Crystal River Ranch named AHA Commercial Producer of the Year

Crystal River Ranch named AHA Commercial Producer of the Year

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Crystal River Ranch, Carbondale, Colo., received the Commercial Producer of the Year award during the American Hereford Association Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 24.

“Crystal Rivers Ranch demonstrates how harnessing direct and maternal heterosis with Hereford genetics helps progressive commercial cattle operations reduce economic risk while improving profit potential, even in the harsh climate and demanding elevations of Colorado’s Western Slope,” said Jack Ward, AHA executive vice president. “Their commitment to deliberate stewardship of their ranch’s resources, while selecting for efficient, high-performing cattle, results in heavy, highly marketable Hereford-influenced calves.”

The Crystal River Ranch runs 500 head of commercial cows along Colorado’s Western Slope in the Roaring Fork Valley and the Cottonwood Pass area southeast of Glenwood Springs, near Carbondale, Colo. The ranch raises Hereford-Angus cross cattle at 6,500-10,000 feet elevation. Crystal River’s cattle thrive even in the harsh, high-mountain winters stretching from October until late April, when the deep snow finally sta...