At Colvin Ranch, our mission is to take care of the land, animals, and people in our community. We accomplish this through conservation practices that enable us to produce healthy, high-quality meat for our community, while helping native plants and animals flourish alongside our livestock. In 2024, our focus was on community engagement. Here's a quick snapshot of what we accomplished with our small but mighty team.
Over the past 20 years, we've worked closely with Marty Chaney, a pasture management specialist with NRCS, on the implementation of our grazing plans. I don't know whether it was by luck or chance that we ended up with Marty in our corner of the field, but it was certainly our good fortune.
Since I was nine years old, I would look out my bedroom window every morning and dream about grazing cattle on the hill across from the ranch, on land that was originally part of our family's historic homestead in the 1850s. Today, that land is part of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Violet Prairie Unit, and I'm grateful to be working with them to help restore the native prairie here using conservation grazing with our cattle as a management tool.
If you're want to learn more about ranching in Southwest Washington, there are a lot of really great resources available to help. We have a pretty great ranching community here with people who care a lot about the work, and we'd love to see more folks get involved!
Thurston County is emerging as a prime destination for visitors seeking culinary farm-to-table experiences rooted in sustainable agriculture and our local food movement.
September is Eat Local Month in Washington, and while we often think about eating local when it comes to shopping at farmers' markets or dining at locally-owned restaurants, we want to recognize those working to make fresh, local food accessible to everyone in our community.
At the recent annual meeting for Slow Food Greater Olympia, it was inspiring to spend time with the advocates, chefs, farmers, brewers, bakers, and backyard gardeners who are all contributing to a culture of delicious local food.
It's no accident that we have so many farmers and ranchers producing a bounty of fresh, locally grown food here in our area. Organizations like the Community Farm Land Trust are dedicated to supporting local farmers and preserving farmland forever.
If you think there's a lot of hard work involved in growing and raising food, you're not wrong. But it can take even more time and money to get that food from the field to someone's table.
Support local youth in agriculture by coming to the Market Sale this Saturday, or donate online to help 4-H and FFA kids who have worked all year to raise and train their animals for exhibit and sale at the the Thurston County Fair.
Come see us this weekend at our favorite event of the year - Tenino's Oregon Trail Days. We'll be at the new Oregon Trail Experience located at the Tenino Depot Museum this year. Look for our prairie schooner and stop by to say hi.
Whether you're just getting started out with conservation grazing, you're looking to improve what you're already doing, or you just want to learn more, check out these resources for more information.
