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Ranch Raised Kids
2nd in the Series - California Ranch Raised Kids - Montana might be next
A Series of photo books celebrating the heritage and future of Cattle Ranching in America
Publisher‘s Note: The one thing that sticks with me when we tour all of the different ranches and farms for our magazine, is how proud all of the kids are of their home and their family. More times than not, they take me aside to show how involved they are in every day operations and how important how their role is in this place they call home. Every single Ranch Raised Kid plans to run the ranch one day. That look in their eyes..that excitement...shows through with every spoken word. With that said, about a month ago I noticed an ad for a book about Ranch Raised Kids. I instantly felt a connection. I had to get in touch with the book‘s authors and see what we could do to help promote this idea, this amazing project of theirs. This feel-good book series by Seth Joel and Charlie Holland about kids growing up on ranches is heart warming and addicting. Then there‘s the stunning photos by Seth Joel, who is basically royalty amongst us photographers. Plus they drove over 25,000 miles around California alone interviewing 70 kids at 26 ranches, grazing allotments, fairs, rodeos and parades. So far there are 2 books: California and Arizona. Next on the list? Montana and New Mexico. If this peaks your interest, and it should, read on for more about this important project that Charlie and Seth started, and will continue, much to our delight!
- Derek Sample, ABP
RANCH RAISED KIDS - As They See Themselves
written by Charlie Holland and photography by Seth Joel, co-authors of the Ranch Raised Kids book series
The “Ranch Raised Kids” book series is a testimony to the kids and the culture of the families that are raising cattle on America’s ranches. Although we‘ve always had more pavement than pasture under our feet, the kids we met in Arizona and California looked familiar because ‘Cowboys’ are staple characters in movies and books that celebrate bygone America. But, the kids we know, true Ranch Raised Kids, are not imitations or wannabes. They dress like cowboys because they are cowboys. Like their predecessors, they ride horses with skill and work cattle without fear, in pastures that can be measured in square miles. Five years ago, if we had an agenda, it was this: follow these kids home, photograph their everyday lives, and ask them to tell us about their hopes and dreams. We wanted to show their urban peers that ranching doesn’t take place in a faraway land before time and that ‘cowboy-ing’ and real cattlemen exist in the here and now. Now we have met 170 kids on 52 ranches in the tightly-knit ranching community that is widely-dispersed across Arizona and California. Some families had laid down roots seven generations ago, others were just starting to build a herd and some skilled young families were still on the move, moving from ranch to
Will Kemp, 11, Mono County, California “Everyone should know what Ranchers do to keep the land running and looking beautiful, like it does now”
Clayton Wolf, 10, Medoc County, California “Sam is just like happy, Charlie is going to be a Rancher”
Josie Wilder, 9, Kern County, California “People are really interested in the history of this ranch”
Documenting the reality, not the myth, of ranching life on Cattle Ranches, as seen through the eyes of the next generation...
Emma Westbrook, 11, Greenlee County, Arizona “The thing I am most proud of in life, is learning how to work on a ranch”
ranch, buoyed by their good reputations. Ranching is still a hands-on profession, a carefully calibrated business of managing unpredictable elements and limited resources: in Arizona that‘s water, in California that‘s land. In the branding corral, where the dust boils up and “Hot Iron‘ is shouted over and over again, the unromantic truth about the danger of working cattle sinks in. Parents teach their kids to moderate their appetite for danger and learn to be alert and safe. They bring up children with the know-how and confidence to make life and death decisions. They make sure their children are well educated, beautifully mannered and tip their hats with aristocratic elegance. Ranch raised kids taught us that grit isn‘t the dirt between your teeth; it‘s the effort. It means making a hand, putting in a day‘s work, punching above your weight, and having “the try”. It means not quitting, not complaining, and taking care of your animals first. The men who drove cattle out of Texas quickly became a thing of the past, mythologized in their own lifetime. But the rigors of life on the trail established a right way and a wrong way of going. The way things are done has changed, but the common sense code is still alive, 140 years later, in these kids with their way of going, behaving and believing. Every kid has a different experience and but one things holds; if it‘s in your heart, and if you are blessed, your life has purpose. So we will continue to photograph and celebrate these impressive kids. We will pursue Ranch Raised Kids in Montana, Oregon and New Mexico. We will always be the people “who are not from round here” who want to know what‘s going on around here. ��
In 2015, we were in Arizona producing commercial photography and writing magazine stories. We were invited to the Arizona Cowpuncher’s Reunion Rodeo. That’s where we met the kids being raised ‘cowboy’ in America today. We were impressed. We sought out their parents and asked them to allow us to tell their kid‘s stories. After many months, one family in Arizona said yes, and started the ball rolling. We‘re honored that the community, who are justly proud of their children, trusted us and welcomed us into their close-knit but far-flung ranching community. In 2018 Arizona Cattle Grower’s Research and Education Foundation realized that our book was a celebration of their heritage and lives as seen through the eyes of their children. Thanks to the generous support of their president, Dr. Suzanne T. Menges, Arizona Ranch Raised Kids was published in 2018. That book is available through https://www.azcattlegrowers.org/arizona-ranch-raised-kids. At our first meeting, the California CattleWomen immediately understood our passion and agreed to sponsor California Ranch Raised Kids. Their members introduced us to many remarkable ranching families who invited us, without hesitation, to their ranches all over the state. We travelled 25,000 miles through California and visited with 26 hard working families in the cow/calf and seedstock industry. Julie Barnett, president of the California CattleWomen, recruited co-sponsors and donors from community leaders in support of California Ranch Raised Kids. These sponsors included the California Rangeland Trust, California Beef Council and California Cattlemen’s Association and the more than 60 individual donors. The book was published in hard back and soft cover. California Ranch Raised Kids is available exclusively through https://cattlewomen.org/shop/.
1st in the Series - Arizona Ranch Raised Kids
Rose MacPhee, 16, San Joaquin County, California “The girls that don‘t work with cattle on a ranch, don‘t know how to approach them”
Bennett Fischer, 13, Placer County, California “Cattle are so smart. They know exactly what is going on before it happens”
Madeline Holmes, 18, Humboldt County, California “We understand how life works. We know how hard it is to create life and we know how hard it isto see it go”
Reagan Pascoe, 11, San Luis Obispo County, California “If you forget to do something, it always leads to something that is probably worse.Everything you do affects the next thing”
Charlie Johnston, 13, Mohave County, Arizona “Work hard, don‘t complain, do what you are asked to do and always do it. These are the things youwant to be known for”
Rylie Jean Mello, 13, Tulare County, California “Some kids get to play cowboy while they are young, but ranch kids get to live it their wholelives”
Kade Rodgers,4, Coconino County, California “I could rope them all, if everybody would stop watching”
Kyle Fowle, 11, Siskiyou County, California “We try our hardest to take care of our animals and give them a good life”
How we work:
We rely on our partners to introduce us to families, with children aged 6-18, who represent the diversity, traditions and future of ranching in their state. Charlie contacts these families and sets up ranch visits. We show up for brandings, everyday work, we hang out in the barn, or take sunset ranch tours on the ATVs. We tag along and meet our families at county fairs, high school rodeos and cattle auctions. Seth photographs the kids doing what they want to do, wearing what they want, in an honest and informal way. When we arrive at a ranch Seth hits the ground running. When he is shooting he is ‘all-in’ and his enthusiasm is contagious. Whether they are training horses or practicing the violin, the kids recognize that and give him all the time he needs. Charlie talks to everyone and records her conversations with the kids. She finds out what interests them, allows the kid to be the expert and lets them teach her something about their lifestyle and about themselves. Mostly we listen. We let them tell us stories about their work, their
The Future:
We will start photography for two new Ranch Raised Kids books in 2021! We are in discussion with ranching associations in Montana and New Mexico to produce books in both those states. We continue to seek partnerships with leading agricultural organizations, beef industry leaders and ranchers who want to be part of Ranch Raised Kids. We are happy to engage commercial sponsors and donors who can help us produce these publications. Sponsors are given space in the book to state their mission and purpose. The readers of American Beef Producer represent a level of excellence and commitment to the cattle industry and we welcome their support. Ranch Raised Kids are simply written so beef consumers and urban communities can understand who produces the beef they eat – and how. Readers are delighted by their insights that accompany this visual narrative of ranching in contemporary America. Audiences have a deep emotional connection to the universally recognized icon – the American cowboy.
Seth Joel and Charlie Holland, Authors
Biographies:
Seth Joel is an award-winning career photographer who produces commercial, editorial, and personal work. His love of storytelling began at home. He was mentored by his father, Yale Joel, himself a legendary LIFE magazine staff photographer. Seth’s personal work is diverse and includes photo essays on food culture and the new wave of ‘Old-Time’ folk musicians in addition to the long-term project, Ranch Raised Kids. Charlie Holland was born and educated in the UK and Africa. She directs photography for editorial and commercial projects. She is producing and writing the Ranch Raised Kids project with her husband, Seth. They live, work, and ride in Los Angeles, California.
