Broadbent family’s multi-generational ranch has run cattle and sheep for over a century
The Broadbent family has been in Uinta County since the early 1900s, ever since two Broadbent brothers, Silvester and David, married Murdock sisters from northern Utah.
The Murdocks were in the sheep business and their father wanted to make sure his daughters would be well taken care of, so he helped the Broadbent brothers get into the sheep business.
“This all occurred sometime before 1905,” says Vance Broadbent, who currently runs the ranch along with other family members. “We have records going back to the late 1890s and early 1900s showing the family had U.S. Forest Service (USFS) permits for sheep.”
“David and Silvester ran sheep in Uinta County, expanding operations throughout the years with my great-grandfather Sylvester who introduced cattle,” Vance continues. “His son JR later bought him out and increased the ranch holdings.”
A family affair
After graduating from Southern Utah University and working for a natural gas pipeline company for nearly 13 years, Vance had the opportunity to return to the family ranch in 2007.
“After I had the opportunity to come back to the ranch, my dad Joseph Broadbent was tragically killed in an accident in October of 2013,” Vance shares. “I was fortunate to have been able to come back and learn from
his mentorship while he was still here.”
Vance notes Joseph and his twin brother Ray were business partners, and the two families are still partners in the livestock operation today.
“My uncle Ray has been a great partner and mentor, especially as I took over the management. I work closely with him,” Vance says.
Vance further notes there is another generation currently coming on board.
“I have two boys. My youngest son Lott is married. After he and his wife graduated from college, they came back to the ranch. My brother Matt also returned to work on the ranch several years ago,” Vance says.
Working closely with family members is one of the most important things for those running today’s agricultural operations, since there are so many tough challenges to face in the industry.
“There are many outside influences we have to deal with – environmental groups, government agencies, labor shortages and, sometimes, even family challenges,” Vance shares.
“My management style has had to change from my dad’s time. He dealt with things like the Bureau of Land Management, but today there is so much more we have to deal with in terms of political pressures and governmental and environmental issues.”
“I have to spend a lot
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Trailing the sheep – The Broadbent’s sheep operation stretches from Granger to Evanston. Sheep are trailed between ranches throughout the year, and some of them run on forest permits in the Uinta Mountains. Courtesy photo
Taking over – Vance Broadbent returned to the family ranch in 2007. Today, he oversees operations with his son Lott and brother Matt. Courtesy photo
Continued from previous page
more time in the office than I do out on the range, often doing tasks I don’t enjoy, but it is only necessary,” he continues.
Current ranch operations
As far as ranch operations go, the family has maintained the sheep business, as well as a cow/calf operation while custom grazing yearlings during the summer.
Vance explains his grandpa JR would buy calves and send them to California for the winter, then bring them back to southwest Wyoming for the summer to sell in the fall.
“After his death in the 1990s, we started taking in outside cattle to custom graze, rather than owning them all,” Vance says, noting most of their custom grazing operation takes place on private land.
The cattle on the ranch today are primarily black baldy commercial cattle.
The cow herd is headquartered on one of the Broadbent ranches near Manila, Utah. During the summer, cows and calves run on range pasture across the state line into Sweetwater County. They are gathered in the fall and come back to Manila, Utah where the calves are weaned and shipped.
While the cattle are on summer range, hay is harvested from the meadows to feed through the winter, and this is where the cows calve in the spring.
The operation also pastures yearlings during the summer and fall months.
Today, the Broadbents’ sheep are still grazed on USFS lots in the summer and H-2A sheepherders from Mexico and Peru take care of them.
“We have been fortunate to get a lot of good herders through the H-2A Visa Program,” Vance shares. “Most of them stay with us and keep coming back, but they have to go home for a while, per program rules.”
The sheep operation stretches from Granger to Evanston, and during summer months the sheep are moved toward Evanston and surrounding areas. Some of them run on forest permits in the Uinta Mountains.
After shipping lambs in the fall, the ewes are sorted into winter herds and begin the trail back to their winter ranges near Granger.
“Our ewes never get on a truck until they are sold,” Vance states. “We sell lambs and cull ewes in the fall. The flock is trailed from winter range to spring range and summer, and then we trail them back to the winter range.”
Vance says, “We are also fortunate to have several ranch foremen who have been with us for 20 to 30 years. This helps maintain the stability of our ranch family and business. We really enjoy having family members come out to the ranch to help with shearing, docking, branding and processing the yearling cattle when they arrive in the spring. This is their heritage, and we want them to be a part of it. We plan to continue on for many more generations.”
Getting involved
After returning to the ranch, Vance attended some Wyoming Wool Growers Association (WWGA) meetings with his dad Joseph and became active in the group.
“I also attended winter meetings with the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA). I was WWGA president and an officer for a couple of years,” Vance shares. “After I finished my term there, former WSGA President David Kane reached out to me because one of the regional vice presidents had moved out of the state. This left an open position which needed to be filled.”
Vance accepted the commitment to fill out the rest of the term.
He feels strongly it is important to be involved in agricultural organizations and is willing to take a turn to help support them.
Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
A Broadbent branding – In addition to running a large sheep operation, the Broadbent family of Uinta County maintains a cow/calf operation and custom grazes yearlings during the summer. Courtesy photo
Strong mentorship – Vance Broadbent expresses his gratitude for his late father Joseph and his uncle Ray who served as strong mentors while he was learning the ropes. Pictured in the tan coat is Ray Broadbent helping the family check sheep. Courtesy photo
SOUTHWEST WYOMING SEEDSTOCK
Micheli Ranch has been breeding high-quality cattle since 1901
The Micheli Ranch, a historic Centennial Ranch nestled in the picturesque landscape of southwest Wyoming, has been dedicated to the legacy of producing purebred Hereford and Angus cattle for numerous generations.
Situated in the charming town of Fort Bridger, the ranch is operated by brothers Dale and Ron Micheli, who work alongside their sons Kyle and Tony Micheli, proudly representing the fifth generation.
“We’ve been here for six generations now. Ron and I are the fourth generation,” remarks Dale.
The Micheli family’s connection to southwest Wyoming dates back to 1901, and in 1917, Joseph Micheli made a pivotal investment by acquiring the family’s first Hereford cattle.
Since this time, the Micheli family has meticulously cultivated a renowned purebred herd of Hereford and Angus cattle, which includes the distinguished two-time national champion bull Gold Rush.
Through a dedicated
“It’s a family celebration, and multiple generations of the Micheli family continue to have a presence on the ranch.”
Dale Micheli
generational breeding program, the focus has been on cultivating resilient and durable cattle that can thrive in the harshest of weather conditions at high altitudes.
As a result of their efforts, the Micheli brothers and their sons have achieved a successful annual sale of up to 50 Hereford bulls each year.
Building the herd
The Micheli family takes great pride in the cattle they produce, and selling quality seedstock allows them to help other ranchers positively influence their herds.
Dale says, “Herefords have been part of the Micheli operation since the beginning, although we didn’t sell seedstock until much later.”
Dale studied pedigrees and worked on add-
ing dynamic females to the herd, investing in prominent sires and implementing artificial insemination.
The breeding program focuses on utilizing the best bulls in the Hereford and Angus breeds, leveraging expected progeny differences, carcass data and genomic information to ensure superior genetic traits in their herds.
In 1989, the ranch held its first production sale, marking a significant milestone.
Today, they continue the tradition by hosting an annual bull sale every October, which has become a cherished family celebration.
Multiple generations of the Micheli family remain actively involved in the ranch, demonstrating their enduring commitment to the operations and the livestock they raise.
“It’s a family celebration, and multiple generations of the Micheli family continue to have a presence on the ranch,” Dale adds.
Ag achievements
Dale has served as a board member of the National Hereford Association, was the Certified Hereford Beef Board president and has been passionately building the purebred herd for 35 years.
He was also inducted into the Hereford Hall of Fame in 2021 during the American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Meeting and Conference.
A major highlight in
Dale’s life was serving on the AHA Board of Directors and for three years, he served as chairman of Certified Hereford Beef, using his leadership to impact the future.
He has been instrumental in hosting Hereford Field Days at his ranch, building the Hereford show at the Wyoming State Fair and finding ways to be active in all aspects of the Wyoming Hereford Association.
“It was an honor and privilege to visit ranches across the country and see the diversity and ingenuity of many great Hereford breeders,” Dale states.
Dale and his wife Terry
are the proud parents of six children and 13 grandchildren.
Ron served in the Wyoming legislature for 19 years and as director of agriculture for eight years.
He was also a former regional vice president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) and received the highest honor, the Guardian of the Grasslands Award.
Ron also received the Outstanding Agriculturalist Award from Gamma Sigma Delta, the Presidential Award from the Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts and the Compadre Award from the Wyoming Wool Growers Association.
and his wife Patricia are the proud parents of eight children and the grandparents of 32 grandchildren. Both brothers are active in the livestock and meat industries, including the Wyoming Livestock Board and WSGA and are passionate about all agricultural causes.
For more information, visit micheliranch.com or contact them directly at dmicheli@bvea.net regarding their annual bull sale this year on Oct. 23 at the ranch.
Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
Ron
Hall of fame – Supported by his family and a major highlight in Dale Micheli’s life was being inducted into the American Hereford Association Hall of Fame. Courtesy photo
Producing great cattle – The Micheli Ranch has been in operation since 1901 and continue to host an annual bull sale every fall. Courtesy photo
James Hysell got his start in the meat processing sector cutting meat at the local grocery store, then began processing wild game in the back shed at his home with the help of his wife and kids.
Today, James has a thriving custom meat processing business in Lyman.
Business expansion
James notes at the beginning of his venture, local hunters heard about his services and kept bringing him more animals. Soon he had more customers than he could handle.
“People wanted us to go bigger, so we built a
James Hysell
were only offering our wild game services, but then we also put in a retail counter to sell pork, chicken, cheeses, milk and other essentials.
We made our own jerky and snack items, and it just kept going from there.”
The business kept growing, and soon they had requests from people who
way to slaughter and transport the animals themselves.
“We decided to branch out and run a mobile unit,” James says. “We bought a trailer and got it built as a kill unit, then had it licensed through the state so we could go out and do farm calls. We do a lot of this through the spring and sum
“We process lambs, beef, goats and whatever ered,” James shares. “This aspect of our business has grown a lot in the past few years. We started in the Bridger Valley area but now ern Wyoming and as far as Idaho and Utah. We just have the one mobile unit,
Business owners – James and Jamie Hysell are the owners and operators of Wyoming Wild Meats in Lyman. Courtesy photo
Wild Meats – Wyoming Wild Meats offers custom meat processing services in the Bridger Valley, around southwest Wyoming and across the West. Courtesy photo
The animals are slaughtered on the farm or ranch, then brought back to the shop for processing.
James and his crew still process wild game, which picks up in September during hunting season so livestock slaughtering services are closed for several months at this time. James notes, if producers have livestock they want butchered in the fall, they must schedule before or after hunting season.
“This makes it challenging because many farmers and ranchers want to butcher a beef in the fall, but October is definitely out for us,” James states. “Sometimes, we start doing a few beef again in November and December, and by February we are back to doing all beef and domestic livestock.”
He further explains, “We try to keep things separate in our shop. When we cut up federally-inspected
meat, we do it first thing in the morning and then do the custom animals in the afternoon.”
Custom cutting operations also work to keep things separate – animal by animal – to ensure individuals get back exactly what they drop off. There is never any mixing.
Cutting is also customized so people get what they like – certain cuts and sizes for roasts or thickness for steaks, etc.
“We give people what they want. It’s their meat, and they worked hard to raise it or hunt and harvest it. We make sure we take care of it the way they want it,” James says.
And, although James admits Wyoming Wild Meats’ small crew has a hard time keeping up with large demand, the store has filled a gap in the community and become a popular place for locals to stop.
Among its most popular offering are Dino Eggs –a chicken breast wrapped in jalapeño peppers and bacon – and chicken cordon bleu.
Efficient crew
James reiterates although the Wyoming Wild Meats crew isn’t big, they are efficient and hard working.
“It’s just myself; another meat cutter; my wife, who does the bookkeeping and accounting and three high school kids who are helping us right now. One of them is
my daughter Rylee,” shares James. “The other two are both in 4-H and interested in agriculture.”
“This is just an afterschool job for them, but they are learning a lot of new skills,” he adds. “They come in after school and clean up the shop, but they are also learning to cut and wrap meat. This is a skill
they could use later in life if they want to. Meat cutting is in high demand and a skill that seems to be dying off.”
Some of the college kids who have worked at Wyoming Wild Meats in high school come back to help out when they are home from college.
“We try to make it fun and accommodate every
one, and we understand they all have lives outside of work,” says James. For more information on Wyoming Wild Meats, visit wyomingwildmeats.com
Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.
METAL HEAD METAL WORKS
Anton Larson, the fifth generation of a large family sheep ranch near Lyman, realized he enjoyed welding and metal work pretty early on.
“I always enjoyed shop class in school,” he shares, noting he attended Lyman High School before transferring to Mountain View High School during his freshman year. “I was always interested in the metal aspect and became very familiar with
the plasma cutting table on the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine.”
CNC refers to the computerized operation of machining tools, and CNC machines operate using preprogrammed software and codes which tell the machine the exact movements and tasks to complete. This process can be used to control a range of complex machinery, from grinders and lathes to mills and CNC routers.
“This allowed me to fabricate anything to precision and make signs and many different things,” says Anton. “I became interested in this, which is what got me started welding. After high school, I worked a few ranch jobs as a mechanic for about four years and did a lot of welding, as well as mechanic work.”
Getting started
After working some mechanic jobs, Anton
returned to the family ranch with his wife and high school sweetheart Brandi.
He also did some welding projects because there wasn’t a local welder readily available.
“It was always difficult finding someone who could do it,” he says. “I didn’t have a welder of my own at the time and realized the need for having someone who could actually come out and repair things on the ranch.”
“I was still trying to decide what I wanted to do and told Brandi I might start a full-time welding business,” Anton adds. “I used a tiny 120-volt welder to make little repairs on fences and corrals and fabricate a bunch of panels. I saved the money I made from small jobs while I was going to college to purchase a larger, engine-driven welder I could travel with to do jobs in different places.”
Anton notes in 2020, he went back to college to receive certification.
“One of the main reasons I went back to college was some funding during COVID-19 which allowed me to take more classes in a short time,” he shares. “I realized I needed certification. A person can weld amazingly, but some people – and most companies –want to see paperwork telling them you can do the job.”
With his wife and two kids at home, Anton spent his years back at school very motivated.
“I wasn’t going to college just for the experience or the fun of it,” he says. “I took classes in metallurgy, reading technical schematics, industrial safety, etc. to get my certification. I can do every process – tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, metal inert gas (MIG) welding, flux core, stick welding and submerged metal arc welding.”
“I set my truck up so I was able to do it all – and weld stainless steel, aluminum and carbon steel –without any limitations if
someone called me. I could do any job, no matter what kind of metal it was. I don’t like to disappoint people,” he adds.
Both ends of the coin
After getting his truck set up and starting his own business – Metal Head Metal Works – Anton reached out to local ranchers and businesses in the area to offer his well-tuned services.
“I went door to door and told them I was welding and they could let me know if they needed any welding done. It gradually grew from there,” Anton notes.
As a rancher himself, Anton has been on both sides of the coin – as a customer of welding services and as the person providing the services – which he believes has helped lead to his success.
“This is one of the things that drove me to develop good people skills and be considerate in whatever scenario I was dealing with, with different people and different jobs,” he shares. “It’s frustrating being broke down out in the middle of nowhere with the back door of the horse trailer broke off.”
He continues, “This is the thing about ranching –the animals and things we are taking care of don’t have time to wait around if something needs to be repaired. On our ranch, we haul hay out in the winter and there have been times we’ve gotten out there and something happens that immobilizes the trailer, but it can’t be left this way for several
days because there are hungry mouths to feed.
“I understand the logistics of ranching. It’s one of those jobs where there is no retiring and no days off,” adds Anton.
High-quality service
After gaining some traction close to home, Anton started traveling further out into Cokeville, Riverton, etc. and developed many repeat customers and several new ones by word of mouth.
As a mobile welder with the ability to work on aluminum and steel, he is able to work on pivots and pipelines.
“It’s really inconvenient
for some remote ranchers to bring their irrigation pipe to a place where they can get repairs done. Rather than hauling it on a trailer, they can call me, and I go out to their fields and take care of repairs on pivots and pipelines,” Anton says. “I work with different companies that install pivots, and they reach out to me when they need a mobile welder to do installation in different areas,” he adds. Anton also works on machinery of all kinds –haying equipment, tractors, etc. – as well as horse and camper trailers which take a
beating on the area’s rough back roads.
“If it’s metal, I can weld it. I always warranty everything I fix with a lifetime warranty. If I weld it and it breaks, I will come back and fix it at no cost. I stand behind my work, and I like things to be done right,” he states.
Life on the ranch
In addition to running his own welding business, Anton is active as the fifth generation on his family’s sheep ranch and his boys are the sixth. They help with every aspect of the operation, including moving sheep camps, shipping and shearing.
“I am grateful my kids
can grow up here. Growing up on a ranch helps instill a good work ethic, morals and responsibility,” Anton shares. “I think growing up in this kind of environment benefited me. I can’t imagine growing up in a city or not living in a ranching community.”
Brandi also has fond feelings towards the ranch and spends a lot of time caring for sick and injured sheep.
“She’s very kindhearted and takes care of what I call the ‘hospital herd,’” Anton chuckles. “Any sheep that are having problems are taken to
Brandi and they get the best care. She’s nursed a lot of them back to health and has seen several miracles.”
He shares, most notably, Brandi nursed a ewe back to health that had no function in her hind legs. She encouraged Anton to weld a stand so they could create a sling to hold the ewe up and now she is walking around fine and has had two lambs.
Brandi also saved a lamb that had a leg freeze off, despite the vet telling her sheep couldn’t function without a front leg.
“The vet thought we should put him down, but
Brandi said we were not going to do it. She could tell he was a fighter and she wanted to give him a chance,” Anton says. Life on the Larson Ranch is good and Anton continues providing welding and metal work services to producers across the West. For more information on Metal Head Metal Works, visit @MetalHeadMetalWorks on Facebook. Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.
Larson family – Anton and Brandi Larson and their two boys live on the Larson family ranch in Lyman, where they help with all aspects of the sheep operation while Anton runs his own welding and metal works business. Courtesy photo
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PO Box 1223, Big Piney, WY 83113
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M DIAMOND ANGUS
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M DIAMOND ANGUS
Trent Boner PO Box 1587, Douglas, WY 82633 307-359-2708 trent@mdiamondangus.com
WYOMING LIVESTOCK ROUNDUP Dennis Sun PO Box 850, Casper, WY 82602 307-234-2700 roundup@wylr.net
TEICHERT ANGUS
Mark Teichert PO Box 327, Cokeville, WY 83114 307-279-3179
OBSIDIAN ANGUS
Fred and Kay Thomas PO Box 346, Meeteetse, WY 82433 307-868-2595 kfdramsrus@hotmail.com
P\T LIVESTOCK Pete Thompson 345 Missouri Valley Road, Shoshoni, WY 82649 307-709-8351
JL FARM Jordyn Wagner 3752 Little Creek Lane, Billings, MT 59101 406-672-5553 jordynlynnwagner@gmail.com jenalee.wagner@gmail.com
WEAVER RANCH
Susan and Mourine Weaver 3000 West County Road 70, Fort Collins, CO 80524 970-568-3898 weaverrch@aol.com
BEAVER CREEK RANCHES Pete and Lucy Widener 568 Beaver Creek Road, Sheridan, WY 82801 307-674-6947 doublew@fiberpipe.net
WEBO ANGUS
Buttons York PO Box 848, Lusk, WY 82225 307-334-3006 weboangus@gmail.com
ZUMBRUNNEN ANGUS
Jason and Shirley ZumBrunnen 1174 Kirtley Road, Lusk, WY 82225 307-216-0198 jszumbrunnen@gmail.com
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Dustin P. Druce, C.P.A. • Sadie R. Lewis, C.P.A. 307-362-6631 220 B Street • Rock Springs, WY
ATTENTION WYOMING LIVESTOCK BRAND OWNERS
The Wyoming Livestock Board is sending out notices for brand owners whose brands are scheduled for renewal. If you are not sure of when your brand is scheduled for renewal, or are not sure if the Wyoming Livestock Board has your current address, please contact the Wyoming Livestock Board via phone, mail, email, or fax at the following address: Wyoming Livestock Board 1934 Wyott Drive, Cheyenne, WY 82002-0051 Office phone 307-777-7515 • Fax 307-777-6561 or email brands@wyo.gov or https://wlsb.state.wy.us/public click on change of address.
PROVEN GENETICS
Menck family supplies the country with quality club lambs
Carl and Crystal Menck grew up in the Bridger Valley, settling down in the town of Mountain View to raise their family and build their legendary operation, Menck Club Lambs.
The couple started the flock in 2000 with only five ewes and one buck, purchased from Long Club Lambs in Vernal, Utah.
Crystal, a lifelong advocate for club lambs, started showing when she was nine years old.
As a former member of 4-H and FFA, Crystal knows the hard work and dedication it takes to compete in the show ring, and she has been teaching the next generation of fair contenders her lifelong skills.
“Carl and I have had the opportunity to watch our five children show club lambs we’ve raised, and now three of our grandchildren are showing them –with many more to come,” Crystal states.
She adds, “We enjoy helping and getting to know youth from all over the county and watching them succeed while learning from their club lamb projects.”
“Our goal with Menck Club Lambs has always been to try and provide a high-quality club lamb to compete at any fair,” she continues.
Crystal and her family share as much knowledge as possible to help youth succeed with their projects, providing free show clinics during the summer, as well as comprehensive feed
plans for lambs bought off of their place.
Expanding operations
Menck Club Lambs quickly expanded, adding a genetics program with stock from Burch Club Lambs in Casper and Middlesworth Club Lambs in Fremont, Iowa.
Currently, they are lambing out of a flock of 45 and have added some top genetics in the last several years by using laparoscopic artificial insemination.
“Since starting in 2000, we have built a heated lambing barn with living quarters where the grandkids love to hang out and help with lambing,” Crystal shares. “Every year, all of the sleepless nights waiting for babies to be born makes it worthwhile when we watch the youth work hard
and grow as an individual.”
Crystal continues, “Watching them achieve their goals and seeing them smile when their goals are reached is why we do it.”
The Uinta County family prides itself on building a solid foundation with functional and proven genetics, which has produced many champions.
“Creating a solid foundation carries over into our relationships with our customers. Our objective is not just to sell them a sheep, but to help them achieve their goals,” she continues. “Whether it’s in the show ring or adding to their own program, we are committed to seeing them succeed.”
Selling winning lambs
The Mencks hold a sale each year at the end of March, which includes either breakfast or lunch, in their lambing barn and runs as a silent auction.
“So, if you get outbid on your first-choice lamb, you always have the option to drop to your second or third choice,” Crystal states.
The Menck family has raised several winning lambs, including the grand and reserve champion in Uinta, Sublette, Sweetwater and Campbell county fairs.
“We have had multiple supreme ewes at Wyoming State Fair (WSF) and several WSF Jackpot Champions as well,” she adds.
Menck Club Lambs has also brought home titles of WSF Grand and Reserve Champion Showmen throughout the years.
“A highlight for us was when our daughter Alli Menck won reserve champion market lamb at the WSF several years back with one we raised right here at Menck Club Lambs,” Crystal concludes. For more information on Menck Club Lambs, visit @MenckClubLambs on Facebook.
Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
Fair season – The Menck family has raised several club lambs which have secured multiple wins. This ewe was named the Supreme Overall Ewe at the Wyoming State Fair in 2022. Courtesy photo
Family tradition – Crystal Menck’s grandchildren continue to carry on the family tradition of showing club lambs. Courtesy photo
VALLEY SUPPLY
Local farm store fills a need in Bridger Valley
Cliff Anderson grew up on a ranch in Uinta County and never imagined he would go into the retail business.
However, a few years ago, he reopened a general-purpose farm and ranch store in Urie that is still standing strong.
Built from scratch
Cliff bought the old building, an International Farmers Association (IFA) Co-Op built in 1976, right before COVID-19 hit in 2020. The old store had changed hands several times but always stayed within the farm store realm, selling hardware, feed, tires, etc.
“I wasn’t thinking about getting into retail at the time and I had absolutely no experience, but my mom was recovering from cancer and I thought it would be something she could do to stay busy. She did have a lot of experience, as she ran a grocery store in Manila, Utah for 20 years,” he says.
Cliff notes when the pandemic struck and things slowed down, his mother convinced him to convert the building back into a retail store for the local community.
“We started to do this, and then she had her second bout of cancer and wasn’t able to help much. This left me to the wolves a little,” he admits. “However, we got through it. My mom got through it, and life is better now.”
He adds, “We built it all from scratch. Everything in the store was something I picked and said, ʻThis is what I want.
ʼ”
Filling a need
Cliff admits when they first started reopening the store, they weren’t sure what kinds of products to stock for their customers.
“As people started coming in, we’d ask them what they want and what they were looking for in a small country store to feel out the needs for this community,” he says.
“Now the business is just something we are trying to do to accommodate the people in our area,” he adds.
“We have IFA back with
“We
“‘This
Cliff Anderson
us – we are not an IFA affiliate, but anything they sell we can get,” Cliff notes.
“We also work with TruValue, which is who we started with,” he continues.
“Both of those outfits have been a Godsend and have really helped us.”
Today’s store also has three different tire vendors to supply the community with a variety of brands, types and sizes, and one end of the store is completely dedicated to tire repair and mechanic work.
The other side of the store includes aisles of tack and hardware, and the middle section houses pet and livestock feed.
Although the store is fairly small and must compete with retail giants like Amazon, Valley Supply offers the community a more personal – and hopefully quicker – shopping experience than waiting for a package in the mail.
“Our biggest competition today is Amazon and other online sources,” Cliff confesses. “I know many people order things online, but they can still get it faster if our little store has it in stock.”
“Since the valley is so small, it’s very easy to just drive here and pick it up if it’s sitting here on the shelf,” he adds. “This is what we try for – to have the basic things people need on hand.”
A good crew
Though small like his store, Cliff notes he has a really good crew.
“Heidi Guymon is my main manager and is absolutely phenomenal at keeping everything running smoothly,” says Cliff. “My mom also goes to the store a couple days a week and does all the bookwork and keeps everything up to snuff. She is enjoying it, and I am enjoying not being
there quite so much. In fact, these days I’m hardly there at all.”
Cliff was born and raised on a cattle ranch near McKinnon and is the fifth generation. His boys are the sixth and his two grandsons are the seventh. In addition to running the store and helping on the ranch whenever he gets a chance, Cliff also stays busy running a few other businesses.
“My boys have all worked for me at one point or another, though none of them work for me at this
point in time,” Cliff says. “Hopefully this will change next year.”
He adds, “And hopefully someday I won’t need to be doing all of these
things so I can just be back on the ranch. That’s my ultimate goal.”
For more information on Valley Supply, visit @ ValleySupply on Facebook.
Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.
Prairie Income Oasis is a livestock grazing operation consisting of 1,470 acres of grassland with outside income from a CRP-G contract plus a offers privacy and is only seven miles from Kimball, Nebraska. Contact John Stratman. $1,795,000
Tire repair – One side of Cliff Anderson’s Valley Supply store is dedicated to tire repair and mechanic work. Courtesy photo
