V Bar V Ranch

V Bar V Ranch near Camp Verde, Arizona is owned and operated by UA's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences as a research and extension center addressing environmental, wildlife and domestic livestock issues applicable to ranches in Arizona and throughout the Southwest.

History: The V Bar V Ranch was formed in 1927, when the 100 Place and a number of smaller holdings, including one owned by the Bradford family, originators of the V Bar V brand, were bought and incorporated into the V Bar V Cattle Company.

Ecosystems: Vegetation zones, including high desert chaparral, pinyon-juniper, and pine, are typical of those on most of the commercial ranches in central and northern Arizona.

Size: 78,000 Acres

Notable features: This commercial scale research ranch not only
spans an elevation and vegetational gradient, but is also on a forest
service lease and so functions within the complex environment of public grazing. The V-V thus provides a unique combination of research and educational opportunities concerning sustainable rangeland management for the citizens of Arizona.

People:

Doug Tolleson SNRE Rangeland Management Specialist

George Ruyle SNRE Professor and Rangeland Management Specialist

David Schafer V-V Director and Research Scientist in Animal Sciences