Stories from California Cattle Country

In this episode we speak with Wayne Stahl, an authority on Santa Maria BBQ and member of the Santa Maria Elks for over 50 years. We then speak with Sue Benech, a Santa Barbara rancher and biologist, who also attended the Elks dinner, about Ranching in such a unique environment and the importance of community.

In our previous episode we spoke with Cheryl LaFranchi about her ranch Oak Ridge Angus and its history... among other things. In this episode we meet up with her at the Red Bluff Bull & Gelding sale where she's selling 4 of her Angus Bulls. 

A bull sale isn't much unlike a dog show... at least to these eyes. The animals are just a lot bigger. An important part of a bull's genetic makeup is that he is docile. Walking down the row of stalls where the bulls are being prepped to be auctioned is more akin to a beauty salon than a barnyard. This is where I first discovered that they have blow dryers and hairspray for cows.

We initially decided to visit Oak Ridge Angus to pursue an angle in regard to Bull Sales... it's a fascinating process and not something we'd covered before on this podcast. After some research and my interview with 3rd generation rancher Cheryl LaFranchi, there was a whole lot more to unpack. This episode will be split in two. In the first we'll learn the history of Oak Ridge Angus, how and why they have over a decade long partnership with the Bear Republic Brewery and about the Range to Table Program where they partner with the Redwood Empire Food Bank to provide beef to Northern Californian's who are food insecure. Lastly, we'll talk about their experience with 2019's Kincade Fire which decimated their ranch.

In 2 weeks we'll hear about how their 4 Angus bulls did at the Red Bluff Bull and Gelding sale.

This episode addresses the almost unprecedented precipitation in California and its effect on a Northern Californian rancher. The effects are in no way localized with extensive flooding, road closures, power outages, mudslides, property damage and loss of lives extending the length of the state. The cause has been a barrage of Atmospheric Rivers battering the state. 

We'd been hearing that many area ranchers were experiencing a multitude of issues in regard to recent weather. We thought we'd reach out to someone local and attempt to get a feel of the magnitude of the effects. We didn't have to go far. Justin Oldfield's ranch is 20 minutes south of Sacramento and less than 2 miles off of highway 99. Daehling Ranch was dealing with a multitude of issues.

Join us for a conversation with lifelong Parkfield resident and rancher, Kevin Kester where we discuss the towns of San Miguel and Parkfield, the second oldest bar in California and the ranching benefits of commercial drones.

Pozo is set in a bowl shaped valley. In fact, the word Pozo translates to well or hole in Spanish. The town originated as a stop on the Butterfield Overland Main stagecoach. Pozo is currently home to a Fire station, the Pozo Saloon (a temporarily inactive Civil War Era Saloon)  and the Vintage Cowboy Winery. That's it.

I met rancher Steve Arnold at the Vintage Cowboy Winery where he was surveying water damage to the floor of the tasting room from a recent storm. Most of the time when I visit ranches I am first greeted and inspected by ranch dogs. This case was no different except rather than being greeted by a border collie or Australian shepherd I met a pair of Boston terriers... Hudson and Budrow.

Our recent visit to Te Amo Livestock in Gaviota gave us insight into rigors of ranch management. With one added complicating factor... not only is the ranch a fully functional cattle ranch... one of the largest producers in Santa Barbara county it's also an Underdeveloped Rural Residential Community.

When we arrived at the Hollister Historical Working Barn, I saw a man in the tack shed who I later learned was Te Amo partner Will Ingram and co-owner Kathi Carlson. We toured the ranch and then sat down for an interview in the tack shed.

Ranches are almost always located in difficult areas. If land is able to be farmed it will be as it's usually more profitable. But when topography becomes problematic and access to water unpredictable, ranching becomes more viable. It just takes a certain type of people to facilitate it. Ranching is not for the faint of heart. Imagine have hundreds of large animals, animals responsible for your livelihood, scattered over thousands of acres of uneven ground. And though cattle are adaptable, they need regular supervision and care. It's a saying that is meant as an exaggeration, but if you were to ask a rancher... herding cats isn't unlike herding cows. Despite their size they can get themselves into some pretty weird places.

Stories from California Cattle Country is taking a week off for Thanksgiving. We thought it would be fun to explore some of the stories that ended up on the cutting room floor for one reason or another. My co-conspirator, Katie Roberti, called and we conducted a short phone interview recalling stories from our travels… the strange ones.

Running a biweekly podcast which includes travel to remote areas throughout the state meeting subjects with dynamic schedules can sometimes present occasional logistical issues. For our ninth episode of our second season we had lined up a few potential ranches which ultimately fell through.

With a few days notice we threw a Hail Mary reaching out to Ventura’s Rich Atmore. Rich runs a cattle operation with his sons in Ventura along with R.A. Atmore & Sons an environmental contract service providing weed abatement, erosion control, vegetation management and environmental restoration for various entities like municipalities and utility companies.

Rich is a bit of a unicorn for this podcast as he’s the first first-generation rancher we’ve interviewed. Rich is tall, clad in denim and though he frequently enjoys talking about his impending retirement, has a youthful appearance and a matching exuberance for his operations, employees and family.

Rich picked me up in a side by side and drove me around the property. His cows are calving right now so about half of the cows are being trailed by small calf’s with the others about to give birth. We then sat down to chat about how he got into ranching, his various operations, and his harrowing experience in 2017’s Thomas Fire.

When I first reached out to Bert Lamb about the podcast his response was..."Well. I can, but I would think you might find someone a hell of a lot more interesting than me!"

Turns out he was being modest. The city of Camarillo was founded by Bert's great grandfather Adolfo Camarillo and his brother Juan in the late 19th century receiving land from their parents who acquired it from Jose Pedro Ruiz after he had acquired it via a Mexican land grant after Mexico gained independence from Spain.

Bert and I later returned to Cam Lam Farms where we sat down for an interview to learn more about his families history in the area and how the legacy of his operations will move forward for years to come. We also speak with his daughters Maureen and Katherine by phone who are taking over the operations of the farm and ranch respectively.