FRIEND OF THE LAND- NOVEMBER 2021

Protect The Harvest Salutes our November Friend of the Land, Cassie Lyman of Gisela, AZ.

Cassie Lyman is a first-generation cattle rancher, married to a sixth-generation cattle rancher and raising seventh-generation cattle ranchers on their cow-calf operation on the north shore of Roosevelt Lake in Arizona and co-own and operate an additional ranch with her husband’s parents in Gisela, AZ. Between the two ranches they run just over 300 head of cattle on 50,000 acres of public land. They sell their calves to the commercial market and direct-sell beef to consumers.

When asked about her favorite parts about ranch life, Cassie says her family makes it at the top of her favorites list, and the opportunity to teach her children the value of a strong work ethic coupled with “no matter what, the chores still need to be done” mindset is something she feels society is missing.

Cassie states that she and her family truly care for the land and natural resources and quoted John James Audubon “A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his father, but borrowed from his children.” Cassie and her family want to pass their ranches and ranching legacy down to future generations, productively and sustainably raising cattle on the same land they raised cattle on. To achieve this goal, they study the land in cooperation with the University of Arizona and U.S. Forest Service collecting data and foraging trends. They provide water for wildlife as well. The misconceptions about western cattle ranching and grazing on public lands can be addressed if people just ask a rancher and get first-hand information instead of falling for the latest headline that grabs media attention.