STEWARDSHIP
As farmers and ranchers, we wear a lot of hats.
On any given day, we’re bookkeepers, irrigators, cooks, cowboys, fence-fixers, cattle doctors, and soil scientists, depending on what the occasion calls for.
But though agriculture is different across the country, and we all play a different role in different operations, we’re confident that the title we’d all agree is the most important is that of “steward.” Stewardship is the value that our way of life forces us to embody, day in and day out. We’re stewards of our animals, our land, our families, and our communities, with the good fortune to see the deep connection between all those parts of life.
From the outside in, it might seem confusing that we spend so much time and energy raising and caring for an animal that we end up utilizing for food. It might seem unbelievable that we can truly care about those animals. But ranchers do everything they can, every day, to ensure that their animals thrive. We feel deeply the responsibility of raising food for our, and your, families. A lot of it is unseen work, like the dedication to finding and gathering every last cow, fighting the difficult ones to move them to fresh feed and water up on the mountain. It’s checking and double checking first calf heifers late into the night, waiting for their calves to stand up and nurse, ready to jump in if necessary. It’s taking every possible step to reduce stress for our animals and give them the best possible quality of life. There are so many times when it would be easier to take a short cut, and yet, it seems like every time we’re presented with that option, we end up taking the harder road.
We take care of our land even though every dry California summer presents new challenges. Up on the mountain we practice intensive grazing management to keep our cows going while we hope for rain. And down at Redhouse, all of our processes are designed to optimize the health of our soil and pasture to grow beef for years to come.
We steward our families and our communities.
The agricultural community is an incredibly special one that gives to each other however it can, whether it’s helping out at a neighbor’s branding or sharing what we can with those in need. Those of us lucky enough to have grown up in it have learned valuable lessons from our elders our whole lives, and those of us who came into it as adults are lucky enough to be welcomed in, judged on character and work ethic rather than the superficial qualities we see glorified so much today.
Being a rancher requires a delicate balance of sensitivity and grit, and a desire to do the right thing — the best thing — even when it’s hard. But it’s a responsibility we feel blessed to have been called to. Stewardship means coming into a deeper understanding of the world around us and learning how it grows, moves, and what it needs to live. It’s recognizing our role in a much bigger picture, and doing what we can to improve our small piece.