,077
2005-2016EQIP$428,203
2005LCCGP #05-22$75,000Grassland Restoration, Livestock Water & Fencing
2007LCCGP #07-19$75,000Livestock Fencing
2009LCCGP #09-26$75,000Livestock Water & Pasture Management
2011LCCGP #11-12$125,000Chubb Mountain Water Pipeline
2018-2021LFP$42,352
$909,872TOTAL 1999 - 2021
* OSR grants became LCCGP grants in 2005.
Ranch manager Bill Conway is a former president of the Gila County Cattle Growers Association, and was their 2016 Rancher of the Year.
Griffin Cattle Ranch (Griffin Cattle Ranch LLC) - Sedow Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2002OSR #58*$33,729
2005LCCGP #05-44$100,000Livestock Water and Fencing
2006-2021EQIP$329,099
2007LCCGP #07-34$100,000Livestock Water and Fencing
2009LCCGP #09-45$75,000Restoration-Conservation-Resource Enhancement
2011LCCGP #11-26$77,332Fencing, Grassland Restoration, Livestock Water
2012-2021LFP$444,271
2022EQIP$69,337
2023EQIP$15,033
$1,243,801TOTAL 2002 - 2023
* Open Space Reserve (OSR) grants became LCCGP grants in 2005.
NOTE: In 2020 $65,784 in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2020 Salt Fire. The money was shared among six grazing allotments, including this one, in the Tonto National Forest's Globe Ranger District.
The current allotment management plan was completed in 1979.
H4 Ranch (William F. & Lori Brown) - H4 & Hardscrabble Allotments (Tonto NF), Mud Springs Allotment (Coconino NF)
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
1999EWP*$9,408Paid to Take Cattle Off the Land During Drought
2002OSR #14**$77,350
2005-2015EQIP*$327,947
2005LCCGP #05-17*$125,000Livestock Water & Fencing
2007LCCGP #07-09*$100,000Livestock Water & Fencing
2009LCCGP #09-17*$75,000H-4 Ranch and Brunson Field Farming Projects
2015#HPC #14-610$4,500Dirt Tank Cleanouts
2016#HPC #15-603$10,000Kill Juniper Trees on 100 Acres
2016#HPC #15-604$25,000Construct 7 New Dirt Tanks
2016#HPC #15-605$20,000Repair 8 Existing Dirt Tanks
2016HPC #15-608$20,000Solar Powered Water Well
2017-2020EQIP$41,305
2017LRP$5,000Solar Water Well Pump & Water Pipeline Extension
2018HPC #17-613$7,600Goldtooth Smiths Spring Development
2018-2021LFP$69,067
2021HPC #20-605$110,000Rebuild Livestock Waters Burned in the 2020 Bush Fire
2023EQIP$14,090
$1,041,267TOTAL 1999 - 2023
* This assistance was received by the previous owner James R. Brown, who died in 2016. William Brown is his son.
**OSR grants became LCCGP grants in 2005

NOTE: In 2020 $279,167 in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2020 Bush Fire. The money was shared among seven grazing allotments, including the H4 allotment, on the Tonto National Forest.
J-4 Ranch (J-4 Ranch, Inc.) - Hardt Creek & Hog Canyon Allotments
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2007-2020EQIP$403,689
2009LCCGP #09-18$33,000Farm & Ranch Project
2016HPC #15-606$6,000Dirt Tank Cleanouts
2018LFP$48,227
2022EQIP$11,454
2023EQIP$6,439
$508,809TOTAL 2007 - 2023
Hale Ranch (Thomas & Etta Jane Hale) - Hobbs Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2002OSR #18*$9,846
2005-2007EQIP$32,136
2022APWIAP**$375,985Rebuild Livestock Fences & Waters Burned in the 2021 Telegraph Fire
2023EQIP
$435,065TOTAL 2002 - 2023
* OSR grants became LCCGP grants in 2005.
**Temporary program administered by the Arizona Dept. of Forestry & Fire Management.
NOTE: In 2021 $2.325 million in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2021 Telegraph Fire. The money was shared among eight grazing allotments, including this one, in the Tonto National Forest's Globe Ranger District.
Hay Hook Ranch (Hay Hook Ranch LLC) - Roosevelt Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
1993BOR$36,9601993 AMP
1999BOR$31,331Paid to Take Cattle Off the Land During Drought
2002OSR #62*$15,365
2005-2008EQIP$75,207
2005LCCGP #05-25$24,870Livestock Water & Fencing
2018HPC #17-610$19,000Water Pipeline Replacement
$202,733TOTAL 1993-2018
* OSR grants became LCCGP grants in 2005.
The previous permittee, Dwight Cooper, died in 2013. The 1993 allotment management plan (AMP) was funded by a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) as part of a mitigation plan for the local wildlife habitat flooded after the height of Theodore Roosevelt Dam was increased.
Herron Ranch (DNH Cattle Co. LLC) - Superior Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2011-2015EQIP$115,451
2018-2021LFP$45,232
2023APWIAP*$417,000Rebuild 8.5 Miles of Livestock Fence Burned in the 2021 Telegraph Fire
$577,683TOTAL 2011 - 2023
*Temporary program administered by the Arizona Dept. of Forestry & Fire Management.
NOTE: In 2021 $2.325 million in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2021 Telegraph Fire. The money was shared among eight grazing allotments, including this one, in the Tonto National Forest's Globe Ranger District.
Horseshoe Ranch (JH Cattle Co., LLC) - Horseshoe (BLM) and Copper Creek (FS) Allotments
YEARSPROGRAM AMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2014HPC #13-601$1,058Brooklyn Well Solar Water Pump
2014HPC #13-602$30,000Copper Creek Allotment Dirt Tank Cleanouts
2015HPC #14-601*$60,000Kill Coyotes to Protect Pronghorn & Mule Deer Fawns
2015-2021LFP$203,167Drought & Wildfire
$294,225TOTAL 2014 - 2021
* This assistance was shared with neighboring ranches.
John T. Holbrook, the owner of JH Cattle Co. LLC, leases the Horseshoe Ranch from the Arizona Game & Fish Department. He sells the beef raised on the ranch through the JH Grass Fed Beef LLC, which is owned by his father John B. Holbrook. The elder Holbrook also holds the grazing permit for the BLM's nearby Antelope Creek grazing allotment, and received $26,738 of LFP assistance for his ranching operation on that allotment from 2015 to 2020.
JF Ranch (William George & Lynn A. Martin) - Millsite Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2005-2007EQIP*$72,689Martin Ranch, Inc.
2005LCCGP #05-66*$14,000Livestock Water
2007LCCGP #07-063*$5,000Livestock Water
2009-2021EQIP$310,686
2011-2021LFP$114,663
2020BAR**$20,020Rebuild Livestock Fences & Waters Burned in the 2020 Sawtooth Fire
2022EQIP$3,097
$540,156TOTAL 2005 - 2022
* Some of this assistance was received by the ranch’s previous owner William H. Martin, who died in 2011. He was the father of the current owner William George Martin.
**Federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds.
JI Ranch (Integrity Land & Cattle LLC) - Devils Canyon Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2022APWIAP*$490,290Rebuild Livestock Fences & Waters Burned in the 2021 Telegraph Fire
(This work was contracted out to Lynn Martin, a permittee on the adjacent Millsite allotment.)
$490,290TOTAL 2021 - 2022
*Temporary program administered by the Arizona Dept. of Forestry & Fire Management.
NOTE: In 2021 $2.325 million in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2021 Telegraph Fire. The money was shared among eight grazing allotments, including this one, in the Tonto National Forest's Globe Ranger District.
Jones Ranch (Page Cattle Co.) - Jones (FS) & Arkansas Gulch (BLM) Allotments, State Lease #05-084130
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2015-2020LFP$31,018
2022APWIAP*$453,905Rebuild Livestock Fences & Waters Burned in the 2021 Telegraph Fire
2023APWIAP*$98,600Rebuild 2 Miles of Livestock Fence Burned in the 2021 Telegraph Fire
$583,523TOTAL 2015 - 2023
*Temporary program administered by the Arizona Dept. of Forestry & Fire Management.
NOTE: In 2021 $2.325 million in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2021 Telegraph Fire. The money was shared among eight grazing allotments, including this one, in the Tonto National Forest's Globe Ranger District.
Ranch owner Stephen M. Brophy is also the CEO of Arizona's second-largest landowner - Aztec Land & Cattle Company. He also owns a ranch in Apache County through Page Land & Cattle Co. that holds the grazing permit for the Apache-Sigreaves National Forest's Arab grazing allotment, and state grazing lease #23-118478.
JH6 Ranch (Layton Family Trust) - Pinto Creek Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2005LCCGP$75,000Livestock Water
2006-2007EQIP$178,184
$253,184TOTAL 2005 -2007
The Pinto Valley Mining Corp. now holds the permit for the Pinto Creek grazing allotment.
Johnson Ranch (Charley E. Johnson) - Scarborough Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2005-2021EQIP$374,486
2007LCCGP #07-16$50,000Livestock Water & Fencing
2009LCCGP #09-22$56,518Wildlife Diversity & Watershed Health
2011-2021LFP$53,515
2017HPC #16-602$14,500Dirt Tank Cleanouts & Repairs
2022EQIP$7,207
2022LFP$8,204
2022APWIAP*$295,820Rebuild Livestock Fences & Waters Burned in the 2020 Griffin Fire and 2021 Copper Canyon Fire
2023EQIP$7,700
$867,950TOTAL 2005 - 2023
*Temporary program administered by the Arizona Dept. of Forestry & Fire Management.
NOTE: In 2020 $65,784 in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2020 Salt Fire. The money was shared among six grazing allotments, including this one, in the Tonto National Forest's Globe Ranger District.
M Bar K Ranch (M Bar K Cattle Co., LLC) - Chrysotile Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2002OSR #13*$77,350
2007-2010EQIP$242,973
2007LCCGP #07-71$125,000Livestock Water and Fencing
2009LCCGP #09-85$100,000Livestock Water and Fencing
2011LCCGP #11-54$125,000Livestock Water and Erosion Control
2012-2016LFP$126,362
2021LFP$26,344
2022LFP$92,175
$915,204TOTAL 2002 - 2022
* This assistance was received by the ranch’s previous owner, Howard J. “Pinky” Norris. Open Space Reserve (OSR) grants became LCCGP grants in 2005.
NOTE: In 2020 $65,784 in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2020 Salt Fire. The money was shared among six grazing allotments, including this one, in the Tonto National Forest's Globe Ranger District.
The current allotment management plan (AMP) was completed in 1984.
O Bar C Ranch (O Bar C Ranch, LLC) - Walnut Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2016HPC #15-613$7,900Dirt Tank Cleanout & Sealing
2016HPC #15-614$7,000Solar Water Well System
2017HPC #16-612$4,000Dirt Tank Cleanout
2017HPC #16-614$6,902Water Catchment & Trough
2017HPC #16-615$13,128Water Pipeline & Troughs
2017HPC #16-616$6,166Water Pipeline & Troughs
2020-2021LFP$31,847
$76,943TOTAL 2016-2021
O Bar O Ranch (Earnhardt Ranches LLC) - Dagger Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2000AWPF #99-083$263,225Lower Cherry Creek Rehab
2011-2014LFP$35,609John Sowers
2011LCCGP #11-69$125,000Conservation Project
2015-2016EQIP$38,516Joshua Roundy
2019-2020LFP$45,764Joshua Roundy
$508,114TOTAL 2000 - 2020
The government assistance listed above benefited previous owners John & Sarah Sowers (2010-2015) and Joshua Roundy (2015-2023).
NOTE: In 2020 $1,478 in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2020 Meddler Fire. The money was shared between the adjacent Black Mesa & Dagger grazing allotments.
Grazing was reauthorized on the allotment in 2010 after many years of nonuse, and new pastures were added to the allotment in 2015. The current allotment management plan (AMP) was completed in 1981, when the allotment had a different configuration.
Potato Butte Ranch (Potato Butte Ranch LLC) - Potato Butte Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2005-2007EQIP$26,041
2012HPC #11-606$12,000Juniper Tree Removal
2014HPC #13-608$17,065Juniper Tree Removal
2014-2021LFP$43,397
2015HPC #14-608$15,000Solar Water Well Pump
$113,503TOTAL 2005 - 2021
Rafter Cross Ranch (J Bar B Cattle Co. LLP) - Campaign & Poison Springs Allotments (Tonto NF), Wildcat Allotment (Apache-Sitgreaves NF)
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
1992BOR$73,9801992 AMP for Campaign allotment
1999EWP$37,888Paid to Take Cattle Off the Land During Drought
2006Heritage Fund$10,000Campaign Creek Riparian Fence
2006 - 2016EQIP$207,576Campaign allotment $133,096
Wildcat allotment $74,480
2015-2016LFP$198,402Campaign allotment $142,264
Wildcat allotment $$56,138
$527,846TOTAL 1992-2020
NOTE: In 2020 $276,940 in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2020 Griffin Fire. The money was shared between the adjacent Poison Springs & Hicks-Pikes Peak grazing allotments.
An allotment management plan (AMP) for the Poison Springs allotment was completed in 1987, long before the current boundaries of the Poison Springs allotment were set in 2017. The Campaign allotment's current AMP is the proposed action described in its 2011 (EA). The 1992 AMP was funded by a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as part of a mitigation plan for the local wildlife habitat that was flooded when the height of Theodore Roosevelt Dam was increased. Ranch manager John Fowler is a former president of the Gila County Cattle Growers Association. His business partner Leland “Bill” Brake was a member of the Arizona Game & Fish Commision, and the owner of the Rose Tree Ranch . Fowler and Brake are also co-owners of the adjacent Rockin Four Ranch .
Rafter P Ranch (Rafter P Ranch LLC) - Haystack Butte Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2007-2011EQIP*$301,637
2011LCCGP #11-67*$100,000Allotment Improvements
2011LFP*$8,214
2018LRP$12,000Rafter P Ranch Dirt Tank Improvements
2018-2021LFP$89,903
2019HPC #18-605$50,000Livestock Water
2020-2021EQIP$116,927
2022EQIP$69,019
2023EQIP$61,548
$810,248TOTAL 2007 - 2023
* This assistance was received by the ranch's previous owner Joshua D. Smart.
The current allotment management plan was completed in 1982.
Rockin Four Ranch (Rockin Four Ranch LLC) - Hicks-Pikes Peak Allotment
YEARSPROGRAMAMOUNTPROJECT NAME
2008 - 2019EQIP$231,089 
2015LFP$122,105 
$353,194TOTAL 2008-2020
NOTE: In 2020 $276,940 in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2020 Griffin Fire. The money was shared between the adjacent Poison Springs & Hicks-Pikes Peak grazing allotments.
NOTE: In 2020 $65,784 in federal Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR) funds were approved to help rebuild livestock fences & waters damaged in the 2020 Salt Fire. The money was shared among six grazing allotments, including this one, in the Tonto National Forest's Globe Ranger District.
The current allotment management plan was completed in 1992.
One of the owners of Rockin Four Ranch, LLC, is the J Bar B Cattle Co. LLP, which is also the permitte of the adjacent Rafter Cross Ranch . The membership of the Rockin Four Ranch LLC was amended in August 2006, and according to Arizona Rep. David Cook’s 2016 and 2018 financial disclosure statements, he was one of the co-owners. (His 2020 disclosure statement didn’t include that.) Mr. Cook is also the owner of the DC Cattle Ranch .
Note: Ranch ownership often changes in Arizona, because much of the state is too hot and dry for most operations to be sustainably profitable. The ranch owners shown in the tables above are updated when information about a new owner is acquired, but the amounts of government assistance that benefited the ranch's previous owners are maintained.
Background Information About Government Assistance Programs

Some of this financial assistance was justified as being primarily for the purpose of improving wildlife habitat or watershed health. But those projects also benefited livestock production on the ranches where they were implemented. Whatever improvements to local natural resource conditions that might have resulted were tempered by the increased livestock grazing they facilitated.

The assistance didn’t always go directly to the ranchers, but sometimes to local non-profit organizations that helped them complete application processes and minimize taxable income. This included the Altar Valley Conservation Alliance, Coronado Resource Conservation & Development Area, Inc., Gila Watershed Partnership of Arizona, and the Upper Eagle Creek Watershed Association (UECWA).

Some of it also went to the local Natural Resource Conservation District (NRCD). Arizona’s NRCDs are regional subdivisions of the State Land Department, and are comprised only of local landowners, mostly ranchers, that work to obtain funding for agricultural “conservation” projects. They often work to obtain grants that directly benefit their members, including their governing supervisors. The local NRCDs also created the private nonprofit Arizona Association of Conservation Districts so they could apply for more types of assistance.

These aren't the only examples of Arizona ranches that benefited from government assistance. But it takes a lot of work to gather and compile this sort of information, because the agencies don't normally disclose it, so this web page will be updated as additional records are obtained. Also, the information provided about some of these ranches may be incomplete. But that just means those ranches benefited from at least the amounts shown.

Update

On June 21, 2024, Gov. Katie Hobbs signed HB 2865, creating a new state agency called the Natural Resource Conservation District Board, comprised primarily of local NRCD supervisors. It's tasked with providing administrative assistance to the state's regional Natural Resource Conservation Districts, which was formerly the responsibility of the Arizona State Land Department. The initial operating funds for the Board will come from the Legislature's regular annual appropriation of $650,000 to the state's NRCDs. The NRCD Board is also responsible for dispensing "conservation" and "education" grants from a new NRCD Fund to the local NRCDs and Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The monies in the fund can include state appropriations, grants and contributions - although the Legislature didn't make an initial appropriation to the fund. Most of the grants dispensed by the Board will likely benefit ranchers, as most NRCD supervisors are ranchers.

This page was last updated on Aug 24, 2024 @ 10:25 am.

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