Ivins Cattle Ranch: Survival and success

by Janet Wilcox
Contributing writer
Livestock and ranching have been central to survival in San Juan County since long before 1880, when pioneers arrived through the Hole in the Rock.  Keith and Deann Ivins descend from early pioneers in both Nevada and San Juan County. 
Deann’s ancestors include William Adams and Mary Boland, who were San Juan settlers.  Her great grandfather John Adams had four sons: Ernest, Joe, Lloyd and Melvin who were lifelong ranchers. 
Upon arriving in San Juan territory, they split up the available range land into four areas for each brother.
Keith grew up in a Mormon settlement in Lund, NV, population 200.  It was composed of miners, ranchers and Native Americans.  Droughts were a problem there as well.  They ran a dairy farm, milking between 40-50 cows.
He remembers driving to school when he was six years old! There were only 20 enrolled in their little school. Kids grew up quickly in those days, with chores at home plus work at school.
Today, the BLM and U.S. Forest Service require permits to graze animals anywhere in the West. However, in 1880 it was open range for anyone ambitious enough to ranch. 
The Adams brothers usually ran sheep and had as many as 15,000 for many years.  Ben Sanchez and other local Mexican workers were excellent sheepmen and cared for herds in the mountains in the summer. 
However, it became increasingly hard to find the help they needed, so they transitioned to cattle, which don’t need constant herding like sheep do.  Another problem with sheep are wolves and coyotes who roamed the area. 
However, in the late 1950’s, the government started paying trappers for hides which helped control the wolf population in San Juan. (See issue 5 of Blue Mountain Shadows)
As the Ivins/ Adams family transitioned to cattle, they invested in black Angus, as they produce better beef.   
Shawn and Tyler Ivins bought Lynn Patterson’s land for their summer range. However, they move cattle to the mountains in hot months.
Rico, CO is another area used by the Ivins family in the summer, as the grass is more abundant there. Trucker Dennis Cosby has trucked cattle for the Ivins family for nearly 40 years, transporting them back and forth between Utah and Colorado.   
While over 64,000 acres of BLM land is available, permits are required.  The BLM determines the number of animals approved based on AUM (animal units for 3 months) 1 cow = 1 AUM.  
Besides complying with BLM requirements and making sure there is adequate water for animals, ranchers also care for hundreds of animals, making sure they are branded, given vaccinations for grubs, pneumonia, and are ear tagged. 
They have recently added technology to help track cattle.  A collar with a battery is attached to all cattle and is on all time so that each animal can be quickly located.
The Ivins grandchildren are also involved in this process and sometimes their family teams up with the Grovers or other ranchers at branding time, which makes it a social event! 
Water is a major concern for animals and alfalfa fields. Wells, dams and reservoirs are key ingredients to success. 
To have enough water, some ranchers drill wells.  That is the case with rancher Sandy Johnson and others living on Black Mesa, Mustang, Valley of the Gods, or the Butler Wash area. 
Many turn to solar collectors to generate electricity for solar pumps, which pull water into cattle troughs. 
Like a good poker player, ranchers also need to know when to “hold ‘em” or when to sell or move animals to a new range. 
There are many pluses for ranchers and farm families: children learn to work hard, get up early, and make decisions for the good of the family, livestock and the land. 
Ivins brothers David, Justin, Shawn, and Tyler have their own animal related jobs and are also competent ranchers, ropers and businessmen.