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CapitalPress.com
April 8, 2016
People & Places
Ranchers combine old and new
Jim and Mary
Rickert use time-
tested methods,
latest technology
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Western
Innovator
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
ANDERSON, Calif. — In
their award-winning organic
beef operation, Jim and Mary
Rickert combine the best of
the old with the best of the
new.
Jim Rickert, whose fam-
ily has been farming in the
United States since the Revo-
lutionary War, uses time-test-
ed methods for minimizing
stress in his animals and
finishing them to produce
top-quality meat.
At the same time, comput-
er-based, detailed records are
kept on each animal through-
out its lifespan and he uses
the latest in DNA technology
in the breeding program.
“A lot of this is genera-
tional,” Jim Rickert said of
the care that goes into the
cow-calf operation, which
he and his wife have run for
37 years. “When your fami-
ly’s been in the business for
at least 100 years, and when
you’re standing around
cutting up meat on a table,
you have plenty of time” to
discuss ways to refine tech-
niques, he said.
For their attention to
food quality — they use
no growth-stimulating hor-
mones, feed antibiotics or
animal-sourced proteins —
and for their environmental
stewardship, the Rickerts
have won many awards over
the years.
Among them was the
2015 Leopold Conservation
Award from the California
Farm Bureau Federation
and two other organizations,
which recognized Prather
Ranch for collaborating with
diverse partners to enhance
the land on the operation’s
several owned and leased
properties in Shasta and Sis-
kiyou counties.
Among the projects the
Leopold Award recognized
was the Rickerts’ approach
to managing the wild rice
fields on their land near Mt.
Capital Press
Jim and Mary
Rickert
Residence: McArthur, Calif.
Capital Press Managers
Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher
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Ages: 67 and 63
Occupation: Majority own-
ers and general managers,
Prather Ranch in Northern
California
Family: Children Jon Rick-
ert, Eileen Rickert-Ehn and
James Rickert
Website: http://www.prather-
ranch.com
Shasta. After the harvest,
they began tilling the stub-
ble into the soil and keeping
their fields covered in water
year-round to benefit water-
fowl and attract shore birds.
On April 7, the Rickerts
were to accept the 2016
Distinguished
California
Agriculturalist Award at a
Visalia, Calif., event hosted
by the California Chapter
of the American Society of
Farm Managers and Rural
Appraisers, a group that Jim
Rickert led in the 1980s.
The group credits the
Rickerts for increasing the
Prather Ranch operation
over time from a 3,000-
acre pasture, hay and timber
ranch to over 35,000 acres
consisting of a vertically
integrated cow-calf beef op-
eration, feed yard, slaugh-
terhouse, retail meat outlets
and haying operation, all
while preserving wetlands
and wildlife habitat on their
properties.
“This one was out of the
blue,” Mary Rickert said.
“This one means a lot to us
because it’s our peer group.”
The Rickerts both come
from history-making fami-
lies. Jim’s ancestor, Heinrich
Rickert, was a German mer-
cenary soldier fighting for
the British in the American
Revolution until he was cap-
tured by George Washing-
ton, who offered him land if
he switched sides. The fam-
ily has farmed in America
ever since, gradually moving
West and settling in North-
ern California.
A Hanford, Calif., native,
Mary’s grandfather, Julian
McPhee, was a longtime
president of California Poly-
technic University-San Luis
Obispo, once saving it from
closure, and opened Cal
Poly-Pomona. Her father,
Emilio LaSalle, was a key
early proponent of ag educa-
tion in California.
The Rickerts’ main busi-
ness was appraising farm-
land. But in the late 1970s,
Walter Ralphs — an execu-
tive in his family’s Los An-
geles-based Ralphs grocery
store chain — asked the cou-
ple to help manage his orig-
inal Prather Ranch in Siski-
you County. They began to
acquire an interest in the in-
corporated ranch over time,
gaining majority ownership
when Ralphs died in 2010.
Over the years, the Fall
River Mills, Calif.-based
company has gained a rep-
utation for the impeccable
quality of its meat. Much
care goes into every facet of
the operation, from how the
animals are treated to how
they’re slaughtered and how
the meat is processed, Jim
Rickert said.
The Rickerts have a
closed herd, meaning they
don’t buy in bulls or share
grazing land or facilities
with other ranches’ cattle,
although they do use arti-
ficial insemination to keep
the herd going. A herds-
man takes an “artisanal ap-
proach” in watching each
cow or calf closely for signs
of illness, Mary Rickert said.
The cattle are raised on
grass and finished on a mix-
ture of barley, rice bran and
hay, Rickert said. At slaugh-
ter, the environment is kept
quiet and gentle so no stress
hormones affect the quali-
ty of the meat, Jim Rickert
said. The meat is dry-aged
for two weeks and cut most-
ly with knives rather than
saws to avoid having bone
dust sour the meat, he said.
With making hamburger,
“there’s a real art to it,” he
said. “You have to have the
right fat content. The fat has
to come from the right part
of the body. … The fat on
the back of the loins is the
best.”
The meat is refrigerated
to just above freezing so
that cuts are clean and bac-
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Tim Hearden/Capital Press
Jim and Mary Rickert stand on the deck of their ranch near Anderson, Calif. The couple has won
numerous awards for their organic beef and other agricultural products.
Entire contents copyright © 2016
EO Media Group
dba Capital Press
teria doesn’t spread, he said.
The Rickerts have main-
tained a natural approach
to production from the be-
ginning, encouraged by
the Ralphs stores, but they
didn’t always find a big
market for organically pro-
duced beef.
“People like to buy lo-
cal, and they like to connect
with producers,” Jim Rick-
ert said. “But we went to
farmers’ markets when we
were starting, and we’d go
to San Rafael (in the San
Francisco Bay area) and
stand in the rain all morn-
ing and sell $100 worth of
meat.”
But
their
prospects
changed on Dec. 23, 2003,
when bovine spongiform
encephalopathy — called
mad cow disease — was
discovered in the United
States.
“We’ve had a waiting list
ever since,” Mary Rickert
said.
To calve twice a year,
slaughter once a week and
maintain a consistent level
of quality is “a challenge,”
Jim Rickert said. But after
nearly four decades in the
business, the couple is still
getting better at it, they said.
“If we could have anoth-
er two or three careers,” Jim
Rickert said, “we’d proba-
bly get it dialed in.”
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Oregon commodity commissions seek members
The Oregon Department
of Agriculture is looking to
fill 74 openings on its 23
agricultural and commercial
fishery commodity commis-
sions.
That includes seven com-
missions looking for public
members, according to an
ODA press release.
Public members cannot
be directly associated with
Calendar
the production or handling
of the commodity a commis-
sion addresses.
ODA Director Katy Coba
appoints commissioners and
is expected to begin mak-
ing appointments as early as
next month.
Successful public mem-
ber candidates will join
producers and handlers —
those who are first purchas-
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capitalpress.com and click on “Sub-
mit an Event.” Calendar items can
also be mailed to Capital Press,
1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR
97301.
tion, FEXPO Agricola Central, Talca,
Chile
Saturday, April 9
Friday, April 15
96th Annual California Ram
Sale. Viewing starts at 8 a.m. Over
400 range rams from California, Or-
egon, Idaho and Utah. Crossbred,
Hampshire, Suffolk and White-
Faced (Columbia, Rambouillet)
rams will be auctioned off in the sale.
In addition three purebred ewes will
also be sold. Also, ultrasound car-
cass measurements and a range
ram index will be provided on all sale
rams, Porterville Fairgrounds, 2700
W. Teapot Dome Ave., Porterville,
Calif. http://cawoolgrowers.org/sale/
ramsale.html
Idaho FFA State Leadership
Conference, College of Southern
Idaho, Twin Falls. idahoffa.org/
Tuesday, April 12
Oregon Cranberry Growers Twi-
light Meeting, 4 p.m., Robinson Farm,
Bandon, Ore. www.oregoncranber-
rygrowers.com
Wednesday, April 13
International Fair of Agricultural
Technologies Conference and Exhibi-
Thursday, April 14
International Fair of Agricultural
Technologies Conference and Exhibi-
tion, FEXPO Agricola Central, Talca,
Chile
International Fair of Agricultural
Technologies Conference and Exhibi-
tion, FEXPO Agricola Central, Talca,
Chile
Saturday, April 16
Oregon Women for Agriculture
Auction & Dinner, 5-9 p.m. The or-
ganization’s 29th annual fundraiser,
themed “Oregon Agriculture A to
Z,” will take place at the Linn Coun-
ty Fair & Expo Center, 3700 Knox
Butte Road E in Albany, Ore. Cost:
$40 per person. http://owaonline.org/
owa-auction-2016/
Goat healthcare and nutrition
and packgoat seminar, 9:30 a.m.-
3 p.m. Edelweiss Acres, Olympia,
Wash. $25 per person; $7.50 for 4-H
members. Go to the website, http://
edelweissacresobers.com/, or call
360-742-8310.
Holistic Land Planning, 9 a.m.-5
p.m. Create the ideal land plan for
your ranch. What is the ideal layout
of your fences? Where should infra-
structure be located to facilitate ani-
mal handling and movement? Kittitas
er of the commodity — to
make up each of the com-
missions.
Commission activities are
funded through self-assess-
ments.
While those activities
and accomplishments vary
from commission to com-
mission, each have the
same general mission — to
fund projects for research,
promotion or education.
Commission
members
meet four to seven times a
year. It’s a volunteer posi-
tion with reimbursement for
travel and meals associated
with meetings.
Sometimes, public mem-
bers have an opportunity to
travel as part of a trade mis-
sion involving the commod-
ity.
For information on all
commodity
commission
openings, including pub-
lic member openings, go
to http://www.oregon.gov/
ODA/programs/MarketAc-
c e s s / P a g e s / O r e g o n C o m-
modityCommissions.aspx
or contact Commodity Com-
mission Program Manager
Kris Anderson at 503-872-
6600.
GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE
20 Northwest Locations
Valley Event Center, 901 E. Seventh
Ave., Ellensburg, Wash. Cost: $227
until April 2. www.rootsofresilience.
org
International Fair of Agricultural
Technologies Conference and Exhibi-
tion, FEXPO Agricola Central, Talca,
Chile
Hood River Hard-Pressed Cider
Fest, noon-7 p.m., 3315 Stadelman
Drive, Hood River, Ore. http://hoodriv-
er.org/cider-fest/
Sunday, April 17
Holistic Land Planning, 9 a.m.-
5 p.m. This is the continuation of a
workshop that began Saturday. Cre-
ate the ideal land plan for your ranch.
Kittitas Valley Event Center, 901 E.
Seventh Ave., Ellensburg, Wash.
Cost: $227 until April 2. www.rootsof-
resilience.org
Tuesday, April 19
Idaho Range Livestock Sym-
posium. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. American
Legion Hall, Marsing, 208-896-4104.
A one-day traveling program and net-
working event packed with information
on industry relevant topics, for produc-
ers and rangeland managers.
Thursday, April 21
Idaho Range Livestock Sympo-
sium. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Challis Com-
munity Events Center, Challis, (208)
879-2344. A one-day traveling pro-
gram and networking event packed
with information on industry relevant
topics, for producers and rangeland
managers.
Saturday, April 23
Oregon Ag Fest, 8:30 a.m.-5
p.m. We strive to bridge the gap
between urban and rural life, and to
share the wonder and abundance
of Oregon’s bountiful and diverse
harvest. Most importantly, we do
this in a family-friendly way, where
kids 12 and under receive free ad-
mission, and virtually all activities
are free of charge. Oregon State
Fairgrounds, Salem. http://oragfest.
com/
California FFA State Convention,
Selland Arena, Fresno. www.calaged.
org/stateconvention
Soil Test Interpretation for
Commercial Growers. 4-6 p.m.
OSU Southern Oregon Research
& Extension Center-Library. Soil
scientist Elizabeth Murphy will
present strategies and practical
approaches to integrate knowl-
edge about the chemical, physical,
and ecological properties of the
soil to refine nutrient manage-
ment, improve soil health, and
maximize production. $20 fee.
Pre-class questions and soil test
report submittal are encouraged.
541-776-7371, ext. 208, http://
extension.oregonstate.edu/sorec/
small-farms-2016-classes
Sunday, April 24
Oregon Ag Fest, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
We strive to bridge the gap be-
tween urban and rural life, and to
share the wonder and abundance
of Oregon’s bountiful and diverse
harvest. Most importantly, we do
this in a family-friendly way, where
kids 12 and under receive free ad-
mission, and virtually all activities
are free of charge. Oregon State
Fairgrounds, Salem. http://oragfest.
com/
California FFA State Conven-
tion, Selland Arena, Fresno. www.
calaged.org/stateconvention
Monday, April 25
California FFA State Conven-
tion, Selland Arena, Fresno. www.
calaged.org/stateconvention
Tuesday, April 26
California FFA State Conven-
tion, Selland Arena, Fresno. www.
calaged.org/stateconvention
Thursday, May 5
2016 Animal Agriculture Alli-
ance Stakeholders Summit, 7 a.m.-
6 p.m. Westin Arlington Gateway,
Arlington, Va. www.animalagalli-
ance.org/summit
Friday, May 6
2016 Animal Agriculture Alliance
Stakeholders Summit, 7 a.m.-noon.
Westin Arlington Gateway, Arling-
ton, Va. www.animalagalliance.org/
summit
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Index
Dairy .....................................11
Livestock ..............................11
Markets ............................... 13
Opinion .................................. 6
Water ..................................... 5
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