For fourth-generation rancher George McArthur, one key to success is to know your land.
Living and working in the high country of northeastern California, the 52-year-old McArthur knows how to put his different soils and grasses to work.
He runs cows and yearlings, grows mint and timothy hay, and he and his wife own a store, McArthur Farm Supply, in the little dot-on-a-highway town that bears their last name.
They rent some of their cattle to competitors in their huge cutting horse show each August, and recently they converted some of their land to wetlands to collect tailwater from their other operations, which saves them some money on water and provides them with some green credits.
Diversifying "has its plus side," McArthur said, including ensuring more stability in income.
"Certain crops don't go down (in value) when other crops do," he said. "But it also adds complexity to what you do."
There's a reason that McArthur's operations are diverse, he said.
"Certain parts of the ranches are suitable for different things," McArthur said. "Mint and timothy hay are suitable for high ground. The cows can run on land that the yearlings wouldn't do as well on ... So (the cattle) get tougher ground, and the row crops get the best ground."
Crop consultants can help with figuring out what can grow the best and where, and McArthur uses consultants who are on staff at his store.
"Those guys are really good," he said.
McArthur's great-grandfather, John McArthur, came to the Fall River Valley, not far south of the California-Oregon state line, in about 1880. He started in the dried goods business and ended up ranching, George McArthur said.
The family maintained the ranching operation through the generations. Today, George McArthur owns about 9,000 acres and leases about 30,000 more.
He runs a cow-calf ranch, summering the animals in the high country and wintering them on pasture near Red Bluff. He runs as many as 3,000 stockers in the summertime.
The family opened the store in 1965, and McArthur bought out his relatives in 1991. He started the mint crops about 10 years ago after his cousin, Allen Albaugh, introduced them to the valley.
Lately McArthur and his wife, Chris, have been focusing on conservation efforts, converting an unproductive patch to wetlands which provide habitat for numerous wildlife species and planting willows as part of the effort.
"We're very environmentally conscious, but we also have a full-time herbicide and pesticide program," McArthur said. "It works both ways. We have some pastures where we don't use herbicides or pesticides, but we use them where we need them."
All of McArthur's projects impress Larry Forero, a University of California Cooperative Extension researcher and farm advisor based in Redding, Calif.
"They integrate a lot of their operations," Forero said. "With yearling cattle, some of them end up at their cutting, where they rent those animals back to the people competing. They run a hunt program, sell firewood and some rocks. They're just always out looking for the next thing."
McArthur said what he enjoys the most is spending the time with his family, which helps him with the farming and ranching operations. Chris McArthur, who has a bachelor's degree in finance, handles much of the paperwork and human resources work for the business.
Chris McArthur said people sometimes think ranching is all about roping and riding. "If you don't tend to the overall picture, you can't really have a viable operation," she said. "If you're too good a roper, there's probably something else that's not getting taken care of."
George McArthur said it's good to be able to adapt and learn to do things a different way. And that includes learning how to best use your land.
"We're just not doing what we've always done," he said. "You just have to look at the resource and what it's best suited for."
Staff writer Tim Hearden is based in Shasta Lake. E-mail: thearden@capitalpress.com. George McArthur Occupation: Rancher/farmer Age: 52 Hometown: McArthur, Calif. Education: Bachelor's degree in general agriculture from California State University-Chico Family: Wife of 20 years, Chris; two sons, John, 20, and Scott, 18 Website: mcarthurfarmsupply.net
