Ranching
Since the first Europeans began ranching in Marin County in the mid-19th century, the county's economy has been tied to livestock agriculture. Today agriculture is still the largest private land use in the county and the rangeland where Marin cattle graze is considered to be some of the best in California. In 2005, dairy and beef cattle provided animal and pasture products valued at about $42 million. Other crops, including field and nursery crops, aquaculture, and organic fruit and vegetable crops contributed an additional $11 million dollars to the value of the year's agricultural products.
Dairy Ranching
There are about 30 dairies in Marin County, California, and they provide 20% of the Bay Area's milk supply. West Marin's cool climate and rolling pastureland are ideal for dairy cows most of the year. During the muddy winter months, some local ranchers house their herds in loafing barns to lessen waste runoff. Many of them use computers to track production, feed rations, health records, and breeding information. In a computerized milking barn, one worker can milk as many as 500 cows in an eight-hour shift, pumping thousands of gallons of milk to a holding tank each day.
Some ranchers grow feed crops for silage and balance rations for cows with a daily mix of beet pulp, cotton seed, almond hulls, corn germ meal, apple pulp, tofu, or bakery scraps — the healthy trimmings and leftovers of other farmers' crops. The result is record quantities of high-quality milk.
In some ways, these modern farms are quite different from those of the great West Marin dairying empire which began on the Point Reyes Peninsula in the late 1850s. Dairy herds were small then, and all milking was done by hand. But some things don't change. Most of these ranches have passed from one generation to the next for over 100 years. Today everyone from child to grandparent continues to be involved in the business of family farming in West Marin.
As North Bay Dairy Industry members, dairymen and women recognize the importance of being good stewards of the land and compassionate caretakers of their animals. They work closely with the Resource Conservation District to develop better ways to reduce soil erosion and degradation of their lands.
On properties protected by MALT agricultural conservation easements, owners also work with MALT's conservation specialists, who document and monitor the condition of easement properties and assist landowners in water-quality monitoring and weed control.
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Beef Ranching
Marin ranchers raise about 9,000 head of beef cattle, predominantly red-and-white Herefords and black Angus. West Marin's cool climate and rolling hills are well-suited for cattle. According to an article published by the Bodega Bay Land Trust, "Grazers and grasses enjoy a symbiotic relationship: the grazing animal stimulates the grasses' growth by its munchings and keeps the pasture open by nibbling brush and young trees at the forest edge. The land is effortlessly fertilized and re-seeded by the animal manure."
Born in the fall, beef calves stay with their mothers until they are weaned in late spring when they are about seven months old and weigh 600-700 pounds. (Dairy calves and cows are separated soon after birth.) By that time, their digestive systems are more fully developed, and the calves can feed on West Marin's protein-rich spring grasses. As mid-summer approaches and the grass is down, ranchers will supplement that rich, natural feed to maintain a healthy herd.
Like other ruminants, cows have four-chambered stomachs which enable them to process inedible plant life and convert it into high-protein food for humans. After about a 16-month grazing period, beef cattle are taken to a feed lot where they remain for three-four months consuming grains and other nutrients before they are processed into meat and other edible by-products as well as inedible by-products such as leather, soap, film, sandpaper, epinephrine, insulin and other pharmaceuticals.
Grain-finished beef comprises the majority of beef produced in the United States. In contrast, animals that continue grazing as they mature are marketed as grass-fed. Raising grass-fed beef requires intensive grazing management and access to high-quality pasture. Grass-fed beef may taste a bit different from a grain-finished product due to the differences between fresh forage and feed. Animals are sold before they are harvested, usually from late summer to fall, then butchered and packed to the buyer's specifications.
In addition to being either grass-fed or grain-finished, beef can also be raised and marketed as natural or organic. Natural beef is a term used to describe animals raised without the use of growth hormones or antibiotics. Several Marin ranchers raise natural beef, and many restaurants and retailers carry these products. With heightened awareness of the human health risks associated with the consumption of hormones and antibiotics, some consumers are willing to pay more for the security of knowing their food has been produced without additives. Interestingly, production standards and methods for natural beef are entirely the producer's responsibility, and are not regulated by either the government or a non-governmental entity.
Organic standards, on the other hand, have come about through a tremendous amount of time and effort at the national level. Organic beef is hormone- and antibiotic-free; animals are raised on forage and feed grown without any type of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. As is the case with any organic producer, beef operations must be certified by an authorized third-party certification agency, such as Marin County or California Certified Organic Farmers.
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Sheep Ranching
Sheep ranching began in Marin 100 years ago. The county's rolling hills and cool climate are well-suited for grazing, and ranchers raise sheep for both meat and wool. Last year, about 10,000 sheep and lambs were raised, and over 61,000 pounds of wool were produced.
Lambs provide roasts and chops for consumers, and a significant number of sheep by-products are used by American industries. From the hide come such items as lanolin, baseballs, rugs, yarn, and fabrics. Bones, horns, and hooves are used in gelatin desserts, buttons, shampoos, dice, and photographic film. Sausage casings, surgical sutures, and musical instrument strings are created from sheep intestines. Chewing gum, paints, medicines, and dish soap are derived from sheep fats and fatty acids.
Sheep were some of the first animals to be domesticated-about 8,000 years ago-when primitive hunters noticed their flocking instinct, and found the animals to be a rich source of food and clothing. There are about 200 different breeds in the world, a dozen of which are bred commercially in the United States. Marin's sheep ranchers raise Suffolk, Dorset, Corriedale, and Shropshires, among others.
The animals are typically sheared twice a year, in the spring and fall. A highly-trained shearer can remove the wool from as many as 200 sheep in one day. The wool is sorted, washed, and combed before it is ready to be spun into yarn and woven into fabrics. Wool's versatility, durability, and feel have made it a popular material for clothing and carpets for centuries.
