Pastured Meats
At the Paicines Ranch we work to regenerate ecosystems while growing delicious, healthy, nutritious food and distributing that food locally.
We practice holistic management and use planned grazing on 7500 acres of organic crop and range land. Our cattle, sheep, turkeys, pigs, and chickens move across the landscape helping us to increase biodiversity, grow healthy soil, and sequester carbon to mitigate climate change. Our systems integrate animals into cropping systems, including our 25-acre vineyard which is “managed” by the sheep through grazing and pruning. Every day is a challenge to combine human creativity with solar energy and the brilliance of nature. Our pastured meats are produced in a way that is better for the animals, the people, and the planet – when you try our savory grassfed meats, you will taste the difference!
Our Customers Keep Coming Back for Delicious Meat
"Paicines Ranch not only produces great yearling lambs, (which I have had the honor or working with several times each year), but also raise these pasture animals with integrity of the animal and their relationship with the land-A concept that many ranchers and meat producers are not prioritizing in the industry. My experience with their lamb has been influential to my understanding of ‘pasture raised’. Understanding how these animals have evolved to live and thrive and bringing that concept into the kitchen for the full circle experience has inspired me to be more conscious as a Chef."
– Chef YJ Yi, International Culinary Center
"Paicines beef tastes like the meat my mom served when I was growing up in the 1950s. It's so nice to enjoy beef again. I have tried grass fed beef from other sources, and have found nothing as good as the beef from this ranch."
– Kathey H.
"We have been making tasty dishes from all around the world using various cuts of Paicines lamb. The meat is delicious, very lean and lends itself well to gently braised favorites such as Moroccan spiced lamb shanks, Lamb Madras, or slow roasted bone-in leg of lamb for a traditional Scottish Sunday dinner. The round steaks are meaty and lean and are great for a quick char grilled option. Love having the opportunity to buy lamb raised just a few miles away when the alternatives invariably come from Australia and New Zealand."
– Sarah M., Thyme Catering
"Ground beef was awesome all the way around. Best hamburgers we've ever had, that's what the kids said too (8 and 5 years old)."
– Carl C.
"This weekend, we bought your only brisket. Then, I bought another one at (local up-scale market with butcher), and with our dinner guests, we did the taste test. We all agreed – without a doubt – your grass fed brisket was far and away better than (up-scale market’s)."
– Beth H.
"I have had a lot of pasture raised turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but none were as good as this one. There was much more meat on the bird, both dark and white, than I have seen before. The drumsticks were huge! And it was delicious, tender and very tasty. We cooked it slowly, at 250 degrees in a smoker, and the result was amazing. The white meat was very moist when the dark meat was fully cooked."
-Louise
"We tried the hickory smoked bacon and it was heavenly!! So tender and flavorful - neither of us has ever tasted bacon that good!"
-Diane & Gene G.
We believe there are 5 great reasons to eat our pastured meat:
It Tastes Great
We work hard to ensure that all of our meat tastes great. When animals are allowed to move around and forage for the nutrition they need at that moment, it makes for a better product. Many of our customers comment on the delicious taste of our beef, which is much more flavorful than conventional feedlot beef. Our lamb is mild flavored and delicious, both because of the way its raised and the Katahdin breed. Our pork are heritage breeds with great flavor. For poultry we raise conventional breeds, but the ability to get half of their nutrition from the diverse pasture and to wander makes a big difference in the flavor. We are confident that you will enjoy our products as much as we do.
It is Better for the Animals
Our animals spend their lives out on the land deciding when and what to eat, exercising, and living in groups. Pigs root. Chickens scratch and roost, while sheep and cattle have room to graze. The health and happiness of our animals is a primary concern for us and something we are always managing for.
It is Better for our Local Community
Over 80% of the beef industry in the United States is controlled by a handful of very large companies. A small percentage of the dollar you spend at the grocery store goes to the farmer or rancher who raised the animal. Almost all of the money goes to the feedlots, middle men, and large processors. This money leaves our community. When you buy food from a local producer, those dollars stay in the local community – in our case in San Benito County, which is just south of the Bay Area. Those dollars help rural communities stay viable, and enable us to keep open space and ranching close to urban areas where there is tremendous development pressure.
It is Better for the World
We are raising our animals as part of a system to regenerate soil and ecosystems. Incorporating animals is one of the key principles for soil health, and a diversity of animals is even better. We purchase only organic feed for poultry and pork, while our beef and lamb are finished entirely on plants growing on the ranch. We are working towards a system where we produce our own organic feed thereby eliminating the greenhouse gases associated with transportation and further increasing the diversity of our system. Our animals are our partners in regeneration and an integral part of the system.
It is Better for You
We believe that healthy soil, healthy plants, and healthy animals lead to healthier food. All of our land is certified organic, meaning that we don't use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. We never feed routine antibiotics or treat our animals with toxic pesticides. Animals are finished on diverse pastures where they free range and choose the nutrition they need at the moment. There is a great deal of evidence that grass fed beef contains higher ratios of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, along with higher levels of many key micronutrients when compared to conventional beef. For more information on the health benefits of pastured meats visit www.eatwild.com and www.onlygrassfed.com.