Rancher Profile
Lunny Ranch
Photo Gallery »Cattle at the Lunny Ranch near Inverness, Marin County, California, live well, nourished by an abundant and constant supply of fresh grass that grows in the moist marine environment of Point Reyes National Seashore, the renowned recreational area of which it is a part.
The Miwok Indians were the original stewards of the land, relying on productive food sources provided both by the land and the sea. Nearly a century ago, the Lunny Family settled into the area. The family has drawn much of its inspiration from the stewards before them, attempting to maintain their same philosophy of sustainability and conservation in what is clearly one of earth’s most precious spots.
As one of Panorama’s newest ranching partners, the Lunnys have been on this land for four generations, first producing milk in a Grade A dairy and then, in the mid-1970s, converting to beef. Embracing an organic, grass-fed regime was “a natural” in this pristine location. The Lunnys were early to experience and share its benefits: better-tasting, more life-giving beef, and grazing that prioritizes natural resource management and protection.
The pastures at the Lunny Ranch were Marin County’s first to be certified organic for livestock production. Today’s 125 head of certified organic, grass-fed, Hereford-Angus crossbred cattle are maintained as a closed herd: all replacement heifers have been born and raised on the ranch since 1970.
“A closed herd has the advantage of protection from outside diseases and allows careful control of genetics through breeding,” says Nancy Lunny.
To continuously improve the quality of their herd, the Lunnys use modern ultrasound techniques to analyze which cattle thrive the most when raised strictly on grass (well, after mother’s milk). This data helps them perfect their herd’s genetics, always with an eye to producing the most tender, great-tasting beef.
Lunny Ranch is also the first to be certified grass-fed through the Marin-Sonoma Counties Grass-Fed Livestock Standards Program, which defined strict standards for sustainable agriculture and management of both land and animals. Additionally, the ranch was the first in California to earn Animal Welfare Institute approval for humane treatment of their animals and to receive Salmon Safe Certification for excellence in watershed management. In 2009, the Lunnys received the Society of Rangeland Managers’ California State section award for Excellence in Rangeland Management.
