Ramstead Ranch helps define the highest standard of regenerative agriculture.
We define regenerative agriculture 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 we 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) need more diverse nutrients, 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.”
We Plug In To 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.
We adopt technologies and practices that decrease our carbon footprint. We are continually learning from nature.
We reduce and eliminate waste from our regenerative system.
We demonstrate our excellence in land and animal stewardship by providing 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 the power of 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 our value for learning through the following actions:
• dedicating ourselves to continual education.
• encouraging learning opportunities for others by offering on-farm experiences.
• inviting creative, multidisciplinary collaboration with professionals and enthusiasts whose values resonate with ours.
• listening to our land, our animals, each other, and our customers with the intent to understand.
• fostering a self-improving and self-correcting work environment.
• helping promote the success and spread of regenerative agriculture for the health of our environment.
Continual Education
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.
Knowledge Sharing
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.
Better All The Time 🎵
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.
We know that optimal human health relies on clean air, clean soil, and clean living.
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 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
• Clean water
• Healthy soils
• Robust soil microbial community
• Happy animals
• Accountability for our actions
Practices
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 multiple species to stimulate soil microbe and plant health.
• Increase ground cover to improve water retention and reduce runoff turbidity.
Desired Outcomes
How do we know we are reaching our goals?
• 100% rainwater retention
• 95-100% ground cover
• Clean surface waters
• Sequester carbon in soils
• 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.
