By Audrey Bunnell, Swette Center student worker
On a balmy January day, I drove deep into the Superstition Mountains to find Winkelman, Arizona. This rural town is the home of Heartquist Hollow Family Farm, a ranch centered on regenerative grazing and responsible meat production.
Scott and Christie Heartquist started the ranch as a small homestead in Gilbert, AZ, as a way to teach their children where food comes from. But the Heartquist’s operation quickly outgrew their property in Gilbert, and they began looking for a larger space to house their sheep and cattle. In 2021, they purchased their family ranch in Winkelman, and moved their operation out to the new space, which included a small meat processing facility on-site.
I made my way out to Heartquist Hollow for a field day organized by the ASU Swette Center as part of their work leading the Arizona Transition to Organic Partnership Program (AZ TOPP). The primary goal of AZ TOPP is to help food producers transition their operations to organic through mentorship and technical assistance. The Swette Center team managing the program pairs aspiring organic producers, called mentees, with experienced organic mentors to guide them through the transition and certification process. They also host regular events like these to help further collaboration and information sharing.
Farm Tour
During our visit to the farm, Scott and Christie treated our group to a tour of the ranch and its facilities, accompanied by Christie’s deaf Australian Shepherd, Gypsy. Christie first took us to the lambing pen, where we encountered a flock of pregnant ewes, along with the Heartquist’s bottle-fed calf, Thumper. Needless to say, Thumper captured the hearts of our tour group and became somewhat of an instant celebrity.
With our tour group now in a fantastic mood, we moved on to discussing the logistics of Scott and Christie’s ranch. They explained their process for selecting sheep breeds, answered questions from the crowd, and took the time to dispel some common misconceptions.
For example, consumers often believe that organic ranchers will force sick livestock to go without treatment to avoid the use of antibiotics. But, as Scott explained, this is simply not the case:
"I don’t know any rancher that would force an animal to suffer. If an animal needs treatment, we’ll give them antibiotics. The key thing is that we separate that animal from the rest, and never market that meat as organic."
Christie also revealed some of the challenges inherent in raising livestock in rural Arizona. When they first moved onto their ranch in Winkelman, they situated their ewes and lambs near a creek on the property, but quickly learned that this made them vulnerable to attacks from wildlife.
“We’ve had a lot of animals killed by predators like coyotes. An eleven pound lamb isn’t unreasonable for an eagle either,” Christie explained.
Since then, the Heartquists have found that moving their sheep away from a water source results in fewer wildlife encounters and improved survivability for their flock.
Our tour then diverted to the Heartquists’ meat processing facility, where they slaughter and process their own meat. After obtaining the facility in 2021, Scott and Christie expanded on the original structure by adding an office, mudroom, and several fridge and freezer spaces. During our visit, employees worked to break down fresh beef into common cuts before packaging it. The sealed packages are emblazoned with the Heartquist Hollow logo.
The Heartquists, TOPP mentees, have set a goal to make this facility the first certified organic one in Arizona. Achieving this objective would be a game-changer for the organic industry in this state. For years, producers have struggled to certify their livestock as organic due to the absence of a local certified processor, even if the animals are already being raised according to organic standards. The presence of an organic meat processing facility would pave the way for ranchers across Arizona to finally achieve organic certification.
Departing from the facility, the Heartquists then took us on a tour of the rest of the ranch, where we learned about an ongoing collaboration with Henry’s Egg Farm. Henry’s Egg Farm is a 20-acre farm in Morristown, AZ, that sells their eggs locally at farmers markets. Because they hatch their own chickens, they often find themselves with an oversupply of roosters that, as an egg business, they don’t have a use for. Recently, they partnered with the Heartquists, who purchased their male chickens to use for poultry production. It’s still an experimental arrangement, but if it succeeds, it would be mutually beneficial for both farms.
Past the newly-constructed chicken enclosure, we witnessed the sheep practicing rotational grazing in real-time. Christie explained that she has created movable electric fences, allowing her to transport the sheep pen to a new location every few days. This ensures that the sheep have consistent access to fresh grass and prevents a single area from being overgrazed.
Group Discussion
Our tour then concluded, and we headed back to the front patio to hear about organic marketing from a panel of experts.
We first heard a special guest lecture from Courtney Boyer, Supply Chain Manager at Duncan Family Farms. Courtney discussed some of the strategies their team has successfully used to get local organic produce into big box stores, such as providing samples and connecting with the company’s marketing team. She also stressed the importance of maintaining a social media presence as a producer, as it provides brand recognition and potential leverage when negotiating with a buyer.
This was followed by a panel discussion including Courtney, Christie Heartquist, and Carmen Nugent, a former Heartquist Hollow employee that now manages Pivot Produce. Courtney, Christie, and Carmen talked about their shared experiences marketing organic goods, and explained their strategies for pricing effectively, navigating organic certification, and connecting with consumers.
This event brought together community partners from ranching, government, academia, and retail to learn what responsible meat production can look like and how to market it successfully. The Heartquists are not only working to produce their own organic, responsibly raised meat, but are creating resources that will empower other ranchers to do the same. These grassroots efforts are at the heart of the Swette Center’s strategic priority to advance organic agriculture and policy. By providing opportunities for community members to collaborate and mutually succeed, the organic industry in Arizona will have the power to grow, thrive, and endure for years to come.