National Cattlemen August 2026 | Page 7

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they rotationally graze, what was the best time to move cattle, how long should a pasture rest, what does healthy forage look like in their environment? With all these questions, he joined the Society for Rangeland Management( SRM), where land managers, scientists, educators, producers and conservationists collaborate to improve rangeland conservation. As a longtime member of SRM, as well as the Colorado Cattlemen’ s Association and the National Cattlemen’ s Beef Association, Grissom understands the value of partnerships with industry groups that provide networking, educational resources, and unity throughout the beef industry.“ I had an open mind. It was an advantage because I was open to things like adaptive grazing, different enterprises and alternative solutions,” Grissom said.

Experiences and relationships made within these organizations shaped Rancho Largo’ s business model. As Grissom continued to educate himself, he maximized nutrient cycling, rebuilt forage diversity, and nurtured wildlife, all of which eventually improved the ranch’ s bottom line.

Grissom and Lovelace began looking for new ways to strengthen the business financially. Lovelace had his eye on direct-to-consumer sales so, in 2017, they started it on a small scale. They began by selling whole, halves or quarters of beef to individuals. However, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, new opportunities arose to expand and create more stable revenue streams. During the pandemic, Rancho Largo was one of few Colorado ranches with available harvest dates set with small packing plants in the state. Because of this, new partnerships sprouted with wholesale suppliers.

“ During COVID, some wholesale suppliers were calling me because their normal ranchers didn’ t have kill dates and they heard I did,” Grissom explained.“ We realized the wholesale business was better because they’ ll buy the whole animal by the hanging weight. I deliver the animal to the processor, and they handle freight and shipping.”

Typically, the wholesale suppliers market and sell boxed beef to urban consumers as packages, with a variety of cuts and options for customers to choose from. Partnerships with wholesalers freed Grissom from the time it took to market their beef and coordinate with customers, which allowed him to focus, elevate the quality of the product, and take care of the land.

“ When the direct sales grow, you end up doing a lot more than raising and finishing cattle. You have to be willing to take on other pieces like invoicing, inventory and lining up harvest dates,” Grissom explained.

The wholesale suppliers market and distribute the end product and establish consistent demand. In addition, they share the ranch’ s story, practices, and emphasis on stewardship through their own channels. Grissom found it tough to fulfill the role of rancher, marketer and coordinator by himself, and key partnerships like this can help bridge the gap between ranchers and consumers by supporting and fulfilling complex logistics.

This business decision helped expand Rancho Largo’ s market reach, but as the operation and demand for finished beef grew, new complexities arose. As the monthly demand for beef increased, the ranch was forced to run two cow herds— the cow-calf pairs and the grass-fed cattle he was finishing for wholesale. Implementing two herds changed the grazing dynamics. They wanted to keep a 15-month return interval, so the grazing periods doubled in length and, with it, plant diversity began going backward with the extended grazing periods. They had already implemented electric cross fencing and didn’ t want to add more, but they needed to move cattle more frequently onto smaller allotments. They needed to embrace flexibility.

Lovelace and Grissom embarked on their next partnership to solve this challenge. Grissom found Halter, the virtual fencing company, and appreciated how the technology is designed for small areas of dense grazing. This tool was the right fit to move cattle quickly, without adding more cross fencing. The ranch has used Halter for a year and kept the same stocking rate to fulfill the wholesale beef demand and the cow-calf herd numbers by moving cattle every one to two days. Grissom said,“ It’ s too early to read the ecological response from the collars, but it’ s clear that the desirable plants are not suffering repeated defoliations as they were before.”

As they continue to evaluate whether this tool will help them achieve their objectives, Grissom is working towards two goals— no bare ground between grass plants and capturing every drop of rainfall that falls on the ground. For the two owners, success still comes back to being the best partner they can be with the land itself. Since the beginning, Grissom and Lovelace established strategic partnerships and a mindset toward continual education and innovation. Their alignment with industry associations, customers and emerging technologies strengthens demand and creates flexibility and resiliency for an operation that can last generations.

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