Darrell Wood Ranches
A Sustainability Ethic - Vina, CA
The saying “labor of love” cannot stand more accurate for sixth-generation cattle rancher Darrell Wood. Being born into his family’s cattle operation in Vina, California, he had no choice but to embrace the ranching lifestyle, and luckily, he took to it very well.
Cattle ranching and the Wood family date back more than 150 years, and the land on which Darrell grazes his cows today remains a significant piece in California’s history book. In the mid-1800s, Peter Lason, a California explorer, trekked over 5,000 wagons along these very acres, and Darrell is fortunate to keep that land productive and flourishing in the present day.
In those 150 years of cattle ranching, a lot has changed, including the way the Wood family raises their stock. Darrell became one of the early adopters of organic cattle ranching, and he has an immense passion for it. The grass-fed beef raised from his animals is distributed under two brands: Eel River and Panorama Organic Grass Fed Meats, which Darrell started 22 years ago.
“The ethic for me is to be able to raise something as environmentally sustainable as possible,” Darrell said. “The fact that our ranch is organic means that we’re 100% sustainable all the way through from the cattle to the product we raise.”
Sustainability has always been a core value Darrell has strived for in his business. In fact, his efforts in this area have not gone unnoticed. In 2009, Darrell was awarded the National Environmental Stewardship Award through the National Cattleman’s Beef Association. Darrell was the first organic rancher in the country to be recognized with this prestigious award, and it is a direct reflection of his attention to detail in the sustainability realm.
Darrell also cohabitates with coho salmon, spring and fall run salmon, and steelhead trout on his property—all of which are endangered species. The vernal pools on his property are also home to fairy shrimp, tadpole shrimp, and other endangered plants. Hawks, eagles, butterflies, bats, and wild turkeys are a common sight on Darrell’s ranch, which is a testament to the good health of these working landscapes.
“Being in the grass-fed business, it’s virtually impossible to be successful unless you take good care of the ground,” Darrell said. “You can’t finish cattle on grass unless the grass is in good condition, and when the grass is in good condition, the wildlife, plants, flowers, and trees all benefit from it.”
Being a cattle rancher is only one of the ventures Darrell has taken on during his professional career. Darrell was a founding member of the California Rangeland Trust, a nonprofit organization with a mission of protecting California open spaces in perpetuity using conversation easements. Rangeland conservation is something he finds imperative to ranching in California, and he has also served in several other land trust leadership capacities on a national level.