Arizona Cattlelog: History, Arizona Cattle Growers' Association Profile, Content and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
The Arizona Cattlelog has carried the news of Arizona ranching since September 1945. It is the magazine of the Arizona Cattle Growers' Association (ACGA), a group organized in 1903 to fight rustling in the territorial days, and it remains the association's voice to cow-calf producers across a state where grazing land covers most of the map.
| First issue | September 1945 |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Arizona Cattle Growers' Association (ACGA) |
| Association founded | Organized in Tucson, October 1903; formally established in Phoenix, January 4, 1904 |
| Association office | Mesa, Arizona |
| Former title | Arizona Cattlegrowers Association Outlook (1977-1985) |
| Archive | University of Arizona Libraries Special Collections |
| Official website | Arizona Cattlelog on Issuu |
History of Arizona Cattlelog
Arizona cattlemen held an organizational meeting in Tucson in October 1903 and formally established their association in the Legislative Council Chambers in Phoenix on January 4, 1904, with 78 members. The original goals were blunt: protect the industry from rustlers and brand tampering and support the Arizona Rangers.
Communication with members started small. In 1923 association secretary Abbie Keith expanded a modest newsletter into the Weekly Market Report and Newsletter. In September 1945 the association launched the Arizona Cattlelog, whose first issue declared that it belonged to the association and set two aims: send more news to members and connect them with suppliers of goods and services.
The magazine covered ranching news and published photographs and sketches of ranchers and ranches, along with breeding, feed, artificial insemination, recipes and agricultural policy. Roscoe Wilson and Richard Schaus contributed articles, and news of the CowBelles, the ranch women's organization, appeared regularly. Schaus edited the Cattlelog from 1962 to 1975 and wrote historical pieces until 1980.
In January 1977, under a new format and publisher, the title changed to Arizona Cattlegrowers Association Outlook. The original name returned in February 1985. University of Arizona Libraries Special Collections holds a run of the magazine.
Arizona Cattlelog Today
The Arizona Cattlelog continues as the ACGA's member magazine, with recent issues posted online through Issuu and the association's website. ACGA describes itself as a grassroots nonprofit serving Arizona cow-calf producers through county chapters, with a mission to protect, promote and sustain Arizona cattle ranching for present and future generations through advocacy, policy formation and education.
What Arizona Cattlelog Is Publishing Now
Policy and public lands
Grazing permits on federal and state trust land, water, wildlife and border issues, and updates from the association's lobbying work in Phoenix and Washington.
Ranch management
Range and drought management, herd health, genetics and marketing, often with University of Arizona Cooperative Extension specialists.
Ranch families and heritage
Profiles of ranching families, CowBelles news, convention coverage and Arizona ranch history, a tradition that runs back to the Schaus years.
Arizona Cattlelog Editors and Staff
Historic editors and association figures named in the archive record and recent coverage include:
- Richard Schaus - Former Editor (1962-1975)
- Abbie Keith - Former association secretary, launched the 1923 market newsletter
- Ali Schindler - ACGA Communications Director, as reported by Cowboy Lifestyle Network
- Mike Gannuscio - ACGA President, as reported by Cowboy Lifestyle Network
Who Reads Arizona Cattlelog
Readers are Arizona ranchers, most of them cow-calf operators on rangeland. A University of Arizona Cooperative Extension study found that grazing land covers 73% of Arizona's land area and about 98% of its agricultural land. In 2011 cattle and calf sales topped $800 million, and the beef industry's total contribution to state output reached $1.7 billion, supporting 8,758 jobs. In 2012 some 3,364 Arizona operations sold cattle, the second most common type of farm in the state.
Arizona ranchers deal with heat, drought, distance and paperwork from several land agencies at once, so a sense of humor is standard ranch equipment. farm.FM serves farm satire, farm humor and ranch humor that a Cattlelog reader can enjoy while waiting for the monsoon. Its farm jokes are drier than a stock tank in June, which is meant as praise.
Part newsroom, part radio dial, farm.FM bills itself as America's first satirical farm site and plays Tractor Tunes, its country music for farmers. Browse a farm.FM writer's back catalog to see the style.
Arizona Cattlelog Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- University of Arizona Libraries: Arizona Cattlelog - the magazine's first issue and archive.
- Arizona Historical Society: ACGA records - the 1903 founding and Cattlelog history.
- UA Cooperative Extension: Beef and the Arizona economy - jobs, sales and grazing land data.
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - Arizona cattle inventory statistics.
- Cowboy Lifestyle Network: Arizona Cattle Growers' Association - the association's mission and leaders.
Arizona Cattlelog FAQ
Who publishes the Arizona Cattlelog?
The Arizona Cattle Growers' Association, based in Mesa, Arizona.
When did the Arizona Cattlelog start?
The first issue appeared in September 1945.
Did the Arizona Cattlelog ever change its name?
Yes. From January 1977 to February 1985 it was titled Arizona Cattlegrowers Association Outlook.
When was the Arizona Cattle Growers' Association founded?
It organized in Tucson in October 1903 and was formally established in Phoenix on January 4, 1904.
Eight decades after its first issue, the Arizona Cattlelog still tells the story of Arizona ranching to the people who live it.