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For many successful business
ventures, each piece of the past builds on itself to make way
for an even greater future – like the pieces of a puzzle coming
together to reveal a stunning picture.
Yolo Land & Cattle Co. operated by the Hank Stone family of
Woodland, CA, can relate to such an analogy. The ranch has a
long-standing family history that is today transcending into a
diversified agricultural operation that includes crops and
cattle as well as facets of agritourism and marketing grass-fed
beef.
Much of the success at Yolo Land & Cattle Co. stems from their
philosophy that focuses on the land. It states, “If you take
care of the land, the land will take care of you.” Here, Western
Cowman spotlights this unique ranch.
From The Beginning
Yolo Land & Cattle Co. was formed in 1976 as a partnership
between Henry H. Stone and John B. Anderson. The partnership ran
up to 1,000 commercial cows and 1,200 stockers every year on
ranches in California and Nevada. In 1983 the partnership was
dissolved, but Henry Stone kept the ranch headquarters and
carried on the Yolo Land & Cattle Co. name. Son Scott joined the
business in 1984, and son Casey became a partner in 1991.
Today, the ranch remains a true family business. Presently,
Scott manages the commercial cattle operation, which produces
grassfed natural Angus beef on multiple deeded and leased
ranches. Henry manages the purebred Angus operation, which
produces seedstock for the commercial operation. Casey manages
the irrigated pasture and farming operation, which includes
hay and wheat. Scott’s wife Karen oversees a new direct beef
marketing enterprise, and Casey’s wife Angela oversees the agri-tourism
and specialty food products operation.
Of the transitions the ranch has made through its history, Casey
notes that the mid-1990’s was a turning point for their focus on
conservation.
He says, “Prior to the mid 90’s, we were a traditional cow-calf/
stocker operation, subject to the cycles of the commodity
markets. We produced high quality beef, with mostly Angus
genetics, but we weren’t receiving enough financial benefit for
that quality. From a resource standpoint, we were managing our
ranch according to traditional protocol, and arguably, we
weren’t putting much back into the landscape.”
Then, Scott attended an intensive “Ranching for Profit” school,
which emphasized utilizing and enhancing all available assets on
your ranch, and looking outside the box for additional revenue
sources. Casey says, “Scott brought this knowledge back into the
operation and opened our eyes to new possibilities.”
Partnering Up
As the Stone’s interest in conservation was taking off in the
mid-1990’s, at about the same time the Natural Resources
Conservation Service had a relatively new program called the
Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQIP) that offered
numerous conservation cost-share opportunities.
“We were fortunate to have a very progressive local NRCS
director who worked hard to secure funds for our county. We were
able to leverage these funds into a variety of restoration
projects on our headquarters ranch,” says Casey.
Another partnership that the Stone’s developed was with Audubon
California, which offered a Landowner Stewardship Program in
their county as a way to promote water quality improvements on
private lands.
Casey tells, “Since our ranch is the source for two watersheds,
they were eager to help us achieve our conservation objectives,
both with manpower and funding.”
Additional partners through the years have included working with
the local Resource Conservation District for technical
assistance, and the Center for Land-based Learning, which brings
out urban students to rural areas to learn about natural
habitats and working landscapes. “By helping us complete
conservation projects, the kids get to enjoy implementing
something they’re learning in the classroom,” adds Casey.
Today, the rewards of such partnerships are evident. Casey says,
“The various partnerships allowed us to create a showcase for
collaboration on our ranch. We now have numerous riparian areas
that have been restored with perennial grasses and native trees,
and our stockwater quality has improved. We’re doing more
intensive grazing management, and we have greater wildlife
diversity on the ranch.” Everything from bears and mountain
lions to hawks, quail and eagles call the ranch home.
The changes have impacted their beef operation as well. “We
refined the focus of our cattle to producing superior quality
grassfed natural beef, and our cattle are marketed at a premium
through a variety of branded programs, most notably Panorama
Meats, Inc, a western consortium of conservation-minded
producers,” explains Casey. He adds that Panorama supplies
conventional and organic grassfed beef to Trader Joes, Whole
Foods, and fine restaurants.
Sharing the Knowledge
Another aspect that has emerged at Yolo Land & Cattle as a
result of their conservation partnerships is an emphasis on
teaching others about land stewardship and working together.
“Our ranch has become a showcase for highlighting
the effectiveness of conservation partnerships; and we believe
that we have an obligation to show the general public how their
tax dollars are being used with regard to EQIP funding and other
NRCS programs that we participate in,” says Casey.
In addition to hosting student groups and the public, many
visitors to Yolo Land & Cattle are conservation partners
themselves. For example, NRCS used the ranch for a training
seminar three years ago allowing new staff from across the US to
come out, develop a site conservation plan on the ranch, and
then enjoy a wonderful BBQ dinner.
From that event Casey says, “We were then able to use their site
plan to restore one of the under-utilized areas on our ranch,
and turn it into a model project.”
Many ranch visitors are interested in the grassfed beef aspect
of the operation. Annually, students from the Culinary Institute
of America’s New York campus visit Yolo Land & Cattle.
“They enjoy hearing about our grassfed beef program, and then
getting a chance to taste the product directly from the source,”
says Casey.
The ranch is also a popular day-trip destination throughout the
year for numerous senior groups from the San Francisco
area. Casey says, “Seniors really appreciate the fact that our
family members host the tours and serve the food.”
And, because of the increasing interest by the public to attend
tours and events at the ranch, the Stone family recognized an
opportunity to develop a line of beef products, caps, shirts and
mugs to complement the tours. “This offers folks something from
the ranch to take home with them. We also sell some of these
specialty products at local stores. It all helps supplement the
ranch income,” explains Casey.
He adds, “The agri-tourism segment of our operation is a small
component of the overall business, but we feel that it gives us
a chance to interact with the general public and tell our
story.”
Still More To Do
Looking forward, this family operation sees nothing but
opportunity on the horizon. Currently, they are developing a
direct marketing program to satisfy local demand for their
grassfed beef. Karen Stone is coordinating the effort, which
will involve Internet and retail sales.
And, their conservation goals are also still at the forefront.
Casey says, “We have many additional areas on our ranch that we
would like to enhance. This year we are embarking on a large
cross-fencing project that will allow us to improve grazing
management on a very large paddock. We have also completed
several conservation projects on neighboring ranches that we
lease, and more are in the works. Our landlords have seen the
tangible benefits of what we have accomplished on our own ranch,
and they have been willing participants.”
In offering words of advice to other beef producers and land
owners about investing
in conservation, Casey says, “Get to know the conservation
groups in your own county, and find out what programs
exist. With the pressures and time constraints of running a
business, there is no way that most producers can take on these
projects individually, so don’t be afraid to seek out partners.”
He adds that the new Farm Bill looks promising for conservation
funding, especially for the EQIP program. Casey concludes,
“Participation in these programs has been extremely gratifying
for us, and it has opened new doors for our business.”
For more information visit
www.yololandandcattle.com.
Overcoming
Obstacles
Casey Stone of Yolo Land & Cattle Co. admits that along with
success come challenges too. He shares some of the obstacles
they’ve faced and how they dealt with such issues:
Stone says, “One of the biggest challenges we overcame was
dealing with the fall-out from years of depressed cattle and
commodity prices. In 2002, my brother Scott initiated the
process of placing the bulk of our headquarters ranch into a
permanent conservation easement.”
Funding for the easement was made possible from the Wildlife
Conservation Board, and the Great Valley Center. The easement
was completed in 2005, and is held in perpetuity by the
California Rangeland Trust. “The funds we received allowed us to
diversify our portfolio, providing greater economic stability
when commodity prices are low. At the same time, we were able to
preserve a unique working landscape for future generations,”
says Stone.
Stone identifies doing business in California as another
obstacle that presents its own unique set of challenges in terms
of consumer education, but he adds, “It also provides incredible
opportunities for marketing products. What has helped our cause
in recent years is that people have a desire to know the origin
of their food. We as producers cannot be content to sit back and
let the media and world markets dictate our future. We have to
be able to reach out to our urban neighbors to help them
understand our livelihood, and the benefits that we provide to
the environment.”
As a third obstacle, Stone says, “It’s always a challenge
working in a family business, with everyone managing their own
little piece of the puzzle, trying to keep focused on the big
picture.”
To that end, he says, “We have strived to maintain and
improve communication among family members, so that everyone’s
input is valued and appreciated. Trying to meet regularly to
discuss new concepts and air concerns is difficult with busy
lives, but it is crucial for the success of any operation.” |
