The Skinner Family Ranch
By: Jennifer Deroin
Bob Skinner
On our way to the Skinner Family Ranch in Jordan Valley, I learn that Bob Skinner uses horse power to manage property and cattle in a region that is vast and expansive. Not the four legged equine variety, but the Cessna 182 variety. Bob oversees by plane the pipelines that water the cattle almost daily. Typically the flight takes about an hour (compared to 10 hours on land). Bob is the fifth of a seven generation ranch. Their founding father Silas Skinner, “left the high seas as a mariner, first to become a miner, and then to establish a cattle ranch on the high desert plains of Jordan Valley Oregon” according to the book High Desert Promise, The Skinner Family Legacy, penned by John Skinner, Bob’s uncle.
We approach the property which is located about thirteen miles west of Jordan Valley by exiting onto a dusty gravel road that takes us eight miles to the homestead. Bob Kemble, Doug Lamm and I have arrived to spend the day with the Skinners, tour the ranch, and attempt to capture it in pictures. We’re warmly greeted by Karen Skinner, Bob’s wife, several mouser cats and a pack of Border Collie dogs.
While we’re chatting over coffee about the kitchen remodel, in walks Kasen, grandson to Bob and Karen. He’s sharing how he woke up that morning around 5:00 a.m. (later than his often 2:00 a.m. wake-up bell), has baled hay, dealt with mechanical issues and is now spraying for mosquitoes. I marvel at the fact that most kids his age will still be asleep for another three hours before waking up to video games. I also marvel that there’s a mosquito problem in this high desert country, but I will learn why later. He’s covered in oil and dirt from the aftermath of his morning, but he smiles a big white smile through his freckles, and I’m impressed with this fourteen year-old, to say the least.
Kasen Warms Up the Water Delivery Truck
Bob arrives and shows us his latest rifle purchase. The men admire and discuss the gun for awhile and then we begin our tour. We’re headed out to haul water to the cattle using a tanker truck that’s been filled by a hose and well water – a four hour, 4,000 gallon endeavor. Kasen starts the truck to warm it up for his Grandpa, and we’re on the dusty trail.
The cattle know what his arrival signifies and they begin to file in cautiously for a drink. Red Angus are, if you can use this word for cattle, beautiful in the sunlight with their gleaming red coat. The cattle are hydrated once again and we are entertained by Clyde, Bob’s Border Collie. Together they demonstrate his herding ability, but only after Clyde takes a dunk in the cattle tank. We head back to the homestead passing what typically is swamp ground but today is barren. Bob explains that he’s only seen this ground dry three times in his life, hence the need to water the herd with the truck. As the day continues, it’s clear that outside of the cattle, the ranch focus can be summed up in one word – water.
Cattle Are Hydrated, and Curious About Their Photographer
The tour then takes us over to the farm side of the property where again, water is the topic of conversation. This ground is a stark contrast to where we’ve just been. Skinner Ranch is in the process of installing an underground pipe project that will help reduce water loss, improve water quality, improve soil conditions, and help reduce ponding. This acreage is marshy in spots and green with grasses to be harvested for feed. The loss of, and improved control of irrigation water is a concern that will now be managed with the new pipeline.
We head back to the house hungry for lunch, and there we meet the rest of the ranch family. Bob and Karen have four children, all married, and 12 grandkids. Their two sons Mike and Silas help manage the ranch and now the grandkids are involved too. We meet their beautiful wives and gather around for hamburgers, corn on the cob, salads, and Tracy’s canned jalapenos to visit and cool off in the shade. It’s there we have the chance to ask Bob a few more questions.
The following is an excerpt of our conversation:
JD: We often work with family farms and ranches, and counsel them on the risks inherently involved by the time the third generation takes over. You have seven generations now involved. What is the secret to your success?
BS: That’s a tough question. I think it’s because everybody’s wanted to stay here. Family is important to us and has been for generations. As President of the Oregon Cattleman’s Association, I saw many operations that were having trouble with the transition to the next generation. We sure hope our kids and their kids have the chance to live and work here.
JD: What’s a “day in the life of Bob Skinner” look like?
BS: There’s no way for me to completely plan a day. It’s just different all the time. You can plan the big stuff, but you can’t plan much beyond that because it’s always changing. It’s hard to know what we’re going to do until we know what we have to react to. Cattle are the priority. If we discover something wrong we put as much effort into taking care of it as we need to. It’s pretty hard to say what an average day looks like, that’s part of what makes ranching special for me.
JD: What advice would you give to other family farms?
BS: People are first. You need to take care of your people first and we try to do that. It’s important to have communication. We need to all be pulling in the same direction. I’ve also seen a lot of people that spend a lifetime getting to where they’re in charge, getting to where they are, and then it’s time to change and move on. Ranchers are cash poor and asset rich and sometimes people don’t plan and move on. I don’t mean in the literal sense, but we do need to let the younger generation be able to take charge at some point. I think it is better if it is a gradual phase-in…whatever that is. Many ranches fail in transitioning to the next generation because estate planning is no fun and very hard to do. Sometimes the kids don’t want to stick around either but you have to discuss those things.
JD: What’s the biggest challenge today’s cattle producer faces?
BS: There are a lot of big challenges. On the production side the biggest things are water, land use issues and dealing with an increasing load of regulations. If we don’t stay ahead of the power curve, pretty quickly you’re into a situation that you can’t recover from. If you don’t address everything like water, marketing, land use, and planning – to name a few – it’s easy to get behind the curve.
JD: What’s the power curve?
BS: It’s a pilot term. If you don’t have enough power to get yourself out of a situation, we call it ‘getting behind the power curve’. It’s almost impossible to recover once you let yourself get there.
JD: What will the Skinner Ranch look like in 50 years?
BS: I hope the younger generation will have the opportunity to continue on. We really don’t know what ranching will be like that far down the road, considering all of the issues we are facing, raising cattle is not the issue – preserving the right to raise cattle and continue on with a lifestyle that we enjoy may be the real issue .
And with that, we finish our strawberry shortcake and load up for the trip back. We’ve enjoyed our day with part of the Skinner family at their home. They’re preparing to share it with 120 family members in the next month for a family reunion – generations of Skinners that haven’t experienced their ranch roots. Maybe they’ll also get a glimpse of the other species that inhabit the property; Deer, elk, golden eagles, jack rabbits, lizards, pheasants, hawks and more.
While there are many challenges that face the industry, it’s also clear that there is a lot of peace and pride in their lifestyle and that they are ahead of the “power curve”. The Skinners are blessed and they take the responsibility of that blessing with appreciation and care, knowing they are guardians of a continuing legacy.
Click here to view more photos in the Skinner Family Ranch Photo Gallery.
The Skinner Ranch Family Members