Point Reyes Light - November 24, 2004
Organic pasture for beef cattle to double
By Jacob Resneck
The amount of pasture land on beef-cattle ranches in Marin certified as "organic" is expected to double by the end of next month.
Scheduled for certification are 1,968 acres leased by Marin Sun Farms of Point Reyes Station and 586 acres at Mike and Sally Gale’s ranch in Chileno Valley.
Agricultural Inspector Anita Sauber said at present 2,413 acres of pasture in Marin County is certified organic.
Sauber, whose agency has been certifying organic agriculture land since 2001, said that organic food has become a niche market vital to the survival of West Marin’s smaller ranches and farms.
"Really, most of our farms are smaller, family farms," Sauber said, "so they have to find a niche market that makes their product a little more unusual or gives them [notice by] the public. Otherwise, they get gobbled up by the bigger producers."
West Marin’s proximity to the San Francisco Bay Area consumers gives Marin agriculture an advantage catering to niche markets, she added.
Other large, organic producers in West Marin include Straus Family Creamery in Marshall, Bolinas organic-produce growers Warren Weber (Star Route Farms) and Peter Martinelli (another produce grower), Point Reyes Farmstead Blue (cheese), as well as Nan McEvoy’s virgin olive oil groves at Red Hill on the Point Reyes-Petaluma Road.
Self-sufficiency
Marin Sun Farms founder Dave Evans said that one his goals is to adopt farming practices that increase West Marin’s level of self-sufficiency. It makes no sense, he said, to rely on food from distant sources such as those in the Midwest.
Founded in 1998, Marin Sun Farms is still relatively small, sending only about 100 cattle to market this year. Evans said that the amount of sales is less important than his ability to provide high-quality beef.
His cattle is not only organic but fed entirely on natural grasses rather than fattened up on feedlots.
Sauber noted that studies conducted at Chico State University have found grass-fed meat has significantly more health benefits than grain-fed beef.
Butchering in Point Reyes Station
Currently the slaughtering and butchering of Evans’ steers is are carried out in Petaluma, but he hopes to bring those operations to Point Reyes Station. The cattle would still be slaughtered in Petaluma but would be butchered into cuts here. Evans sells beef by the pound while the Gales sell sides of beef.
After a meeting with county Planning Division staff about butchering in Point Reyes Station, Evans said he felt upbeat: "It’s looking good, and we hope to have something happening by next spring or summer."
Besides sales at his retail location behind the Grandi Building in Point Reyes Station, Marin Sun Farms supplies high-end restaurants in San Francisco and Berkeley, as well as to West Marin merchants, such as the Coast Café in Bolinas, the Olema Inn, and Tomales Bay Foods.
May rent plots to farmers
While Marin Sun Farms’ main operation is beef cattle, Evans also raises chickens and hopes to begin raising goats and lambs. He may even add farming to his cattle ranching by leasing three-acre plots to organic farmers.
A lot of grazing land is under-utilized," Evans said. "By integrating crops, gardens and orchards, into the pasture, we can create more food, more jobs, and more production from the land."
Sauber said that organic foods have proven to be a lucrative market. Organic produce and cheeses are already popular, and organic meats are the next niche for West Marin ranchers to fill.
"Ranchers like Kevin Lunny, Mike Gale, and Dave Evans are leading the way with organic pastures," she said. "They’re breaking [the market] wide open, which is great because a lot of people, once they see a leader and how it is done, are likely to follow."