The Ranch
H Lazy P Cattle Company's home ranch spreads around 480 acres of pasture. It consists of hay meadows with senior water rights that are irrigated and harvested for winter feed. The meadows are also used for fall and winter pasture.
All of our first calf heifers, and most of our mature cows, are wintered and calved out on the ranch. There are 80+ acres, below the meadows, that are filled with Cottonwood trees. The trees make a great place for the mature herd to calve and offers some protection from the weather. The first calf heifers are kept close to the barn and brought up to the main corrals every night to be monitored.
On site, we have a full set of working corrals and shipping facilities for cattle management. We hold several leases on land around the area to expand and accommodate the herd when needed. In the summer months we spread out the herd according to water, terrain and pasture size.
The Family
H Lazy P Cattle Company is a family run business, with the main partners being Eric and Kalli Bell and Eric's parents, Mike and Connie Bell.
With that being said, there is much more to the story....
Let's start with Mike, he has been a part of the cattle industry for most of his life. Both sides of his family have been involved in some form of the ranching business for many generations. The H lazy P brand came from Mike's great, great, great grandfather! (Read more about the brand below).
Mike's wife, Connie grew up on the ranch, which is now H lazy P's head quarters. Her family ran cattle on the ranch for most of her childhood. Her father, Bob, ran cattle there for several decades before it was passed on to the next generations.
In 1978 Mike and Connie were married and together they raised three wild boys on the ranch. The eldest son Eric, found a love for ranching at a young age helping his dad and granddad work cows. After graduating, he found a passion training cutting horses, but always felt the desire to return home. After years of being away Eric returned to the ranch to build a quality commercial cattle herd. With help from his parents, Mike and Connie, H Lazy P Cattle Company, LLC was born.
Mike and Connie over see the finance portion and maintain relationships with existing, as well as, new investors. As the ranch manager, Eric has many tasks that vary with the seasons. He is in charge of all the day-to-day operations, caring for and maintaining the herd, and keeping herd records. Mike and Connie's younger sons, Keith and Ryan, help when needed in all aspects of the ranch.
In 2015 Eric married his wife, Kalli, in a beautiful ranch wedding. The cattle industry and western lifestyle has been an influence in both of their family's. They hope to share and continue the western lifestyle with their two children, Bodie and Macie.
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The Cows
H Lazy P Cattle Company runs a commercial cattle herd consisting of black Angus and Simmental cross cows, or black Angus and Hereford cross cows (also known as Black Baldy's). We have chosen these breeds for many reasons; the Angus cattle, more so the black Angus, are known for their high carcass yield with excellent marbling. They are also resistant to harsh weather, early to mature, and have good fertility. They are a very market friendly breed that crosses well with both the Simmental and the Hereford breeds. The Simmental's are an adaptable breed allowing them to thrive in different climates and weather conditions, making them a good breed for our cold winters and hot summers. They have high productivity, and are known for their good milking and quality meat yield. The Herefords are widely known for their excellent mothering, good milking and overall docile nature. They are a weather resistant breed, easy to maintain and have great productivity and longevity. The cross of these breeds increases the growth and determination of our calves.
The quality, good natured and mature heifer calves are kept every year. We breed them to bulls that are known for calving ease, allowing most the heifers to calve naturally. By keeping heifers from our mature cows, we see how our herd is producing. We have generations of mothers now that are producing quality and uniform calves.
The Brand
Henry Pfaff and his two brothers sailed to the United States from Germany, in the late 1890's. Henry then made his way west to Colorado. In 1898, he built a homestead near Hudson, Colorado. On January 26, 1901 the H Lazy P brand was registered with the Colorado Brand Board. It was then passed on to Henry's grandson, John Pfaff on February 2, 1945. John Pfaff ran a feedlot, along with herd of around 400+ mother cows. After John passed, the brand then made it's way to Hayden, Colorado. It was transfered to John's grandson, Mike Bell, on February 7, 1992. The H Lazy P brand has been on the left hip of cattle for six generations.