James Ranch - Grass Finished Beef Cattle
The 130 head of Red Angus fat steers that roam the James Ranch live a pretty good life. And that’s something that is directly conveyed to ranch patrons who enjoy healthy, high-quality beef raised in an environmentally sustainable manner. Dave and Kay James pride themselves on their 100% grass-fed and finished beef cattle operation, one of four family-owned enterprises that operate on the 450 irrigated acre James Ranch, owned by the family for 48 years.
The cattle eat a healthy diet of low lignin grasses and clovers from pastures free of insecticides and herbicides, and are never given hormones or antibiotics. The Jameses handle their livestock in a low-stress manner and their rotational grazing practices mimic the way predators would move the animals, leaving pastures that are robust and naturally fertilized. This means healthier beef for the consumer and a healthier operation for the environment.
And a healthy environment is what Dave and Kay James further created when they placed 81-acres of the cattle’s grazing grounds under conservation easement with La Plata Open Space. With another conservation easement planned in the future, the Jameses continue to add more permanent open space to the North Animas Valley, as well as a family legacy of providing only the best agricultural products to the community.