The owners and operators of the Broken Horn D Ranch, Kim McElroy and Dave Pawel, had their hands full on a Saturday in mid-August at the Prescott Farmers Market at Yavapai College, as they grabbed package after package from a cooler at their feet and from a large freezer in the trailer behind them.
The square packages, all wrapped with white butcher paper and graced by red, black and blue labels, contained a product in high demand: 100 percent grass-fed Criollo beef, free of hormones, antibiotics or animal byproducts.
“The steaks are gone, but we’ve got patties, ground beef, roasts and one brisket left,” Kim told a customer. The burger come four to a package at $9 a pound, and there were also the popular chubs, ground beef at $8 a pound. “I always bring plenty,” she said.
The couple, who has been married 19 years, slaughter about one animal a week from their herd at their ranch in Williamson Valley in the foothills of Yavapai County.
All the beef from the Broken Horn D Ranch is dry-aged for a minimum of 14 days, before being cut, double-wrapped and frozen. In addition to steaks, patties and ground beef, the ranch offers a wide variety of cuts, including roasts, sausage, organ meats and even bones for pets.
Marketing at the Prescott Farmers Market, a year-round market each Saturday morning, is a new endeavor for the couple.
“This is our first year at the market because we finally have enough animals on the books,” she said. “You know, it takes two years from when they are born to when they’re in the freezer.”
The Broken Horn D Ranch beef is USDA Process Verified.
“There’s a lot of producers out there who say they are grass fed, but they’re not certified,” Pawel said.
McElroy and Pawel are the first generation to run the business.
“We have built it ourselves,” McElroy explained. “We started with 15 acres. Our headquarters is now 150 acres, and we have an additional 3,000 acres of deeded, leased and state leased land.”
The animals are home raised in a natural environment and are handled in a gentle, low-stress manner from horseback.
Beginning at 6 a.m., Pawel mounts his horse and heads out for a long day on the range doing the day-to-day work with the cattle – checking the cows and calves, riding, building fences and hauling water.
It is a job he loves.
“It’s just fun prowling around looking at the cows,” Dave noted. “It’s pretty darn peaceful out there.”
Typically working 70- to 80-hour weeks, they divide the workload.
McElroy keeps records and handles meat sales from the office at home.
They work together at spring branding and fall weaning.
“We both rope, brand, give vaccinations, ear tag and castrate,” she said.
McElroy, 55, was born in Michigan but moved to Ohio for college. Pawel, 47, was born and raised in Ohio, where his family had a small herd of cows. He also participated in high school rodeo. Both always wanted to live in the West.
Their ranching efforts began in 2000 with a few cattle and buffalo used in their horse training operation. Kim trained cutting and cow horses, and Pawel did team roping.
“We kept two heifers, bred them to a bull, and that was the start,” she recalled. “We have expanded our cow herd through keeping home-raised replacement heifers and purchasing some cows from historic Corriente bloodlines. We currently run between 150 and 200 head.”
Originating in Spain, the Correinte bloodline, also called Criollo cattle, thrives in the arid climate of Arizona.
“In our opinion, Criollo cattle are the breed of the future,” Kim said. “They are a smaller-framed cattle that require less feed; they utilize a variety of natural feed stuffs. They are known for high conception rates and calving ease, as well as high carcass yield. Their meat is composed of fine muscle fibers, like elk or buffalo, and is very low in fat and big on flavor!”
The response to their product by customers at the Prescott Farmers Market has been very positive.
“People love our meat!” McElroy said proudly. “Properly cooked, there is nothing like the flavor of Criollo beef. Many are thrilled to be able to have this red meat as part of a healthy diet.”
By state law, all range cattle must be branded.
The “D” in the Broken Horn brand is a reference to his name.
“The way the brand works, when you apply to register your brand, you can buy available brands or else you can use your own,” he added. “That was just a brand I designed, and they approved it.”
People ask a lot of questions at the market, and that is just fine with McElroy and Pawel.
“A lot of what we’re trying to do is educate people,” she said. “Some people have no clue where their food comes from. We tell them how it works, why grass-fed is better for you. Even if we don’t make a sale, it’s beneficial to be here.”
Do they ever get time off from ranch work?
“Rarely,” Pawel answered.
“This is it,” agreed McElroy, referring to their duties at the farmers market. “We haven’t had a vacation since 2000.”
In fact, their workload will increase soon.
“We’ll be bringing them all in a couple of weeks from now, to wean the calves,” McElroy said.
The Prescott Farmers Market is every Saturday through October, from 7:30 a.m. to noon, in the parking lot of Yavapai College. In the winter months, the market moves to Walgreens at 1310 Willow Creek Road. QCBN