Talbott Ranch

Our cattle have the best of two worlds! They spend the summer in the mountains of Eastern Oregon and the winters in sunny California. This traveling allows the cattle to always remain on native green pastures. Our cows are bred to high quality bulls selected for their genetic potential to produce tender beef calves. The breeding season occurs while the cows are on green pastures in Lakeview, Oregon. In December the cows travel to the foothills of central California and begin calving in February and March while the grass is green. Green pastures arrive in Eastern Oregon around May and the cows and calves return. Several weeks after returning, the calves are immunized to prevent basic diseases and branded to show ownership and discourage theft.

All the cattle move to high mountain range for the summer months. The feed is strong and lush and the water is clear and running. After the summer grazing, the calves are then brought back to the home ranch where they are weaned from their mothers. Weaning is done in a low stress, fence line manner, allowing communication through the fence.

Before the heavy winter snows come to Lakeview, the weaned calves are shipped back to the foothills of central California. They spend the winter at about 1500' elevation which keeps them above the fog and in the sun most of the winter.

Following the California grazing season, they return to lush, irrigated pastures in Lakeview, Oregon. This is where the calves grow and develop into healthy, nutritious beef.

The Talbott Ranch is USDA certified organic and administered by CCOF. All of the pastures in Oregon and California that the cattle graze are individually inspected annually and determined to be in compliance with the federal organic regulations.

The Talbott Ranch also has a small certified organic Katahdin sheep herd. These sheep remain in Oregon year around. They graze organic pastures during the grass growing season and are fed organic hay during the winter months. Lambing occurs in the middle of March. As is common for this meat breed of sheep, they have many multiple births per ewe. The lambs are harvested in the late fall.