Babbitt Ranches continues Old West tradition, Shipping Day marks culmination of a year’s work.
On a cold autumn morning, the quiet of the sprawling plains on Babbitt Ranches pulses to life with the pounding hooves of cattle and horses racing toward Tin House Camp. Shipping Day, also known as Fall Works, is a time-honored scene out of the Old West. Cowboys ride herd from all directions, bringing in cattle the same way it’s been done since the 1800s.
“It really does look choreographed,” said fourth generation Arizona Babbitt family member Roberta “Birdie” Wallace. “It’s amazing how these cowboys can ride herd. And it’s fun to see the young cowboys.”
The high point of a Year’s Effort
Shipping Day signifies the culmination of a year-long journey for the Babbitt Ranches Community and a generational celebration of shared heritage. “This is when we ship calves we’ve raised for the year,” said third generation Ranch Manager Clay Rodgers. “This is like the Super Bowl for the cowboy world.”
Leading up to this “Cowboy Super Bowl,” these 1,200 heifers and 500 steers were born in April, sold through an online auction in August, weaned in September and on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, were headed to buyers in Nebraska and Iowa.
Usually a serene outpost deep within the ranch, Tin House Camp on Shipping Day becomes a bustling hub of focus and purpose, rich with skill, experience and energy from cowboys to auctioneers, the veterinarian, livestock inspector, office manager, camp cook, professional consultants, Babbitt family members and truck drivers. They all share a commitment to ensuring the cattle, carefully raised throughout the year, are ready for their journey to the Midwest.
“We’ve worked hard all year long to raise these calves, keep them healthy, keep them alive, grow them up, bring them here and have them weigh what they’re supposed to weigh,” said cowboy Will Vest, a longtime Babbitt Ranches employee. “They look good!”
“These guys work yearlong to raise a calf and it comes down to this day,” said Ray Turley with RoundupCattle.com, an internet cattle marketing company that sold these Babbitt Ranches calves in an August online auction. “We want to make sure that those calves weigh up and that we get the right figures for them. This is their one payday a year and we try to get this just spot on.”
Family, Tradition, Heritage
On horseback, Elizabeth and Matthew Rodgers, Clay’s children, help guide the cattle to the scale. “Bringing the kids out here is pretty important. They’re a big part of the operation at Babbitt Ranches,” he said.
From there, Flagstaff accountant Tim Howell recorded the weight. As projected, each heifer weighs at least 500 pounds and each steer, more than 600.
“A couple days a year, I get to come out on Babbitts,” said Howell. “This is where I grew up. I spent my teenage years working on the corrals and building these as a kid, working for my father. So, it’s always nice to come out here and see the guys and just be back on Babbitt Ranches.”
Large animal veterinarian Jim Lytle has been caring for CO Bar cattle for more than two decades. “Any livestock going interstate has to have a health certificate. We don’t want diseases like tuberculosis to transport from Arizona to other states where these cattle are going. I’m looking at the cattle and they look good.”
Working closely with Dr. Lytle to validate the herd health is Arizona Department of Agriculture Livestock Inspector Royal Reidhead. His job includes ensuring proof of ownership. “I verify the sale of these cattle, which is important. Cattle theft is still a big thing in Arizona. You’re dealing with people’s livelihoods. This is how these ranchers make their living. This is how these cowboys feed their families.”
A Window to the Past
Retired dentist Bobby D’Mura has been working Shipping Day nearly every year since 1982. “It was 1886 when Great Grandfather Babbitt started this and I feel really connected in other ways, too, because I’m the eldest great grandson of David Babbitt. I was fortunate as a child to know the last living member of the original Arizona Babbitt family. My connection goes all the way now to my son and the other fifth generation kids that are going to be running Babbitts from now on.”
Also feeling the connection is Ranch Councilmember Birdie Wallace. Out here, she is transported to the pioneering days of the Western Frontier.
“There’s a feeling of continuity. Heritage is the word that comes to mind. Tin House is 28 or 30 miles down a dirt road off the main highway and you get out into some wide-open spaces with wild horses and it’s all sky and land. It’s gorgeous,” she said. “It feels like a window to the past. But really, it’s almost like I can’t believe I’m part of it. To know this is part of my family legacy is really kind of awe-inspiring.”
Nurturing a Way of Life, Sustaining the Family Business
Wafting from the camp kitchen is the aroma of hot coffee, freshly baked cornbread and simmering green chili. Camp Cook Reilly Drey grew up on her grandfather’s ranch near Twin Arrows. Today, she cooks for the crew at Tin House. Usually there are about 10 ranch hands. On this day, she cooks for 20 or more.
“They have a lot of work to do throughout the day and they have to be active all day long,” she said. “It’s not simple, easy work, so they have to be well fed. It’s super rewarding knowing that they’re full and satisfied and have the energy to get the work done.”
Financial support is essential as well. Relationship Manager Cody Stephen finds financial solutions for the nation’s agricultural families so they can sustain their business and way of life. “Cattle ranching is part of the thread of America and Arizona,” he said. “It’s very important for our history and for our future – for the state and the nation.”
The final step is loading 100 head of cattle into each of the 14 semis that have arrived on this morning. Seasoned truck driver Mike Schmidt is part of the team hauling more than 50,000 pounds of livestock in each truck across a thousand miles – some 15 hours on the road.
“Truck driving is a very important part of the process. When we get them loaded, we pull over and make sure the cattle are still standing and try not to have any quick stops or fast corners.”
An Expression of Excellence
From daybreak to early afternoon, Shipping Day is about everyone doing their best, said Babbitt Ranches General Manager Billy Cordasco. “You see all these people throughout the year, doing their job and being really good at their jobs and then pulling all that together. So today is the highpoint. It represents a whole lot more than just selling cattle across the scale.”
“The Babbitts set the bar and we’re just really grateful for what they do,” said Turley. “It’s important: their heritage, their tradition. They produce something we can be proud of. They put their name on it and that’s a big deal. And I love when people take that kind of pride in what they’re doing and really understanding the importance of raising quality beef.”
“Shipping Day on Babbitt Ranches is a reflection of everybody individually doing their best, being part of something that matters, something bigger than themselves,” said Cordasco.
“We’re feeding America,” said Turley. FBN
By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
Watch the Babbitt Ranches Shipping Day action on Zonie Living at StarWorldwideNetworks.com
Photo by Bonnie Stevens: On this day, cowboys ride herd from all directions toward Tin House Camp, usually a serene outpost, deep within the vast open spaces of Babbitt Ranches.