San Juan ranch

Grass-Fed Beef
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The Ranch

San Juan Ranch is a third-generation grass-fed/grass-finished cattle ranch located in the San Luis Valley near Saguache, Colorado. Owned and operated by George Whitten and Julie Sullivan, the ranch runs on irrigated meadows, uplands, a BLM allotment, leased ranch land, and farm ground planted to cover crops for grazing. With over 40 years of Holistic Management practices with land and decision-making, San Juan Ranch continually embraces life-long learning and adapts to changing environmental conditions, such as precipitation patterns, range biota, and unpredictable weather patterns, as well as recurring drought and the long-term impacts of climate change. The ranch runs its mother herd of Angus cattle, retains ownership of most if not all of the calves and markets them as live animals to other ranches or through their direct marketing business. Their direct sales business, Blue Range Ranch, sells beef to local health food stores, individuals, the local food bank, food hubs, and schools. The herd is adapted to thrive in the high-altitude steppe environment of the San Luis Valley. Ongoing attention to genetics suited to a changing climate is part of the ranch’s current practices.

George and Julie are widely known as leaders in regenerative ranching. On the home ranch, they reduced water usage while increasing the diversity and vigor of their irrigated meadows and uplands. This land remains productive in the worst of drought due to decades of attention to soil health and biodiversity. They manage their BLM grazing permit proactively by alternating timing of grazing, monitoring utilization and species diversity to ensure range health. 

 

George and Julie work closely with local soil scientists and range ecologists to continue learning and refining management practices. Past partnerships include working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge to improve wildlife habitat and maintain water flows in wetlands and a restoration project with Holistic Management International and the New Mexico State Land Office using cattle to restart biological processes at a former test site of Kirtland Air Force Base. For the past fifteen years, they have partnered with organic farmers who raise green cover crops as grazing forage on farmland; grazing cattle on these fields increases soil carbon, improves soil structure and provides high-quality finishing forage for their cattle. San Juan Ranch is certified by the National Audubon Society Conservation Ranch Certified Bird-Friendly Habitat program. 

George and Julie have come to understand profoundly that it is all about relationships — between husband and wife as partners in their particular adventure, between themselves and the land which sustains them, and between the ecological processes on which all the other relationships depend. Their management illustrates that ranching can restore and increase healthy biological processes while providing a livelihood to a ranching family and contributing to a sound and peaceful rural community. They believe every day is a chance to bridge the gap between environmentalism and agriculture. Personally and professionally, they work to dissolve the prejudices between ranchers and environmentalists, urban and rural people, and to build bridges between them. They strive to find real solutions to heal the planet and keep family agriculture alive in the U.S.

 

 

 

 

 

Regenerative Practices

  • Active practitioners of Holistic Management as a decision making tool
  • 40+ years of planned grazing on irrigated and non-irrigated land, including range with records demonstrating results
  • Herding and placing livestock used to manage grazing on open landscapes
  • Bullseye Target monitoring program
  • Soil health practices, including static fungal compost and other projects
  • Human wellness and wholeness is a regenerative practice we strive to incorporate

 

The Mentors

George whitten & Julie sullivan

George Whitten and Julie Sullivan, owners and operators of San Juan Ranch, are the founding mentors of the New Agrarian Program. They have mentored 18 NAP apprentices as well as interns, many of who have gone on to manage or run their own operations. 

George Whitten 

George’s grandfather homesteaded in the San Luis Valley in the 1890s, and the family has been ranching (sheep or cattle) in the valley since that time. As an active member of the ranching community since the 1970s, George has worked towards collaborative forward-thinking management of resources in the San Luis Valley. A practitioner of Holistic Management since the 1980s, George uses this as a lens and adapts management practices to fit the land and operation under his management. The symbiotic relationship between cattle, grasslands, humans, and the capacity of intact grasslands to store carbon are central to George’s vision and practice as a rancher. George has been deeply involved in sustainable water management for over 30 years and currently serves as a Regional Commissioner with the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

Julie Sullivan

Jullie was born and raised in California. After working as an actor, arts administrator, and starting a private progressive preschool in Seattle, she earned her Master’s in Environmental Education and subsequently taught interdisciplinary environmental education at both undergraduate and graduate levels for the Audubon Expedition Institute. She spent those years challenging students to look beyond surface conflicts between environmentalism and agriculture, and to see the common values and goals shared by both points of view. After over a decade of living outside teaching for the Expedition, Julie joined George at the ranch in 2001. Julie works with Quivira Coalition NAP as mentor support as well as offering mentor training workshops to other programs in North America.  

The Apprentice

What will an apprentice do?

The apprentice will work closely with the mentors on a variety of ranching tasks, including daily cattle care: feeding, health monitoring, and pasture movements; building and maintaining ranch infrastructure (fences, water pipelines, vehicles); pasture planning; analyzing and planning for nutritional needs of cattle at each stage of the grass finishing process; monitoring forage quality and utilization; record keeping for certifications), CattleMax records, marketing our beef, and financial analysis and decision making.

This apprenticeship is a professional training program for people ready to make a significant commitment to a life in agriculture. Preferential consideration will be given to applicants with experience in or a sincere commitment to the “indoor’ work of managing a business, in addition to their skills and interest in livestock and land. Enthusiasm, physical strength, stamina, and a proactive eagerness to learn from your mentors are required.

This apprenticeship is physically, emotionally, and intellectually challenging.  The apprentice and mentors work together closely, and the ranch location is usually the most rural place where an apprentice has lived and worked. 

 

What skills and traits are required in an apprentice?

    • Capable of working both independently as well as in a close-knit team
    • Curiosity about both the HOW and the WHY of land and animal practices
    • Physically capable of and willing to commit to long days and physical labor
    • Clear communication and the ability to ask for help when needed
    • Ability to manage professional and healthy relationships with co-workers, partners and neighbors

     

    What skills and traits are desired in an apprentice?

    • Basic skills with Google Sheets/Excel, email, and digital record keeping
    • Horsemanship (horse work is mainly seasonal, not year-round)
    • Rudimentary mechanics – changing tires and oil
    • Truck and trailer driving

     

     

     

      Skills you can expect the opportunity to build upon

        • Animal husbandry: health assessments and treatments, calving skills
        • Equipment on the ranch, including trucks, trailers, ATVs and tractors
        • Fencing both permanent and temporary electric, and barb wire
        • Pasture planning, including pre and post-grazing assessment.
        • Regenerative grazing concepts & practices 
        • Low-stress stockmanship
        • Basic vehicle maintenance
        • Understanding the basics of a beef business
        • Effective team communication skills

        Applications for the 2025 season open November 1st, 2024.

         

           Nuts & Bolts

         

        Start and End Dates: The ideal start date is March 10th, 2024 and the ideal end date is November 15th, 2024.  Dates are somewhat flexible.

        Length of Apprenticeship: 8 months, however, we do try to be as flexible as we can with whatever time constraints that you may have.

        Stipend:  $2000/month pre-payroll tax, minus $400 rent. Payroll runs at the end of each month and can be direct deposited. 

        General work hours: Work days begin between 7 and 8 am most days, though during calving season and when we are on the BLM range, someone will start their day earlier on a rotating basis. The days are varied as it goes with ranching, and the priority is always the animals. The length of the workday varies with the season, and apprentices are included in weekly team meetings that plan work schedules. 

        Housing: Housing is provided in either a cabin at headquarters or in the house, which is also the ranch office (but is not the mentor’s home). This is located 1 mile from the mentor’s home, on the original Whitten Homestead site.  The cabin has a kitchenette, and the HQ house has a full kitchen. A washer and dryer are provided in the housing area. Utilities and internet are provided free of charge, though we ask you to be mindful of the heat usage in winter.  Both the cabin and the HQ house are fully furnished with kitchen supplies, bed linens, etc. 

        Laundry: Available in the housing area.

        Internet availability:  WiFi is available in the HQ house and may also work periodically in the cabin.

        Cell Service: Verizon is the best provider.

        Time off:  The apprentice will have one fixed day off a week, and often two, with additional time off when the ranch calendar allows for it. Additional days for specific activities, medical appointments, etc. are possible with advance notice. Be aware that the ranch and the herd dictate workflow over the course of the apprenticeship. 

        Visitors: We encourage apprentices to have visitors. Please discuss visitors in advance so that the ranch schedule can be adjusted. Visitors are asked to follow all ranch policies while visiting. 

        Food: The ranch covers groceries for your workday meals (up to a predetermined amount). Shared meals happen regularly with the cooking duty rotating through apprentice and mentors. Ranch beef is always available for your personal use. Garden space is also available for the apprentice. 

        Pets: In general, no pets are allowed as part of the apprenticeship. If the apprentice has a working dog or horse they wish to bring, this needs to be discussed during the application and interview process.

        Horse and ATV Use: We use both horses and ATVs to move cattle. A skills check will be done to make sure we feel comfortable with your skill level before having you use either. Novice horse riders will likely not work with horses unless they choose to take riding lessons at the local center to gain basic skills.

        All the fun stuff:  

        • We are a NO SMOKING ranch – this means in housing, vehicles, and on-site.
        • A drink after work is totally fine, but please, no partying or getting drunk 
        • While cannabis is legal in CO, we ask that you not use it on-site 

        Guns: Permission granted on a case by case basis, discussed during the interview. It must be properly and safely stored.

        Health insurance: The ranching lifestyle has inherent dangers. While personal health insurance is not required to participate in the apprenticeship program, it is strongly encouraged. We carry Workman’s Compensation to cover injuries incurred on the job.

        Ranch Vehicles: All of the ranch vehicles are standard transmission. Apprentices will need to know how to drive stick-shift. Previous experience with backing up trailers is not required but greatly appreciated. If the need arises for an apprentice to use a ranch vehicle for personal needs, this can be discussed and will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

        Personal Vehicle: The apprentice will need the flexibility of his or her own vehicle in order to run personal errands such as purchasing groceries and traveling on days off.

        Living at San Juan Ranch in the San Luis Valley, CO: 

        • Grocery shopping: There is a Safeway, City Market, and Walmart 1 hr south (Alamosa) and a Safeway, Natural Grocers, and Walmart in Salida (1 hr north). Saguache is 13 miles away and has a small grocery store and a health food store open TH – SUN. Crestone, 20 minutes away, has a grocery store and a good health food store.
        • Dining: Saguache has a diner and a pizza place that is open only a few nights a week. Crestone has a few restaurants. Del Norte is 40 minutes away and has a great pizza place and a few other restaurants. Alamosa and Salida have many places to eat.
        • Entertainment: Both Alamosa and Salida have small movie theatres, live music, live theatre, coffee shops, bookstores, etc. Saguache has a small movie theatre open FRI- SUN. In the summer there are many weekend festivals, farmers markets, car shows, rodeos, etc. Hiking, biking, rock climbing, fly fishing, and river rafting are also available. 

          Additional items of interest: Crestone is an internationally known center for spiritual communities, with an Ashram, several Buddhist centers, and a Carmelite monastery.

          Quivira Coalition Activities: This apprenticeship is offered through Quivira Coalition’s New Agrarian Program. The full cohort of apprentices on regenerative ranches and farms across the west will attend an April orientation, participate in supplemental education Zoom calls, complete skills checklists with their mentors, and attend the annual REGENERATE Conference in November. Apprentices are also required to write several reports during their apprenticeship that will be posted in the New Agrarian Voices blog on the Quivira website.