Jenn & Joe Wheeling

For 29 years, James Ranch Beef has been in operation in the Animas Valley north of Durango, Colorado. The ranch, in the James family since 1961, is now home to several grass-centric enterprises besides the grassfed beef they raise, including a seasonal, 100% grassfed dairy and artisanal cheese business, a pastured pork business and a pastured poultry egg business.

“Having a mile of highway frontage overlooking our ranch helps create interest and support for our agricultural activities,” said Joe Wheeling, partner in James Ranch Beef. “We recently put a conservation easement on about 2/3 of the ranch, which has helped our community understand our commitment to the environment and open space.”

In the 1990’s the family was at a crossroads. On the cusp of turning the entire ranch into a golf course and housing development, the James families were introduced to Holistic Management. Using its tools, the family decided to keep the ranch in agriculture. “We felt strongly that grassfed meat was the direction our agricultural world was going to go,” said Joe, who has a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University in animal and meat science and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

James Ranch Beef was a founding member of the Durango Farmers Market, established in 1993. In 2019 the James family took a giant leap of faith and built an on-site restaurant and market. “Prior to 2020, we were the last of the foundational members at the farmer’s market. Then COVID hit,” Jenn James Wheeling said. “Now, the demand for our products at our own market is so great, I don’t see us going back.” After so many years, it’s bittersweet for the James families to be moving on, but they’re happy to be making opportunities for new producers to step into their place at the farmer’s market.

How do you define your Good Meat® values?

As Good Meat® producers it's the whole concept of communicating with customers the value and the effort that is put forth on their behalf. Raising livestock takes time, great management, skill and attention to details. We are transparent about our processes and, prior to COVID, have offered guided tours of our operation throughout the summer months. Our approach revolves around dynamic soil, great cool-season grasses and legumes, and healthy animals, all working together to yield products that support healthy people and a healthy environment. We have not used commercial fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides or hormones for 29 years on our 400-acre irrigated ranch. We are experienced cattle people on a mission to handle our cattle with care and low stress. A fundamental difference in our business is that our cattle are processed at Sunnyside Meats, Inc., a Temple Grandin designed USDA facility, built in 2002, only 20 miles from James Ranch. We’ve determined that the final step (processing) is of vital importance to a Good Meat product.

What is one thing you wish more consumers knew about raising livestock for food?

We wish more consumers realized what the animals eat is really important. People should appreciate the flavor the grass gives the meat. It’s the terroir unique to each rancher, the blend of the different mixes of grasses, legumes and broad leaf perennial plants. In our case, that’s what makes our beef special.

What meat, or meat dish, do you eat most regularly and what do you eat for a special occasion?

We eat quite a bit of burger since it’s easy and fast. It’s always a fun surprise when there’s something mislabeled from the processor and we can’t sell it. And, since we are at the whim of the retail customer, we eat whatever gets outdated, so some years there’s been a lot of chuck roast or kabob cubes. This year it’s brisket, which is great news because Jenn makes a killer brisket! Here’s hoping liver stays one of our best sellers. Jenn doesn’t do liver. As far as a special occasion, we like what we market as the “petite prime rib” (the spinalis dorsi or ribeye cap).

What is one of the biggest challenges you are currently facing, as a Good Meat® producer?

We had an “aha!” moment about 8 years ago when we decided to market single-muscle cuts. The smaller portions were more consumer friendly. Now we are facing the hurdle of gauging and meeting long-term demand. The ranch’s restaurant and market had only been open for six months when COVID hit and our 2020 sales far exceeded our expectations and production. We are redesigning our entire process, including growing the herd, without compromising our commitment to our customers. Sales are important, but we want customers who value what we provide. With that comes mutual respect, trust, and true friendship.