At Cross Creek Cattle Company, we are very interested in running an environmentally sound ranch. It is important to us not only because we partake of the bounty on the ranch, but also because we offer our beef for sale to other families. We take great care to be stewards of the land.
We do not use synthetic fertilizers on our pastures or gardens. These can leech not only into our water wells, but also into the ponds, lakes, and creeks on our property. Since the cattle graze the pastures, then the chemicals do get into your beef supply not to mention your garden vegetables. We can eat our dinner with peace of mind.
We rotate our pastures intensively to ensure good grazing of the grass. This helps take care of weeds as well. Rotating our pastures also ensures that erosion is not taking place as cattle’s hoof prints can tear up over-grazed land easily. It also provides great nutrition to our cattle, which allows them to keep in great condition.
We manage our ponds and lakes also at Cross Creek Cattle Company. We look for a healthy balance of fish and plant life in the water. If we catch fish out of one pond and do not eat them, then we can replenish another pond with these fish. A great benefit from keeping all of your ponds stocked is getting to catch and eat fresh fish whenever you get the craving. Our cattle and wild animals all drink from this water supply. It is everyone’s best interest to keep the waterways safe.
Another focus of the ranch is to maintain the native animals: white-tailed deer, squirrels, birds, etc. Many years ago, cattle ranchers and the wildlife fought against each other as the animals competed for land and food. At our ranch, we have always wanted them to co-exist. In fact, we have put into place a wildlife refuge which I will write on in another article.
We encourage wild grapes and wild dewberries and blackberries to grow in designated areas. Our entire family enjoys getting out and picking the ripe fruit. The birds enjoy some of our crop as well. You can tell that the berries draw insects because of the spiders that build their webs on some of the briar bushes.
Doing all of the above encourages a healthy eco-system on the ranch. Using environmentally responsible methods, we hope to pass down a great treasure to our grandchildren one day: a sound ranch with safe drinking water, healthy food, great fishing, a good wildlife population, and wild fruits.
