The Bunchgrass Land & Livestock Story
Tony grew up ranching, and as the daughter of a cattle buyer, raising cattle has been a lifelong pursuit for both of us. Like most in the ranching industry, we too have been caught up in the model of efficiency and commodification. Yet as dedicated practitioners of Holistic Management, it only made sense to raise exclusively grassland-raised meat, as nature intended. And that is what we sought out to do after we wed in 1998 in the sagebrush steppe of Wyoming.
Tony passed on April 5, 2025. While he has left us longing for his insights and the twinkle in his eye, I also feel so grateful that I can continue with the work of regeneration, repairing our relationships with land and livestock, and providing meat that is grown to enhance the health of the land that creates it, and the people who enjoy it.
Bunchgrass is small by design. Each harvest reflects years of care, observation, sometimes restraint, and other times what seems like unreasonable abandon — all guided by Holistic Decision Making.
After becoming seriously ill from the cumulative effects of glyphosate (Roundup) exposure, even though we never have used dangerous biocides on our own land, I knew we needed far more control over the food we put into our bodies in order to heal. It wasn’t enough to care for the animals for only part of their lives. We needed to be a part of their entire life span. The moment we checked the decision to raise our own cow herd toward our Holistic Context changed everything. Since 2018, we’ve been raising our own Aubrac cattle—born, raised, and finished on Northeast Oregon grasslands.
Bunchgrass Land & Livestock has had different names but it began and remains as a shared commitment between Tony and me to raise livestock in a way that heals land and nourishes people. Bunchgrasses are perennial, they weather changes, they endure, and create grasslands that welcome a diversity of other plants — flowering pollinator and healing forbs and legumes, trees and shrubs.
Our work has always been grounded in listening—to eachother, to grass, water, animals, seasons. our customers—and allowing decisions to follow from what the land tells us.
Seeing animals live out their lives on grasslands that are managed to support the diversity of The Ecosystem - including the health of the soil, water, and the communities in which we belong — has given us purpose. It has been palpable to witness that as much as our animals are nourished by the land they live on, their presence is crucial to the flourishing community of plants, wildlife, and the microbiome of the lands we have been honored to steward.
When we moved to Oregon from Wyoming in 2009, we first bought neighboring ranches’ calves that we expected would finish better on grass — more like the steers Tony showed in 4-H in the 1960s and 70s, and less like the ones I showed in the 80s.
While raising cattle is the main focus of Bunchgrass Land & Livestock, sheep also play a vital role in regenerating land. Our cattle and sheep roam on Ecological Outcome Verified grasslands. This means they are actively creating abundant plant life, and healthy, living soil.
We thoughtfully manage our cattle and sheep to restore the land and rivers — making a home for soil organisms, migrating songbirds, salmon, and wildlife that share the land under our care.
Raising cattle as nature intended takes longer, too (about a whole year longer than hormone-induced feedlot beef). But by growing our cattle at nature's pace, we not only produce great-tasting beef and lamb but also help restore wildness to Oregon's Grasslands.
By choosing all-natural, exclusively grassland-raised meat, you receive a wealth of health benefits. As with organic beef and lamb, you avoid all the synthetic hormones, antibiotics, pesticide residues, and additives. In addition, exclusively pasture-raised meat gives you further nutritional advantages, such as more omega-3 essential fatty acids, and cancer-fighting CLA, beta-carotene, and vitamin E.
These benefits are the direct result of raising livestock exclusively on grasslands.
Remember...meat produced with grain will not have these benefits — even if certified organic. This is why exclusively grassland-raised meat is better for you and our environment.
We thoughtfully manage our cattle and sheep to restore the land — making a home for soil organisms, migrating songbirds, and wildlife with which we share our land. Raising cattle as nature intended takes longer, too (about a whole year longer than hormone-induced feedlot beef). But by growing our cattle at nature's pace, we not only produce great-tasting beef and lamb but also help restore wildness to Oregon's Grasslands.