At Montero Goat Farm in Lovelock, goats are a way of life. For Gloria Montero, the woman behind the operation, that relationship goes back a lifetime. Montero not only provides quality meat to her community, but she also improves the local environment for flora and fauna alike. On top of that, sheโs ready to debunk the stereotypes about goats and instead shine a light on their complexity and delicacy.
Nick Colonna has worn a lot of different hats in his lifetime โ psychology student, stockbroker, mountain guide, metal fabricator, and, now, rancher.
Amid the grassy meadows, sagebrush, and pine forests of the Sierra Valley, sheep munch on native flora and sip from fresh alpine water on lands where Anna Harveyโs family has been grazing livestock since 1916.
As early as the 16th century, Gascon cattle โ a rugged, gray-coated, horned breed โ could be found grazing high in the Pyrenees mountain range of France. Hot summers, harsh snowy winters, and limited vegetation shaped the breed to handle tough conditions.
In the lush Genesee Valley at 3,500 feet elevation, black-horned cows graze in chest-high grass, with the granite peaks of the Sierra Nevada looming behind them. Surrounded by the Plumas National Forest, roughly 30 miles southeast of Lake Almanor, the historic Genesee Valley Ranch is a family-run operation with roots dating back to Californiaโs Gold Rush.
Located about an hour north of Reno, the family-run, 500-acre ranch hugs the north end of Honey Lake near the small towns of Janesville and Buntingville in Lassen County, Calif. The ranch has sweeping views of Honey Lake Valley and Thompson Peak, and itโs filled with the sounds of birds and the bleating of young lambs.