Cattle County

Every year since the mid-1970s, thousands of cattle entered Maricopa Feedyard’s pens at a slim 300 pounds and left 400 days later weighing more than half a ton.

In December, that cycle came to an end as the feedlot shut down, removing some 35,000 cows from the city of Maricopa. The decision to close was forced on the company by a deal between the city and El Dorado Holdings, the owner of the land where the feedlot operated.

As part of the deal, the city agreed to purchase 68 acres of land from El Dorado Holdings for $3 million to use for the construction of an overpass at White and Parker Road and the Union Pacific Railroad. The 68 acres are part of a 900-acre parcel that includes the feedlot site. For its part, El Dorado did not renew the feedlot lease and agreed to cooperate in rezoning 50 acres in the parcel from residential to commercial use.

Mayor Anthony Smith called the deal “a landmark change . . . as important for the city as the expansion of State Route 347 from two to four lanes.”

Smith and others view the closing positively, in part, because the smell of cattle waste often pervades the city. Despite that, others do not think the eviction was a major civic turning point.

“I don’t think closing that one feedlot is going to change the landscape of the city,” said Earl Petznick, owner of Pinal Feed, which operates a lot adjacent to the Maricopa Feedyard site. The numbers seem to support Petznick.

More cows than people
If John Wayne was still hanging around these parts, he would probably feel right at home, since Pinal County contained nearly 400,000 cattle in 2007, according to the U.S. Census of Agriculture, outnumbering the 327,000 human residents.

Even after the 35,000 cow reduction, Pinal remains the largest cattle-raising county in Arizona, accounting for approximately 40 percent of all cows in Arizona, and the tenth largest cattle county in the United States.

“In the past two decades, growth pressures have forced a number of dairy operations out of Maricopa County and into the western part of Pinal County,” said Pinal County spokeswoman Heather Murphy.

That growth is especially apparent in and around the city of Maricopa. The city currently encompasses 31.9 square miles, but its general plan, which identifies proposed boundaries and land uses in 2030, shows Maricopa almost quadrupling in size.

Within the boundaries of the future Maricopa, there are three remaining feedlots and more than 10 dairies that house more than 250,000 cattle. Three of the operations are either inside current city limits or less than a mile outside the limits and are home to a combined 70,000 cows.

Economic impact
The feedlot leaving is good news for many because of reduced odor and air pollution, but it could have a negative effect too. Cattle have a big economic impact here. In 2007, the dairy and beef industry accounted for more than $1 billion of economic activity in Arizona, with much of the effect concentrated in Pinal County.

“The economic impact of the cattle industry is very important to Pinal County,” said Murphy.

The cattle industry typically employees about 1 person per 100 cattle, according to Keith Murfield, chief executive officer of United Dairymen of Arizona. By that ratio, the 365,000 cattle in Pinal directly support 3,650 jobs.

Cattle jobs typically start at minimum wage, but “it is not a stretch for a worker to make $30,000,” said local dairyman Rick Anglin. “There are people in the industry making six figures or more.”

In addition to direct jobs, cattle operations create a large number of indirect employment opportunities for truck drivers, veterinarians, nutritionists and others.

“It is hard to measure the exact economic impact, but the industry is vital to the local economy,” Murfield said.

The future
One question being asked as the city develops its strategic plan is whether the remaining cattle operations give Maricopa an economic advantage.

“We don’t know the answer to the question yet,” said Danielle Casey, Maricopa’s economic development director. “Going forward, we will look at the industry and evaluate if it is a growth industry, if it is the best use of city land and if it is what the residents want.”

Potential areas for growth that could benefit Maricopa include the placement of beef production plants, milk processing plants and companies that transform manure into fertilizer, all of which would provide jobs and tax revenue.

At the same time, existing cattle operations and growth in the cattle industry could interfere with the image of Maricopa as a pleasant suburban city and hamper development of some other industries. Prior to Maricopa Feedyard leaving, Smith and other city leaders often spoke of the difficulty of bringing a hospital to the area because of the aesthetics of the feedlots.

Besides the potential to negatively impact other types of development, the cattle industry has a definite negative influence on air quality. Largely because of the cattle industry, Pinal County has repeatedly been found by the EPA to not be in compliance with federal air quality standards. The Cow Town air quality meter adjacent to the former site of Maricopa Feedyard is one of the most violated in the country.

Real estate collapse slows cattle exodus
If the real estate and housing boom had continued past 2007, some local cattle operations would likely have sold out to take advantage of sky-high land prices. With land greatly reduced in value, the cattlemen have less incentive to move.

“It is always an equation of land value and the logistics to deliver your products,” Anglin said. “We are so far from the Tempe processing plant though; I don’t see how dairy operations could move much further south right now.”

County spokeswoman Murphy said the role of the cattle industry is going to be a difficult matter for many municipalities to grapple with when suburban growth does return to Maricopa and other parts of Pinal County.

“It is important to keep a balance of rural and urban values,” Murphy said. “You have to figure out how to attract the new, while you keep celebrating the rich agricultural history.” 

A version of this article was published previously in InMaricopa News.

Photo by Michael K. Rich