Trase Bell - Paradise Valley, NV
I have always appreciated people that display a sense of brutal honesty in their lives both in their words and actions. It is a rare quality in this world that has my utmost respect. It takes a lot of courage for people to simply live their lives without filters or excuses especially while doing something they love. It turns out the perfect examples of this are the Nevada Ranchers.
Several months ago I decided I wanted to take on a human driven portrait project. I don’t photograph portraits very much and I was looking for a challenge. I wanted the project to focus on real people doing real things with a sense of grit. Luckily I live about ten miles from the Nevada border and if you are looking for grit you need look no further.
While driving through the fields of the Carson Valley one afternoon the idea for a portrait of the ranchers in Nevada dawned on me. Not soon after, I contacted my friends over at Nevada Magazine to see what they thought about the idea. Immediately, the editor turned me on to a program called the Nevada Centennial Ranch Program. The program is facilitated by the USDA and the Agricultural Council of Nevada. To be inducted a ranch must be in the same family for 100 years or more. You couldn’t ask for a better set of parameters to build a story around.
I knew the biggest challenge shooting this project would be getting access to photograph the families. A lot of the ranches are fairly off the grid, aren’t used to outsiders and asking a family to simply let you into their lives is anything but easy. Luckily the folks over at the USDA were thrilled about the project and offered to help make introductions. Within several weeks there were five ranches willing to participate and it appeared that the project would come to fruition.
The first ranch I traveled to was the Dalton Ranch in the Clover Valley just south of Wells, NV. As I pulled onto the property I was welcomed with beautiful snow capped peaks towering over endless miles of pasture on the valley floor. It truly defines the term, “wide open.”
Brad Dalton manages his herd of cattle at the Dalton Ranch in the Clover Valley, NV
I got out of my car and was greeted by Cameron Dalton and two of the ranch hands Trevor and Payton. With a quick hello they pointed me towards Brad and Dani Dalton the owners of the ranch (Cameron is their son). With a firm hand shake and a smile Brad introduced himself and his wife Dani. “I’m going to do my best to make you guys look good” I said. “Good luck!” Brad said with a boisterous laugh. I knew immediately I was in the right place.
Cameron Dalton rides his horse through his pasture at the Dalton Ranch in the Clover Valley, NV
The day’s activity was a spring branding. We went out into the fields to herd the cattle that were being branded that day. Walking out into the pasture I was overtaken with how vast the landscape was. I asked Brad how many acres encompassed his property. “About 15,000,” he said, “30,000 if you include the BLM land that we use.” “Oh, I said” trying not to let my jaw drop, “is that all?”
Cameron Dalton and Trevor Zimmerman brand cattle at the Dalton Ranch in Wells, NV
The day progressed as calf after calf was branded, earmarked, vaccinated and castrated. The tasks were carried out with an efficiency that could only come from the tradition and knowledge passed down generation after generation. After the branding I was invited into lunch and got to chat with the Dalton’s a bit about their lives and what ranching means to them. What became immediately clear, and remained clear with all of the families that I met over the next several weeks, was that ranching isn’t a job; it’s a way of life. The Dalton’s don’t ranch because they have to; they do it because they love it.
A cowgirl and her horse hold a calf while it is branded at the Dalton Ranch in the Clover Valley, NV.
After lunch it was time to shoot everyone’s portrait. The key with these portraits was that no one was allowed to clean up from the day’s activities before being photographed. Ranching is hard dirty work and the photos really needed to convey that sense of emotion. I also envisioned all of the portraits being in black in white from the get go. The idea was to strip away any distracting factors from the images so that it was all about the people.
Brad and Dani Dalton - Dalton Ranch - Wells, NV
Trevor Zimmerman - Ranch Hand - Dalton Ranch - Wells, NV
After the portrait session it was time to part ways and head for Paradise Valley to shoot the Stewart’s Ninety Six Ranch and the Ferraro Cattle Company. I arrived in Paradise Valley the next day and waited for Fred Stewart to meet me at the local bar. For this leg of my journey the Stewart’s were kind enough to offer up a cabin for me to stay in that they keep way up in the mountains north of Paradise Valley. After a quick beer and introductions Fred jumped in his truck and asked me to follow him up to the cabin. We wound up the mountain side on a fairly well-maintained dirt road and after about 30 minutes arrived at one of the coolest places I have ever had the pleasure of staying. The cabin was nestled in a beautiful aspen grove next to a small creek and looked down several thousand feet to the valley floor. It was incredible.
The next morning I awoke early and made my way down to the Stewart’s Ninety Six Ranch; where they too were conducting a late spring branding. What differed from the branding I had just photographed over at the Dalton Ranch and this one was the amount of kids involved. The Stewarts invited several other families to participate in the day’s events and all of the roping was being done by the kids.
Two cowboys brand cattle at the Ninety Six Ranch in Paradise Valley, NV
Branding irons sit in the fire during a branding at the Ninety Six Ranch in Paradise Valley, NV
It was wonderful to see how involved the youngsters were in the branding process. Several things were clear. Firstly, there was a lot of history and tradition being passed down to the next generation of ranchers. Secondly, all of the kids loved every minute of it. You just don’t see this kind of practice and pride very much anymore, especially in the United States.
Fred Stewart - Ninety Six Ranch - Paradise Valley, NV
Paul T. Herrington - Ninety Six Ranch - Paradise Valley, NV
The Bell Family - Friends of Ninety-Six Ranch - Paradise Valley, Nevada
After another amazing lunch I drove back up to my mountain retreat to gear up for the next shoot at the Ferraro Cattle Company.
Steve Ferraro feeds his cattle at the Ferraro Cattle Company in Paradise Valley, NV
I met Steve Ferraro early the next morning to start shooting. He greeted me in front of their house, invited me to jump in his truck for a tour of the property and off we went. Immediately I knew that this day would be much different from the last two shoots I had just completed. Steve was a lot older than the other ranchers I had dealt with and I could tell things moved a bit slower for him. It was actually a really nice change of pace.
Steve Ferraro stands in an old shed on his ranch, Ferraro Cattle Company, in Paradise Valley, NV
He showed me around the property where part of the land is dedicated to raising cattle and the other part to alfalfa production. Underneath one of the largest Cottonwood trees I have ever seen we chatted about the history of Steve’s ranch and his life in Paradise Valley. “If you could sum up your time in Paradise Valley what would you say?” I asked. “Paradise Valley is one of the best places in the whole state of Nevada in my books! If you need help in this valley, you’ve got it.” Steve replied.
Steve Ferraro - Ferraro Cattle Co - Paradise Valley
I finished talking with Steve and made the long drive to my home in Lake Tahoe to reset and shoot the last two ranches on my list, the Snyder Livestock Company in Yerington and Ranch #1 in Genoa.
I left before sunrise several days later for my shoot with the Snyder Livestock Company in Yerington. The Snyder Livestock Company is not your typical ranch. It is a feed lot.
I thought it was important to try and see all the different sides of the ranching industry for my portrait of the Nevada Ranchers. Feed lots are an integral part of the beef industry and I was curious to see what they were all about.
I pulled into the dirt parking lot and was greeted by one of the owners Lucy Rechel. She introduced me to her brother Jim Snyder and explained that Jim would be showing me around their operations for the morning. I hopped in Jim’s truck and off we went.
The Snyder Livestock Company actually isn’t all about livestock. They also deal in onion, garlic and alfalfa production. Jim’s role in the company is to oversee all of the farming aspects of the business. We spent the morning taking a tour of the fields. He was a great insight into learning about the ins and outs of the modern farming industry; a separate subject that I hope to spend more time capturing one day.
A cow is weighed at Snyder Livestock Co. in Yerington, NV
After the morning with Jim I met back up with Lucy to get the tour of the feed lot. It was fascinating to see the process of modern cattle production. From weighing, branding, inserted magnets into the stomach, artificial insemination and tracking each cattle’s food consumption using ultra modern technology and techniques, I was fascinated. The folks over at the Snyder Livestock Company really have their business down to a science. The thing that rang true with the folks at the Snyder Livestock Company that was similar to my experiences at all the other ranches was the love for what they do.
Eddie Snyder - Snyder Livestock Co. - Yerington, NV
The last ranch on my list was Ranch #1 in Genoa. I was especially excited to shoot this ranch because I had been told that the owner, JB Lekumberry, was quite the character. From the brief phone conversations that I already had with him I knew it was going to be a fun day.
Getting out of the car and meeting JB it was clear that he was a lively guy, full of energy, ready to take on whatever challenges the day had to offer. In this particular morning’s case it was the slaughtering of about a dozen rabbits for his local restaurant clients. From there it was a quick change of clothes and off to herd some cattle. Throughout the day it was great to talk to JB about the ranching industry as a whole and the small intricacies of his business. He has carved out a really great niche for himself in the Carson Valley. All of his cattle are 100% grass fed organic and he handles all of them from birth to the dinner table. It is clear this is something he is very proud of.
Knowing this was the last ranch I would visit, I was really looking to get a sense from JB about the future of the ranching industry and where he believed things were headed. I asked him what he thought about the topic and I think his comment summed up the beliefs of all the ranchers I encountered in the great state of Nevada. He said:
J.B. Lekumberry - Ranch #1 - Genoa, NV
“I think the future of agriculture in the Carson Valley has a great chance of continuing. There is a younger generation of kids that are ready to take the reins. If you had asked me the same question in the 80’s I would have told you it was all going to hell. Now I am optimistic.”
This story appears as a feature in the Sept/Oct 2012 issue of Nevada Magazine
Tags: branding 
• cattle • cowboy • cowgirl • desert • historic • horse • nevada • nevada centennial ranch • nevada magazine • people • portrait • project • ranching • roping • wild west
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