Why Summer Is the Best Time to Buy Local Beef in Marin County
By Scott Dunbar,
Stewardship Program Manager
July 2, 2025
Summer arrives in Marin County with a subtle fade—the hills slowly trading their emerald for gold. It’s a season of transition that the local ranching community knows well, the end of grass season. As the hills turn, the grasses and forbs that comprise our coastal pastures no longer provide the nutrition cattle need to thrive. What looks iconically Californian to visitors signals to local ranchers that it’s time to sell or harvest their animals.
For those looking to buy local beef in Marin County, this seasonal window represents something rare: the chance to purchase grass-fed beef at its absolute peak while directly supporting the small operations that depend on this moment for their survival. Right now—as the grass goes dormant and cattle reach market weight—is quite simply the best time to buy local beef in Marin County, both for what you’ll get on your table and for what your purchase means to the future of ranching in our community.
In peak condition from the spring abundance, these animals represent months of careful grazing across Marin’s coastal grasslands—the land’s fertility transformed.
When the Land Sets the Schedule
“We believe that successful ranching means being in tune with natural cycles,” explains Mandy Schmidt of the MALT-protected Marin Coast Ranch, part of the Brazil family operation. “Whether it’s timing our grazing to support salmonid habitat and sensitive riparian areas, or helping our customers understand why beef availability follows grass growth patterns, everything we do is about working with nature rather than against it.”
For the ranching families in Marin County, the change of the seasons isn’t something you negotiate, it’s something you respect. Winter storms barrel in from the Pacific like clockwork, dumping most of our rain between November and March before the weather patterns shift and push those storm tracks north toward Alaska. It’s a reliable cycle that everything here—from wildflowers to cattle ranchers—has learned to work with.
Understanding what livestock actually graze on reveals the complexity of these seasonal patterns. Marin’s coastal pastures and grasslands are composed of both grasses and forbs—the broadleaf plants that grow alongside grasses. Livestock graze on this diverse mix and depend on the nutrition and protein gleaned from these broadleaf plants as much as from the grasses themselves. The forbs provide essential nutrients and variety in the animals’ diet, contributing to both their health and the flavor of the meat.
“People ask us why we can’t just keep finished, harvest ready cattle on grass year-round,” Schmidt notes. “But that’s like asking why we can’t harvest tomatoes in January. The grass tells us when it’s ready, and when it’s done. Our job is to listen.”
The timing of this seasonal shift varies between the different types of grasses that make up our pastures. Annual grasses complete their entire life cycle in one year, germinating with the first rains, growing through winter and spring, then setting seed and withering as summer approaches.
Perennial grasses, on the other hand, have established root systems that allow them to survive multiple years, going dormant and conserving energy in summer but returning with the rains. Both types follow the same general pattern—by late spring, when high pressure systems park themselves over the region and the storm door slams shut, they begin their summer dormancies. Concentrating what nutrition they can in their seeds and roots (respectively)—next season’s offerings—their stems cure and they turn from green to gold.
For the plants, it’s simple evolution. But for the ranching community, it’s nature’s way of saying “time’s up.”
Mandy Schmidt at her family’s Marin Coast Ranch near Tomales, protected by a MALT agricultural conservation easement in 1992, where careful grazing management supports both cattle production and the health of coastal grasslands and riparian areas.
Beyond the Ranch Gate
For the ranchers who sell local beef directly to consumers, the end of the grass season is harvest time. Right now, these producers are beginning to process their cattle, and having sufficient consumer demand during this critical period can make or break their year.
“When people buy directly from us during harvest season, they’re not just purchasing beef—they’re investing in our ability to keep doing this work. Each cut of beef that we sell has been almost three years worth of planning,” Schmidt explains. “That support during our critical window is what allows us to plan for next year, to keep our grazing practices sustainable, and to maintain the land stewardship that benefits everyone in the county.”
Direct-to-consumer sales create connections between ranchers and the people who eat their beef—relationships that make the difference between viewing ranching as just a business and seeing the benefits that extend far beyond the ranch gate.
Purchasing local food supports a way of managing land that creates benefits for the entire regional economy and ecosystem. The cattle grazing our coastal grasslands are actively maintaining grassland health, preventing wildfire fuel buildup, and preserving the open character that defines Marin County’s identity. Organizations like MALT have long understood that protecting agricultural land means protecting the practices that sustain it—we depend on our ranching community to steward this landscape.
The Best Time for Seasonal Beef Buying
While many producers offer frozen beef throughout the year, the harvest season is when fresh processing happens and when ranchers most need consumer support to make their seasonal economics work. Now is the time to best celebrate our local ranching community and the fruits of their labor.
“This is when our cattle are at their absolute peak,” Schmidt says. “They’ve had months on our best pastures, converting all that spring growth into marbled, flavorful meat. When you taste the difference, you understand why we work so hard to time everything just right.”
Know that when you buy local beef in Marin County during this harvest season, you’re getting meat from animals that have spent their entire lives on our coastal grasslands, converting the spring abundance into both exceptional flavor and nutrition as well as resilient and healthy grasslands. Whether you purchase fresh or frozen, this grass-fed beef represents the culmination of months of careful grazing management and dedication to craft.
Buy Local
Visit our Buy Local page to connect with Marin County beef producers. Know that your interest and support helps protect our working landscapes, supports ranching families and brings something irreplaceable to your table.
Considering a larger purchase? Our previous Director of Operations bought a half a cow and here’s what happened next.
Note for vegetarian and vegan readers: While this article focuses on local beef production, we recognize that many in our community choose plant-based diets for personal, environmental, or ethical reasons. The ranching practices discussed here—rotational grazing, grassland stewardship, and sustainable land management—also benefit our local ecosystem in ways that support all residents, including the preservation of open space and wildlife habitat that vegetarians and meat-eaters alike value in Marin County.