Ranch Marketing Associates

Colorado - Saguache County - La Garita

The beautiful L Cross Ranch is nestled into the foothills of the La Garita Mountains, part of the Rio Grande National Forest, on the west side of the San Luis Valley. This reputation ranch consists of 6,200 deeded acres together with 60,515 acres of grazing permits and runs 500 pair of black baldy cattle and up to 450 yearling cattle depending on the year. Abundant water from Carnero and La Garita Creeks provides over 147 cfs of water rights and 100 cfs of winter recharge rights dating back to 1869 in priority along with 6,400 gpm on four irrigation wells. Four center pivots put up 2,000 tons of alfalfa with an additional 2,500 acres flood irrigated and 300 acres in native grass hay. A very balanced ranching operation self sustained with its own feed base. Improvements consist of a 4,000 sq.ft. main residence newly remodeled in 2009, 1,500 sq. ft. log home, shop, horse barn and ranch office situated in a beautiful valley on Carnero Creek. The working facilities are located at the northeast section of the ranch and have a manager’s home, bunkhouse, calving barn, livestock sheds, 500 head feedlot and a complete set of corrals and scales.

Location:
The L Cross Ranch is located near the small community of La Garita, Colorado. The ranch lies at 8,000 feet on the west side of the San Luis Valley with a spectacular view of the Sangre De Cristo Mountain Range. The ranch is approximately 190 miles or 3.5 hour's drive southwest of Denver via US Highway 285. The general area is known as the San Luis Valley and is located in south central Colorado about 60 miles north of New Mexico state line.

Other towns in the general area of La Garita are Center which is approximately 15 miles southeast and Del Norte which is approximately 12 miles south. Monte Vista and Alamosa are 24 and 45 miles away respectively. Each of these towns has a grocery store, bank and hardware store and general services. Alamosa is the largest town in the San Luis Valley and is the location for a variety of shopping, restaurants, hospitals, four year college and assorted services, all accessible via good paved highways. Grade school and high school is available in Center, Del Norte or Monte Vista with the ranch located within the Center school district.

The L Cross Ranch is located within two hours of three major ski areas. Wolf Creek, which historically has more snow than any ski area in Colorado, is the closest and can be reached in less than one hour. Monarch Ski area is approximately 90 minutes from the L Cross and Crested Butte ski area is about two hours away.

The Great Sand Dunes National Park is located about an hour to the east and can be viewed from the ranch. The La Garita Wilderness area is located just a few miles to the west of the ranch and is reachable in a couple hours by horseback.

Saguache County has two airport facilities. The first is located west of the town of Saguache and has a dirt surface. The other is known as Leach Airfield and is located just a few miles north and east of Center. It has a 7,000 ft. newly paved runway with automatic landing lights.


Area:
The view to the east of the ranch is the beautiful and fertile San Luis Valley comprised mainly of center pivots raising crops of potatoes, alfalfa and brew barley. This vast agricultural area is bounded on the east by the beautiful Sangre De Cristo mountain range. The San Luis Valley is known as the largest alpine valley in the world at an altitude of 7,500’. The ranch itself begins at 8,000’ and goes up to well over 12,000’ elevation on the Forest Service permits.

The north and western boundaries of the ranch are mainly of government-owned land; national forest and Bureau of Land Management. The government land is broken up into livestock permits controlled by the L Cross Ranch, all of which are contiguous. L Cross Ranch has 4 BLM leases, 2 Forest Service leases and a State Land Board lease. Altogether these leases comprise over 60,000 acres on which the L Cross livestock graze annually.

The nearby communities are mainly agriculture based, which offers the largest number of jobs in the local communities followed by governmental agencies such as the Forest Service, BLM and Fish and Wildlife agencies.

Climate:
San Luis Valley floor annual precipitation is around 8 inches, whereas the area at the base of the mountains, where the L Cross Ranch is located, is between 12-14 inches annually with annual snowfall of 50 inches. Average summer highs temperatures are around 78 degrees with lows at around 43 degrees. Average winter highs are around 46 degrees with lows at 12 degrees. The growing season averages approximately 120 days in length.

Acreage Description:
The L Cross Ranch contains approximately 6,200 deeded acres together with 26,316 acres of National Forest Service land, 11,460 acres of BLM land and 22,919 acres of State of Colorado leased lands for a total of 66,715 acres. The initial views upon arrival to the ranch are of the alluvial fans of La Garita and Carnero Creeks. These are large flat areas where most of the 3,000 irrigated acres lie and most of the crops are grown. If arriving in the summer, you will note the presence of the four center pivots which grow alfalfa hay on an annual basis along with grassy meadows which raise abundant hay crops. Traveling east on County Road G you will see the La Garita mountains which begin at the ranch. In the distance you can see Boot Mountain and Bowers Peak which climb to 13,000 feet and are usually snow covered. These peaks are the back side of L Cross Ranch forest service permits. As you continue west on the ranch, traveling alongside Carnero Creek, you gradually gain elevation through denser mixed forest. The L Cross Ranch has about 8 miles of Carnero Creek which provides irrigation and fishing for cutthroat trout. If you travel northeast of the ranch into the BLM land you would find grassy foothills covered with pinion and Juniper trees. This area is known as the Biedel Canyon area and it is the largest of the L Cross Ranch BLM grazing allotments. Within the allotments are old abandoned hidden cemeteries and other remnants of the gold mining period of the past. The western portions of the BLM permits are roadless areas and great for deer and elk hunting. Towards the center of the ranch is Carnero Canyon with high sheer cliff walls and the creek meandering through it. Many different Native Americans have spent time in Carnero Canyon in past times as evidenced by the pictographs that exist along the north wall. These pictographs are located in the National Historic Registry as well as the Colorado Historic Registry.

Improvements:
Ranch Headquarters and Main Residence - The main ranch headquarters and residence home are located on west end of the ranch alongside Carnero Creek. The main residence is 4,000 sq. ft., recently remodeled in 2009, consisting of a master bedroom plus five additional bedrooms, four bathrooms and a two car garage. The house is heated with in-floor tile heating.

Log Home - The log home is approximately 1500 sq. ft., also located in secluded location right beside Carnero Creek. The house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, recently remodeled with a new porch added to front of the house.

Machine Shop/Barn - A large metal machine barn functions for storage and is 100’ x 40’ with cement floor. Also at this location is a calving barn and set of working corrals.

Horse Barn and Ranch Office - The horse facility is a log barn building 80’ x 40’ with cement breeze way. The barn houses an office area for the ranch including computer area and internet service, as well as saddle room, stocks and four stalls. There is a horse walker and work out arena adjacent to the horse barn along with grass pastures built out of steel pipe.

Livestock Headquarters and Ranch Managers Home - The livestock headquarters is located on the southern area of the ranch. This location is where all livestock shipping occurs as well as calving in the spring and feeding post weaning. Improvements include a ranch manager’s home which is approximately 1,200 sq. ft.

Calving Barn and Veterinarian Supply Office - The calving barn is 100’ long and 50’ wide, with a clear 20’alley down the middle. It is built out of cinder blocks with a metal roof and was constructed about 15 years ago. Although it’s called the “calving barn”, it serves many functions. It contains an office with computer and a great place to warm up in the winter time. All medicines and vaccines are stored in this office. The barn contains an obstetrical area and six individual stalls for young cows and calves. The facility is flexible and provides for a branding area in the event of bad weather. This location also has a 150’ x 50’ open-sided, metal-roofed barn for hay or feed storage. Hay is stored along with other feed products, such as grain cleanings or potato flakes, which are sometimes used in a feed ration.

Feed Lot and Scales - Also at this location is a feedlot with a capacity of approximately 500 head. In the fall, post weaning, calves are fed about 60 days for added value. In January the cowherd is brought in and prepared for calving at this facility. The feedlot is normally utilized for about six months of the year and has two new pipe pens with cement feed bunks. The pens drain well and all manure is collected on an annual basis and used to fertilize crops. Adjacent to the feedlot is a set of certified scales which aid the ranch in measuring animal performance and allow the ranch to weigh all livestock before they are shipped.

Ranch Hand Housing and Working Corrals - Located at the northeast portion of the ranch is one additional house for a ranch employee. The house is approximately 1,800 sq. ft. with a metal roof. In addition to the house there is a set of working corrals which are functional.

Operational Considerations:
Typically the ranch will run up to 500 head of mother cows and support a yearling operation of up to 450 head assuming a normal year with a good spring runoff and typical monsoon weather in July and August. For the past 20-25 years the ranch has been in the seed stock business as well as selling calves as feeders. The L Cross Ranch cattle enjoy an excellent prize winning reputation in the industry. Historically the ranch has run high quality Hereford cows and utilized registered Black Angus bulls. This F1 cross produces what the industry terms the “black baldy”. The steers are sought after for their high quality carcass characteristics and ability to perform well in the feedlot. The females make great mothers and are noted for their disposition, moderate size and ability to produce lots of milk which in turn means large calves at weaning.

Calving begins around the 10th of February up to April during which Carnero and La Garita Creeks are usually on the rise. The ranch is busy irrigating up through June the 3,000 acres of grass pastures. 2,500 of the 3,000 irrigated acres are flood irrigated and 500 acres are under four center pivot sprinklers.

At the end of June the cows and calves make their journey to the high country, grazing along their way since everything is contiguous. Trucking is never needed to deliver cows and calves to these pastures. Annually there has been a cattle drive (25 consecutive years), which includes friends and neighbors who assist in delivering the cattle to the summer pastures. The drive is easy as the cows anticipate the lush grazing that awaits them at the alpine areas that range from 9,000’ to 13,000’ in elevation. These permits are some of the choicest grazing permits in the San Luis Valley. They are close to the ranch, are extremely well watered, and the condition of the range is excellent as they are not shared with anyone.

In early October the calves are separated and weaned, weighed, vaccinated and kept in the corrals until delivery. The steers are put on Superior Video (past 17 years) and sold, typically on the 4th of July sale for December 15th delivery. This has been a very successful time of year to market the steers for many years. The heifer calves are turned back out in November to enjoy the wonderful pasture provided by alfalfa clean up. Heifers are allowed to grow all winter then artificially bred to Angus bulls the next spring. They summer on the lower pastures of the ranch and are usually contracted for October delivery, as bred heifers, in May and June. Typically all livestock sales are completed by July of each year and delivery occurs in the fall. Steers weaned in early October weigh about 575 pounds and the heifers about 550 pounds. The goal on the steers is typically for them to weigh about 700 lbs at delivery in December.

From June to September the ranch is busy harvesting alfalfa from the 4 center pivots as well as approximately 300 acres of grass meadows. The alfalfa is cut 3 times annually for about 4 tons to the acre. The grass meadows are cut once and then grazed later in the fall. All baling is done with big square bales, which are 3’x3’ and weigh approximately 850-900 pounds. All grass hay is consumed on the ranch and almost all of the alfalfa hay (more valuable) is used as a cash crop and sent to New Mexico to the dairies. New Mexico and Texas dairies are willing to pay top premiums for alfalfa that is raised on the L Cross Ranch.

L Cross Ranch currently has one manager and two employees, when at full capacity one additional full time person is required. Manager, Mike Spearman, has managed the ranch for the past 29 years. One current employee has been here about 6 years and the other just over 1 year, both live on the ranch.

Water Resources:
Approximately one half of all the deeded acres of the L Cross Ranch are irrigated by center pivot sprinkler or flood. The main sources of water are Carnero and La Garita Creeks which flow through the middle of the ranch year around. They are the only two year-around creeks on the west side of the valley between Saguache and Del Norte. The L Cross Ranch has most of the senior water rights on both creeks. The ranch has 147 cubic feet per second of water rights and 100 cfs of winter recharge rights which date back to 1869 in priority.

The ranch also has four irrigation wells which produce 6,400 gallons per minute and are piped to the ranch’s four center pivots. Two of the four pivots can operate on either well water or creek water when it is available. Typically creek water will operate two pivots into June then well water is used to finish the summer. Irrigation water is stored and delivered to grass and alfalfa in a balanced and consistent fashion utilizing five irrigation reservoirs on the ranch from an extensive pipeline system used to deliver water to sprinklers.

Wildlife Resources and Recreation:
The L Cross Ranch is home for an abundance of different wildlife such as elk, some moose, deer, antelope, big horn sheep, bear, and mountain lion. The La Garita area in general is very well known for its great elk and deer hunting in the fall. Mule deer, big horn sheep and antelope reside on the ranch year around. The L Cross Ranch has had a policy of no hunting on the ranch proper for 25 years with the exception of coyotes and beaver.

Trout fishing at the L Cross Ranch is very good. Carnero Creek harbors a good population of the native Rio Grande Cutthroat trout which is a threatened species and hard to find. The L Cross Ranch has gone to great lengths to protect the RG Cutthroat by limiting access to fishing and by inserting fish screens in irrigation head gates. There is approximately 8 miles of Carnero Creek on the ranch and two miles away is La Garita Creek known for its German Brown trout population. Both creeks are excellent fishing but challenging due to the green alder canopy that hovers near the creek. The ranch has five reservoirs that take water from the creeks and are good fishing during the summer and fall.

Local Recreation Opportunities:
Adjacent to the ranch is an area called Penitente Canyon and the Rock Garden which possess world-class rock climbing as well as extremely unusual hiking areas amongst the choke cherry bushes which cover parts of the giant volcanic rocks. There are historical “Wagon Tracks” carved in the rocks by wagon trains and “La Ventana”, the natural arch where the wind has literally cut completely thru the rock. In Bipedal Canyon, immediately north of the ranch, there are remnants of the old gold mining days.

The origin of the name La Garita means “sentinel” or “look out point”. Historians say that La Garita was a smoke signal area connecting areas along the Rio Grande with the Saguache area by Native Americans that date back 2,000 years ago. Many different tribal people have come to Carnero Canyon over the years to observe the area and its memories. The writings on the walls in red ocre are but part of the evidence of a very busy place in the past. Many old names still appear on the old water ditches and canyons in the area. The San Luis Valley is often called the Land of the Six Armed Cross. This is the title of local historian Virginia Simmon’s book. The Six Armed Cross can be found on the top of Saint John’s Catholic Church found next to the L Cross Ranch about 1 mile west of La Garita proper.

County Road 38A, which runs through the ranch southwest to northeast, is celebrated as being part of the west branch of the Old Spanish Trail. As you travel along 38A you will occasionally see the markers indicating that you are traveling along the Old Spanish Trail. The La Garita Trading Post and small store is located near the boundary of the ranch and is a very special place to local residents. Most folks will be by sometime during the day to pick up their mail along with a cup of coffee and some conversation. They may be picking up a message or leaving a message for someone else. It is a great meeting place and noted as the home of the best burger in the valley. The Friday night dinner brings people in from all the surrounding areas.

Conservation Easement:
In 1998, a Protective Conservation Easement was placed on the L Cross Ranch for conservation purposes in order to preserve the native portions of the ranch. The Nature Conservancy, Great Outdoors Colorado and the Division of Wildlife recognized the uniqueness of the L Cross Ranch and the importance of protecting such a special place. The Conservation Easement allows the L Cross Ranch to continue its ranching operation and protect its natural beauty by prohibiting sub-division or the separation of the water rights.