| Eagle Butte Ranch, formed in 1987, spreads over 900 acres in the North
Fork Valley of Western Colorado. Recently dubbed "The Golden
Triangle" by Forbes Magazine, this fertile valley is known for it's
fruit and wine growing production. The surrounding towns of Paonia,
Hotchkiss, and Crawford support the largest concentration of organic and
natural producers in the state of Colorado.
We at Eagle Butte Ranch, are striving to be a fully self sustainable,
ecologically minded ranch, raising natural products for sale. Our
specialty is natural grass-fed beef and niche market feed such as
certified weed free hay and low carb./low sugar hay for
"metabolically-challenged" horses.
At present, two-thirds of the Ranch is run completely on solar, soon to
be complimented by a micro-hydro system. Our employees use electric
"Gator" ATV's for transport which are charged nightly on the
solar systems. Our commitment to environmental responsibility is
increasing annually as we are always exploring ways to minimize our
"carbon footprint".
In the summer, we keep the cattle and horses on a combination of this
ranch in Paonia and our ranch in Aspen, Colorado. Rotational grazing
keeps the weeds minimized and the pastures maximized. Compost
provides our fertilizer, allowing us to achieve healthy plants that are
high in nutrition.
Winter brings a host of wildlife to the mesa where Eagle Butte Ranch is
located. The surrounding neighbors share our preservationist views
and the Ranch becomes the wintering grounds for deer, elk, Bald and Golden
eagles, coyotes, badgers and a wide variety of other animals and
birds. Over the years, we have established and restored wetlands,
using pre-existing springs to provide year-round open water that attracts
migratory fowl by the thousands. We have designed our fencing,
outbuildings and storage areas around the natural flows of wild
animals to prevent problems. The wildlife levels stay in balance, so
conflicts are almost non-existent between our operation and the native
population.
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