TRUE GRIT ARTICLE BY DEAN FISH PHOTOS BY GUY ATCHLEY
Eddie McClure © Guy Atchley
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any times when we talk about agriculture, we talk about multi-generational families and operations. It takes a certain type of character to persevere through the tough times that inevitably fall upon families that depend on Mother Nature to provide our bounty and livelihood. Dr. Susan Wilson Sanders, DVM, MS, of the Lazy S Ranch in Cochise and Graham Counties, Arizona is a fine example of the grit and work ethic that make up the multi-faceted fabric of farmers and ranchers in the arid West. Susan grew up on Riverdale Farms in Robertson County, Texas. Her great-grandfather came from Tennessee to Texas in 1830 and obtained a Spanish Land Grant. Part of this land grant was passed on to Susan’s grandfather and later her father. Growing up, Susan loved the Brahman cross and Hereford cattle, horses and dogs. In fact, an early experience treating a calf for tetanus set her on the path to becoming a veterinarian.
PG. 22 :: FALL 2019
During high school, Susan began a life-long love for Angus cattle and convinced her father to add some commercial Angus to the herd. While in veterinary school at Texas A&M, Susan bought a Charolais bull and was given half of the ensuing silver offspring, often selling for 20 cents per pound more than their black baldy contemporaries! Shortly before Susan graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine, her father suffered a massive stroke and became incapacitated. After a year of trying to manage the farm and ranch, the decision was made to lease the land and sell the cattle and equipment. This put Susan’s cattle raising on hold for a bit. After Texas A&M graduate school (it was 3+ years, not one year), Susan accepted a position at the University of Arizona as part of the Animal Care Program. While at the U of A, Susan worked in the laboratory animal facility as well as with the registered cattle and horse programs. Continued on Page 26...
