Meet Arizona Agriculture’s Cole and Angie Newbold. A fast paced young couple that are dedicated to service, hard work, and advocating for Arizona Agriculture! Angie doesn’t mention it below, but she is the Arizona Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers chair for the state! She will also be representing Arizona in the Young Farmers & Ranchers Discussion Meet at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention in San Diego, California this coming January!


An interview with Cole and Angie Newbold of Gisela, Arizona.


Part of an ongoing series about Arizona Farming and Ranching Families. 


Talk about your farm/ranch… We take care of a cow calf operation in central Arizona. We raise commercial black cattle in over 220 sections of Arizona's rough country. What is now the Cross V is a result of several smaller ranches being purchased and put together into one larger ranch. We personally own three acres in Gila County, and over forty in Apache County.

This busy young couple, Angie and Cole Newbold, found time to dance at Arizona Farm Bureau's 93rd Annual Meeting in Scottsdale this month. The two of them are active in the agriculture industry within Young Farmers & Ranchers on both the county and state level. In January, Angie will compete at the national level in the American Farm Bureau's Young Farmers & Ranchers Discussion Meet. 


What changes have you seen in your lifetime as it relates to farming and/or ranching? Small ranches seem to have a harder time making it work with the government regulations that are currently in place. Because this area is primarily federally managed public land this ranch and all the other ranches in the area graze on Forrest Service leases. In order to keep your lease you must follow the directives the United States Forest Service issues.  


Why did you choose to go into agriculture? Ranching is a lifestyle, not a job. We both have had a lifelong passion to work and live this way. We have both tried jobs in town, but we realized it just wasn't for us.  


What generation of farming/ranching are you? Neither of us come from a ranching or farming background. Cole got into the livestock industry in his early teens.  He started day working for local ranches. He participated in FFA, and AHSRA. After high school, cowboying became a full-time job. In between ranch jobs, Cole has been a wild land firefighter, and a logger.


Angie started riding while still young and living in Tucson. Through 4H, AJRA, and later AHSRA she met several people in the livestock industry.  Between working for ranches on the weekends and holidays, and participating in FFA she learned how important it was to speak up for Agriculture.


Both of us are born and raised in Arizona, Cole is 2nd-Generation and Angie is 3rd-Generation Arizonans.


Will anyone in your family ... younger generation ... pursue farming and/or ranching? We hope to someday have children to teach this lifestyle to.


Would you ever consider growing an emerging crop or changing your farm or ranch model? If we had our own place to raise cattle we would like to remain in the cow/calf model. We would like to raise a different breed of beef cattle, though.


If not different model, how about different type of market for your product: Explain? We plan on staying in the commercial cattle business.


What are your community activities? Why are you involved? We both help during our local Ag Days. These events focus on teaching children about where their food comes from. We feel it's important to be honest with the kids about where their hamburgers come from, or even what's in their crayons as they too have some animal by-products in them. By letting them spend time at a ranch, and get hands on learning it helps show them what real farming and ranching is like.

Angie is also involved in her community with a program called Girls on the Run. The program works with girls ages 8 to 14, using running to teach self-confidence and courage. 


Angie also helps her local Girls on the Run program. This program works with girls ages 8 to 14. It uses running to help teach them self-confidence, courage, and that each of them is beautiful. It is a great program that gives young ladies a positive outlook on themselves during a very important part of their life.   


What is one fact/experience/achievement no one knows about you? Cole can bake, really truly bake. Apple pie is his specialty. Angie is a long distance runner, and currently training for her next half marathon.


What do you think you do really well? Explain. We both really love to learn.  We have a goal to never stop learning.


Why are you a farm bureau member? Farm Bureau is a true grassroots organization. It gives us a chance to have a voice in the process that outlines our industry.  


How do you participate with your county Farm Bureau? We are the current YF&R chairs for Coconino County, even though we live in Gila County. Gila County doesn’t currently have a Farm Bureau board, so we are governed by Coconino.


How will the next generation of farmers have to operate? The next generation of ranchers hopefully will continue to raise cattle and care for the land in much the same way we do today.  


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