Tuda and the Crews family have been dedicated to providing compassionate care for animals and producing healthy food for consumers. Now we are dedicated to providing the best possible forage for our lessees.

Ute Creek Cattle Company has transitioned to leasing our ranch to continue our healthy rangeland practices.

When she returned to the ranch in 2001 with her husband Jack, they recognized that they were dealing with an existing herd of straight Hereford cows with wild dispositions. Jack soon implemented carefully selected genetics based on EPD technology (Expected Progeny Differences). Over a few years of introducing high-quality Angus bulls meeting specific selection criteria,  the cow herd was transformed into productive mother cows so gentle they would eat cottonseed cake fed by hand. The first calf crop of Angus sired calves resulted in weaning weights increased by over a hundred pounds.

The Crews Family was introduced to Country Natural Beef (CNB), an Oregon-based, rancher-led Co-op dedicated to raising all-natural beef for consumers. Shared values of the co-op members, such as implementing holistic practices on the land while embracing compassionate animal care, drew the Crews to work towards becoming CNB members. CNB’s major retailer is Whole Foods, the highest standard of healthy food chain in the country. UCCC met the requirements and became a member of CNB. Due to ongoing drought conditions, the Crews could not continue to retain ownership and over several years sold their all-natural calves on the commodity market.

To meet ranch Animal Compassion Standards, a set of working cattle pens designed by Dr. Temple Grandin was constructed by Eddie Garcia. A ranch audit by IMI Global earned a Global Animal Partnership (GAP) Level Four ranking (the highest is Level Five).