A tour of California cattle country

June 30, 2011

If you told me four years ago I’d have opportunities to travel and talk with cattlemen and women about their operations, I probably wouldn’t have believed you—check that, I definitely would not have. But, oh, how life loves to throw curveballs. So here I am, a man with an emotional bond to the wheres, whys, hows, whats, whens and whos of American beef production.

Fresh out of college and awaiting my Cal Poly diploma to arrive in the mail, recently I embarked on a tour of four Angus cattle ranches in Northern California.

First stop was Rancho Casino in Denair, a valley town outside Turlock just off Highway 99. There I met David Madeiros,who,come to find out, graduated with a degree in animal science from Cal Poly (Go Mustangs!). Also present was Dale Bellini, a rancher who buys his registered Angus bulls from Rancho Casino for his commercial operation.

Even though urban sprawl threatens their lush pasture, David’s herd holds its ground and is content with their lay of land. The cattle lazily graze and flip their tails under the hot valley sun, and David pays homage to Angus genetics: Disposition is one of his MVPs in the EPD game.

After a plate of the best beef enchiladas I’ve ever eaten (and I’m being honest), it was off to Brentwood. We Californians call this area the San Joaquin River Delta or Sacramento Delta. Many Californian farmers and ranchers depend on the water that’s allocated from this region.

There we met David Dal Porto of Dal Porto Livestock. David is a long-time buddy and business partner of David Medeiros, and together they supply seriously good looking stock for California Angus producers.

This year marks the Davids’ 20^th bull sale. I’m told by David’s wife, Jeanene Dal Porto, that as the date of the sale approaches (mid September), the guys become both nervous and excited, as though they were preparing for game seven of the playoffs. Jeanene jokes that it’s important for the guys to experience a low stress environment during that time. Interesting, what’s good for us is also beneficial to our cattle—and for that matter all livestock.

From Brentwood we skipped over to Walnut Creek, where John Ginochio manages his herd at the base of Mt. Diablo State Park. John’s family began ranching cattle in the ‘20s. What’s crazy about John’s ranch is it sits smack dab in the middle of white-collar suburbia.

For 20 years John has exclusively bought his bulls from Dal Porto, so he knows his cattle will perform at the highest level. There’s more to it for John, though. Cattle ranching is not one sided, meaning he doesn’t just focus on bulls. In fact, he says his greatest reward is looking at his “girls,” the replacement heifers that will be the future of his herd.

The fourth and final stop: Olema. To access this coastal town takes traversing across marshes and hills and winding through pines and grasslands. U2 Ranch owner Bobbi Hall says Olema is a one horse town. That might be, but this place is also a paradise where cattle enjoy temperate climates and caviar-esque pasture year round. The soft-spoken Hall never takes a day off, because she says she won’t leave her cattle. She has a devout investment in her herd—and when you see it, and the land they roam, you wouldn’t want to miss a day either.

Pride in the Angus breed and love for the land—in my opinion that’s what makes cattle ranchers monetarily and morally sustainable all-stars of American agriculture.

Adios compadres,

Anthony Pannone

This journey through California cattle country marked the start of Anthony’s year-long, part-time internship with Certified Angus Beef LLC’s Industry Information team. He’ll head to Texas A&M this fall to begin his master’s degree. Anthony also blogs at I love farmers, they feed my soul. You’ll be hearing more from this Black Ink team member throughout the year!

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