Ramstead Ranch Mission

Stan, Jean and Eileen

We help define the highest standard of regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture, to us, is defined as managing our farm in ways that improve the health of all components of the ecosystem by creating synergy and mimicking the diversity of nature. We respect our water, land, animals, people, and the planet and offer a safe refuge to host all wildlife.

Animals at Ramstead Ranch live as nature intended. We know that animals flourish when they eat the foods they evolved to eat, and live outdoors, basking in sunshine and fresh air. Ruminants (cattle and lambs) eat only grass and graze as long as possible throughout the season.  Omnivores (pigs and poultry) receive balanced nutrition, so we offer non-GMO grains, and they actively gleen what they want from our pastures. Their lives are in harmony with nature and they live a high quality life every day. This enables our animals to express their unique character. As Joel Salatin says, we honor, “the pigness of the pig.”  

Ramstead Ranch seeks to reduce and eliminate waste from our regenerative system. We seek and adopt technologies and practices that decrease our carbon footprint. We are continually learning from nature. The more we understand, the more we realize nature loves to give free rides if you learn how to plug in, interact, and contribute. 

To demonstrate our excellence in land and animal stewardship we provide transparency to anyone interested. We want our customers to experience the ranch and to learn more about the ways regenerative agriculture is healing the ecosystem. We open the ranch to farm tours, both virtual and in-person, so everyone can experience the ranch.

We believe in learning

At Ramstead Ranch we have learned from nature that true intelligence preserves itself and attitude is everything. We believe life-long learning and personal growth is regeneration of the mind, and we value education for ourselves and others.  

 We implement this value through the following actions:

• We dedicate ourselves to continual education. 
• We encourage learning opportunities for others by offering on-farm experiences.
• We invite creative, multidisciplinary collaboration with professionals and enthusiasts whose values resonate with ours.
• We listen to our land, our animals, each other, and our customers with the intent to understand.
• We foster a self-improving and self-correcting work environment. 
• We help promote the success and spread of regenerative agriculture for the health of our environment.

We study the techniques, methods, understandings, and attitudes of successful people and companies (whether mainstream academia or out-of-the-box thinkers), to evolve our service to the land, animals, customers and ourselves.  

Our thoughtfully compiled list of resources for self-improvement and education is full of creative and diverse ideas. We share these ideas by hosting a variety of classes, workshops, activities, and demonstrations at the farm to support the learning of others and facilitate networking with like-minded people.  

Dedication to being better everyday, both personally and professionally, motivates us to implement the best of what we learn. As a result, Ramstead Ranch is an environment worthy of a top-shelf, elite teaching facility.

We support optimal human health

At Ramstead, we support active lifestyles, empower spiritual journeys, and provide healthful foods to our community.

Supporting active lifestyles- We promote recreation in nature for ourselves and others because we believe nature connects us with our best selves. We encourage our customers on their individual health journey and we invite participation in Ramstead’s Powered By Pasture Adventure Team.

Empowering spiritual journeys- Ramstead provides a peaceful, safe venue for self reflection and healing. We offer a place to harmonize with nature and put our spiritual ideas into practice.

Providing healthful foods- We are changing the local food system by increasing access to healthy, nourishing foods at a reasonable cost. We know that optimal human health relies on clean air, clean soil, and clean living. We intentionally raise the healthiest meats and source ingredients that offer customers minimally processed options in order to provide clean and nutritious food.

We are responsible stewards of our land

At Ramstead Ranch, we strive to enhance all we touch and leave everything better than we found it. To improve our ecosystem, we use evidence-based results and peer-reviewed science.  

Values- A diverse ecosystem, in harmony with nature 

• Increase water quality and quantity
• Optimal soil health
• Soil microbial health 
• Accountability for our actions

Actions- Efficiently convert sunshine to biomass

• NO use of commercial fertilizers or pesticides, which throw nutrients out of balance and harm soil microbes.
• Practice rotational grazing with multispecies to stimulate soil microbe and plant health.
• Increase ground cover to improve water retention and reduce runoff turbidity.

Stewardship goals/metrics- How do we know we are reaching our goals?

• 100% rainwater retention to reduce runoff and promote healthy soils
• 95-100% ground cover year round
• Clean surface waters to keep the ecosystem healthy 
• Sequester carbon in soils and increase soil organic matter 
• Increase the number of animals we can graze on our land

We engage our like-minded community to build regional food resilience

Our community includes like-minded people, living near or far, who share our values and implement them in their work and play.

We build trust through transparency and openness by inviting customers to experience how the farm operates. We have an open-door policy and offer farm tours, both online and in person. Our picturesque, tidy, and clean farm is a place anyone can come and feel the connection with nature and their food, making us a valuable member of our community.

To strengthen and enhance this community, we:

• Network with like-minded people and organizations
• Work to bring our products to the communities that seek out nourishing foods, raised in harmony with nature.
• Partner with producers with similar goals to expand product offerings
• Utilize local butchers that offer transparency and kind handling

We are good neighbors and strengthen our local community

We set a good example of an agriculture business and strive to be a source of pride and value in our community. In addition to providing jobs and leadership, we encourage the local economy by purchasing from other local businesses. We are good neighbors who can be relied upon for help when needed.

We maintain a robust business that enables us to continue our mission

We are committed to running a healthy business with a sound profit that can thrive for many years to come. Healthy businesses enhance all employee lives, support balanced lifestyles, and facilitate guilt-free time off to recreate and be with family. We foster a culture of appreciation, teamwork, and creative problem solving. We love working outdoors.

We strive to be an excellent employer by:

• Offering good hours and fair wages, and empowering our employees.  
• Systematizing tasks to make them efficient, simple, and easy to teach and complete.  
• Organizing projects and tasks so that they can be used as teaching tools. 
• Maintaining written agreements between Ramstead Ranch and all employees.
• Holding ourselves accountable through planning and follow-up.

We leverage our creative business plan to act as an inspiration by demonstrating success. This enables us to support others in charting a course for their own success in regenerative, profitable farming.  

We revisit this vision annually to evaluate our progress and refine our trajectory.

Connect

The missing link in today's broken food system is you! We offer our customers a direct connection to the animals and the land that their food comes from. We invite you to come visit the ranch to see how our animals live. Take a walk in the pastures and learn how our farming practices work in harmony with nature. We offer on-farm events such as our Hands-on Shearing Day and farm tours that give you the opportunity to come experience life on the farm. There is no better way for us to provide transparency and accountability than to have you come to the farm that raises your food. 

Nourish

We believe that each individuals’ health is their own responsibility. The human body is an amazing machine with the inherent ability to fight disease and to provide us with a means to experience this amazing adventure of life. There is no better way to facilitate your body's optimal functioning than by providing yourself with the best nutrition possible.

We offer you the healthiest meats we know how to raise. We believe human health is inextricably linked to environmental and animal health. By providing our animals clean water and by keeping our soils healthy and free from chemicals, we nourish the plants and animals living on the land. Those animals in turn provide optimal nutrition for us.

Regenerate

It is no secret that industrial agricultural practices harm the environment in countless ways. By employing out-of-the-box approaches and non-conventional techniques for pasture management, we seek to improve the health of the land that we farm. We build organic matter in the soil. We facilitate healthy microbial activity, and we promote a diverse eco-system in our pastures and in the surrounding wild areas. We honor nature through our stewardship and foresee a healthier future.

Thrive

We promote abundant health using natural means. Modern agriculture is flush with short cuts that reduce animal well-being and health. By contrast, we want our animals to thrive in a natural environment.                                  

We use regenerative farming practices like managing weeds by grazing them rather than using harmful chemicals. We fertilize our pastures using the animals' natural and well-balanced waste instead of synthetic fertilizers. These farming practices may sound old fashioned but are incredibly effective and allow us to work with nature rather than fight against it.

Educate

There is a gathering tide of everyday folks who want to know more about the simple act of raising food and providing sustenance for themselves. The lost traditions of our ancestors are becoming the subject of our curiosity, and we are finding ways to weave the old wisdom back into our modern lives.  Join us for a class or event here at the farm, get hands on with the animals, and learn while doing.  Experience is the best teacher, and we love to learn along with you.