For more than two centuries San Luis Obispo County farmers and ranchers have been producing agricultural commodities with a watchful eye towards stewardship and responsibility for the land.
Local farms and ranches give San Luis Obispo County much of its rural character, and provide open space, giving visitors and residents alike many of our scenic vistas. These open spaces – and cattle ranches in particular – also house thousands of native plant and animal species including deer, quail, fox, elk, bobcats and eagles. These species and many others coexist with cattle on approximately one million acres of working landscapes in San Luis Obispo County. Local cattlemen and women – most of them multi-generational beef cattle producers – are the stewards of these resources.
These ranches are spacious and mostly-wild places giving cows room to be cows – and letting them lead largely natural lives. We carefully manage grazing – moving cattle on a seasonal basis – to ensure they have ample nutrition while not depleting native vegetation. Like many other ranchers, we have demonstrated that well-managed grazing enhances the biotic condition of our native grasslands, oak woodlands and coastal prairies.
Conservation of natural resources is essential to any operation. Farmers and ranchers have an inherent responsibility not just to produce food and fiber, but to actively improve the land for the next generation. We build new fencing to exclude cattle from creeks and make rotational grazing more efficient. We build new water infrastructure to improve cattle distribution. We invest heavily in efforts to control invasive species and protect against catastrophic wildfire. These efforts improve water quality and quantity, soil condition, plant health, and wildlife populations – making the operation more sustainable and productive.
I am privileged to be part of the largest beef cattle operation in this region, consisting of the 82,000-acre Hearst Ranch in San Simeon (surrounding Hearst Castle) and the 73,000-acre Jack Ranch in Cholame. Our employees rank amongst the best cowboys and managers found anywhere, and together we produce more than 1,000 head of 100 percent grass-fed and hormone-and-antibiotic free cattle annually. Each one of these animals spends its entire life in our care, and is raised to a finished weight of 1,100 pounds entirely on grass. In fact we are the largest single-source producer of grass-fed beef in the country.
Without question, San Luis Obispo’s farmers and ranchers will continue these practices for many generations to come, benefitting our residents, our economy and the land.
Ben Higgins is the director of agricultural operations at Hearst Corporation