Polk County
Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 18, 2015 7A
FINDING BALANCE
McKibbens honored by PCLA for supporting slow food,
buy-local movements, raising healthy, grass-fed herds
Photos and Story
by Jolene Guzman
Grass-fed,
natural beef:
The Itemizer-Observer
D
ALLAS — When it comes
to “slow food” David and
Bette McKibben, owners
of McK Ranch, are all in.
The McKibbens take their time
raising the all-natural, grass-fed
beef on their ranch near Dallas.
They’ve also spent time finding the
right balance of production to re-
main one of the few ranching op-
erations in Polk County to make a
living solely off what they raise.
“That was our goal, to be self-
sustaining and not have to supple-
ment our income,” Bette said.
It took them a number of years
before they could just focus on
their herd.
“We did that for quite a few
years,” David said of working other
jobs in addition to farming. “Then
we saw the grass-fed, grass-fat-
tened operation as a chance (to
make a living).”
He noticed the trend of people
wanting to invest in healthier food
about 15 years ago and decided
that was one way a small operation
could distinguish itself and find a
following of customers.
Years later, that risk has reward-
ed the couple.
“That trend still is growing fast,”
David said.
“People want to know where
their food comes from and they
want to eat healthy,” Bette said.
The learning curve was steep,
however.
“I did a lot of reading,” David
said. “I took classes. Then it was
What: McK Ranch.
Where: 3415 Ballard Road,
Dallas.
For more information:
503-623-6214 or www.mck-
ranch.com.
Bette, left, and David McKibben were named Polk County Livestock Association’s “Livestock Family of
the Year” in honor of their innovation in developing an all-natural, grass-fed cattle operation.
trial and error. Just when you think
you have it figured out, something
else will pop up.”
Unexpected curve balls aside,
the McKibbens believe their sys-
tem is best for customers, cattle
and the land.
“It’s the healthiest form of meat
that you can buy,” David said. “It
enhances the land so we can make
a profit.”
That successful thinking-out-of-
the-box strategy has earned the
couple Polk County Livestock As-
Signs point the way to McK Ranch on Ballard Road near Dallas.
sociation’s “Livestock Family of the
Year” honor.
“They are innovative people in
coming back and looking at grass-
fed beef,” said Jim Clawson, PCLA
past president, about why the
McKibbens were chosen for the
award. “They are just folks. If you
ask them to do something, they al-
ways respond.”
Clawson added they are always
willing to show people their opera-
tion and talk about how they de-
veloped it.
“They have been particularly ac-
tive and supportive of the farmers
markets, too,” Clawson said. “They
always step up to the plate and
help make things happen.”
David and Bette said the
award — a secret until the night of
the association’s annual dinner —
was a surprise.
“I didn’t have any idea,” Bette
said. “There were a lot other fami-
lies who were deserving of it.”
But none perhaps who had the
gift of good timing as much as the
McKibbens. Not long after moving
to grass-fed beef, other trends such
as “buy local” and the “slow food”
movement began to take hold.
McK Ranch has been in the cen-
ter of each of those waves over the
years, selling at farmers markets
and developing direct marketing
through custom sales and a retail
store at the ranch. The McKibbens
even branched into wholesale.
In 2012, Bette was one of 200
delegates from the United States
who participated in “Tierra
Madre,” a slow food conference in
Italy.
“It was pretty cool to be able to
do that. We met people from all
over the world, and one thing I
found is that small farmers and
ranchers all have the same set of
problems,” Bette said.
Those issues include how to stay
profitable without working them-
selves into the ground.
About a year ago, David and
Bette faced that challenge as well.
Looking to find a different kind
of balance — one that allows them
to relax more — they have reduced
the size of their herd and eliminat-
ed some wholesale contracts. After
crunching the numbers, the cou-
ple have found they’ve remained
on solid financial ground.
“It was a good decision for us,”
Bette said. “Before it was the two of
us on the road every day of the
week. Now I can manage it every
other week, three days of the week.
It’s not so exhausting.”
The McKibbens now see anoth-
er trend — one that gives them
hope for the future of farming and
ranching in Polk County.
“The livestock association is
growing. It’s really nice to see after
all these years, it’s finally taking
off,” Bette said. “Young members
are coming in, which is great.”
Not ready to hang up the cow-
boy hat and boots, the McKibbens
will still serve as an example to
those young up-and-comers.
“We try to go with the flow and
try to be ahead of the game,” Bette
said.
A portion the herd enjoys the sunshine and a pasture of green grass Monday morning at McK Ranch.
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