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HOLLISTER

SAN BENITO COUNTY

pride PROGRESS FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE

A SPECIAL EDITION OF THE FREE LANCE • FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 • SANBENITOCOUNTYTODAY.COM

Head Starling Xxxxx DECK—BENTON SANS 14 XXXX X XXXX XXXXX Byline Byline Reporter

dateline—Bea exceprae eaquid que illaut labore non ra con consendam et lant quodi vereper eptati vel eate versperspel mi, coressitati doluptisquo explabo rporum apid mint ut assero et qui nobit, vercide storeri tiossusanis quo volo conesciendis inctur, quis que nusdae dolendam, ut liquiam fuga. Bitia voluptasitio blatis nos vel ipsantem a natem quia as ut faccum iusam cullor am qui doluptas rem voluptati sinus alita

Nick Lovejoy

sus, volorestium fuga. Mus OPEN RANGE A cowboy wrangles a herd of cattle on the Morris property. Some 900 cattle were led from one pasture to another on the ranch in the San Juan Valley. ma cusdae pa ad eiusdan dipsam, sit lant re nemperciti aped et asitiae volorrovita estotaturiam eostotas minus iunt offictiusam, verspid untiae mi, quatur aut ut mosstatur? Beario vent incid maximintur? Sum qui ommolor CAPTION LEDE Caption ium expellorerum ea con rero tta abore, ilitaeptatis ea velibeaquae sim re dunt.ectus, vidusae. Ita abore, ilitaeptatis ea suntium verorio riatur, velibeaquae sim re dunt. elibusdamus. MORRIS GRASSFED BEEF RIDES Bearum ipicae volecerchit arum que eaque GROWING HERD OF RANCHERS et, eaquiametur, sin eum PURSUING HEALTHIER OPTIONS fugita escipsuntur maxim expellorerum ea con rero tectus, vidusae. Ita abore, katie helland ilitaeptatis ea velibeaquae Reporter sim re dunt. ast a yellow “Slow truck” sign Bea exceprae eaquid pierced by bullet holes and dipsam, pursit lant re nemperciti aped et asitiae Et et ipis necte lita id queEliciliquo coreici que illaut labore non ra — DECK BENTON SANS 14 from gravple flowers that sprout volorrovita estotaturiam eostot et, eaquiame- andebitis debis ad utat eumquis sent, offici con consendam et lant el along a smooth but well-patched XXXX X XXXX XXXXX tur, sin eum as minus iunt offictiusam, verspid ipienis intion prerehent officil landiti busdanquodi vereper eptati vel road is an orange gate that opens untiae mi, quatur aut ut incid maximintur? dem fuga. Nam del mo odit omnisti umetus, essitati doluptisquo expto rangeland. That green expanse Byline Byline Sum qui ommolor suntium verorio riatur, ut as seruptatur? labo rporum apid mint ut Reporter elibusdamus. Apeless inullabore pliamusae ea consecus assero et qui nobit, vercide is home to about 900 of the fattest, eaquid illaut labore Bearum ipicae volecerchit arum que eaque es atus est volorporrum et, omnis estor alis storeri tiossusanis quo fuzziest cattle in San Benitoque County. conanimals, consendam et exact. et, eaquia et, eaquiametur, sin eum metur, sin enim landitiam as aligentum re maio expel volo conesciendis inctur, Actually, therenon arera891 to be lantwho quodi eptaeuma fugita escipsuntur maxim expellorerum is nonem. Nequia quam lamusandae volupta quis que nusdae dolenRancher Joe Morris, worevereper a cowboy hat and vel eateout versperspel mi, ofeahis con rero tectus, vidusae. Ita abore, ilitaep- tectio. Nequiati que experec esectat eceribus, dam, ut liquiam fuga. Bitia teal bandana thattibrought the blue color coressitati doluptisquo ex- tatis ea velibeaquae sim re dunt. Bearum ipi- sinciunt. voluptasitio blatis nos vel eyes, knows the exact number. So do his dogs, Buster plabo rporum apid mint cae volecerchit arum que eaque et, eaquia et, Il id escia niate core si ius dem velest desipsantem a natem quia as and Skunk. ut assero et qui nobit, ver- eaquiametur, sin eum metur, sin eum fugita ciusam soloreratur mil in re volupta dolora ut faccum iusam cullor am black and tan quo critters in a field at cideThe storeri tiossusanis volo grazed conesciendis escipsuntur maxim expellorerum ea con rero atistrum, occaepu danderfere rest, que lit, qui doluptas rem volupPaicines Ranch, locateddolendam, on CienegautRoad, southeast inctur, quis que nusdae liquiam tectus, vidusae. Ita abore, ilitaeptatis ea veli- inis atur sero eribusam eum voluptibus raes tati sinus alita sus, volorof Hollister. fuga. Bitia voluptasitio blatis nos vel ipsantem beaquae sim re dunt.Feruptia dipsant. It quist, eaquibeate rem solupti archit rem vel estium fuga. Morrisquia and as hisut wife, Julie,iusam own the San am Juan Baua natem faccum cullor excepra vendantiis simet ut quam, comnimo- mi, cupturercid quis quis id utam que mosam Mus ma cusdae pa ad qui doluptasMorris rem voluptati sinus alita sus, direct-marvol- lut autectur? Qui rempos excea net aut deniet unt. eiusdan dipsam, sit lant tista-based Grassfed Beef, which orestium fuga.beef Mustoma cusdae pa ad eiusdan cus. Ipsumqui verum evendament eliqui re volorrovita estotatukets grassfed local customers. The cattle excerspitia they ➝ Jump To, AXX riam minus ➝ Grassfed, 2 HAPPY COWS Cattle are on a strictly grass diet at Morris Grassfed Beef. The local business got ahead on eostotas a nationwide trend.iunt Credit

All-natural way of life Head–Starling 72

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Nick Lovejoy

Head–Benton Bold 48 xxxxxxxx Wineries make for a winning blend CALERA, PIETRA DECK—BENTON SANTA, SANS 14DEROSE XXXX X AMONG STOPS XXXX XXXXX ON WINE TRAIL Byline Byline Reporter

emanuel lee

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Robert Eliason Credit

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CAPTION Caption ium expellorerum velibeaquae TRUSTEDLEDE HANDS The DeRose family knows their wine.

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FREE LANCE PRIDE

APRIL 29, 2016

Grassfed goodness

Nick Lovejoy

CATTLE DRIVE Morris Grassfed Beef is based near San Juan Bautista. ➝ Grassfed, from 1

raise grow up without use of synthetic hormones and feed antibiotics, according to the company’s website. “The best part about running a business like Morris Grassfed is that we get to know our customers, and hopefully our customers get to learn more about how their food is produced,” she said. When Morris Grassfed started in 1992, there were probably fewer than 200 grassfed beef operations in the country, Joe Morris said. Now, there are thousands, he said. Morris Grassfed harvests about 200 animals annually. Morris and his cowboys also manage about 1,800 cattle for other cattle companies on rangeland in Paicines, San Juan Bautista, Hollister and Watsonville, he said. In starting the business, Morris adapted a long family tradition of ranching to fit the times. Morris’ great-great grandfather, Richard O’Neill, managed a quarter of a million acres of cattle in Southern California, Morris said. Morris’ grandfather, J.J. Baumgartner, continued the ranching traditions in San Juan Bautista, according to the company’s website. “My grandfather always fed us grassfed beef,” Morris said. “And it was the best beef around. And I wanted to raise the best beef around.” It's a dream that almost didn’t happen. As a child, Morris, a San Francisco native, would visit his grandfather’s ranching operations during summer vacations. He quickly found his calling. “It was something I loved,” he said, as he charged his ATV through a field of grass and dirt clods. “It was something

I had a certain amount of talent for.” After he graduated from college and spent two years living abroad in Venezuela, where he did Catholic missionary work, he was advised to pick a career that didn’t involve raising cattle. “So I had a decision to make to either give up on my dreams or do it different than the smartest guys I knew,” he said. Figuring out how holistic management worked in San Benito County was a challenge because there was no one around to teach him, Morris said. But his plan to feed cattle a diet rich in grass, instead of grains, fit his values. He had a three-part mission: support peace and social justice, contribute to an ecologically healthy world and make a profit, he said. It’s not just the taste that keeps Morris coming back to the grassfed method. Science shows beef from cattle that eat grass has a higher nutrient value, with more Omega 3 fatty acids, Conjugated Linoleic Acid, and beta-carotene, he said. Grazing cattle on rangeland also preserves open spaces where rain can soak into the earth and plants can grow, Morris explained. Plants take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and produce oxygen, which people can breathe. People often refer to rainforests as the “lungs” of the planet, but rangeland has its place, too, he said. “They’re the lungs and water catchmen for humanity,” said Morris, whose days of studying literature at Notre Dame University rubbed off on the metaphor-rich way that he speaks. Morris Grassfed Beef sells beef in quarter, half and whole-cow portions

with allotments that include steaks, roasts and stew meat, according to their website. The company sells to about 800 families each year and sends out a newsletter to an audience of about 2,400 people, who have purchased meat at some point. “A lot of our customers come from the city and the suburbs and they just don’t have the opportunity to see a real cow,” his wife said. “So, it’s really nice to be able to offer people that opportunity.” For Joe Morris, there is no “typical” workday. Morris and his employees manage cattle that graze on about 11,000 acres in San Benito and Santa Clara counties, he said. Buster, the younger of the dogs, leapt into a water trough to cool off, paused for a moment, then jumped out, shook the water from his fur and went back to work. “I do everything from what a CEO does to feeding the horses and moving cattle,” Morris said. On a recent morning, a cowboy riding a horse whooped as he moved cattle downhill. Morris and his cowboys move the cattle between pastures to recreate their natural migratory process, which gives plants a chance to regrow. “This was grazed about 60 days ago, so it had time to recover and looks beautiful,” he said as the ATV zoomed past tall grasses swaying under blue skies in the field where the cattle had settled. If the rancher gets the management just right, everything fits together. “I love the animals— working with the dogs and horses and the animals—because if you get it all working together, it’s a dance,” he said.

Nick Lovejoy

BACKGROUND The ranch is a serene environment for cattle and people.

Nick Lovejoy

CARVED BY NATURE Morris Grassfed Beef serves a special brand of beef.