Take a moment to listen to Jared Brackett talk about his Idaho ranch and you quickly understand how the symbiosis between his land and cattle works to create a business that’s sustained the family for generations.
“We’re fifth generation, so we’ve been doing this regenerative ranching system for a long time,” says Jared, who manages the ranch along with his wife Tay. “You take care of the land and the land will take care of you. It’s a natural fit for us.” The Brackett ranch is a cow-calf based operation of around 500 pairs; they buy stocker cattle when the market is right and manage a small Angus seedstock herd.
As a former chair of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, Brackett understands what is needed for the cattle industry to prosper. He’s also seen the volatility that can happen in the beef industry, which is one of the things that drew him to join the Country Natural Beef cooperative about five years ago.
“It’s the stability. Country Natural Beef has a great marketing program that’s stable. In uncertain times when things are moving back and forth, stability is pretty nice,” says Jared.
And then there’s the people.
“The Country Natural Beef co-op is made up of such a great group of people,” says Jared. “In business you try to surround yourself with good quality people. The peer group of members are good, smart people so it’s very beneficial to us to have the ability to talk to these people, see what they’re doing and see if there’s things we can take to our operation.”
He says the harmony between land, cattle and people is central to regenerative ranching and the marketing that makes this symbiosis financially sustainable.
“Everything we do creates a better animal, and that animal creates a better eating experience,” says Jared. “We don’t have a cheap product when you go to the grocery store, and we know that. But we also feel like our customers are willing to pay a premium for a quality product that they trust where and how it was raised.”
The story of caring for the land and raising better cattle resonates with consumers too, Jared says. The cooperative system—owned and operated by local family farmers and ranchers—lends itself to a great story people appreciate.
“It’s very rewarding to see people demand our product. The type of product we produce is real quality, and we get recognized for that,” says Jared. “They know what they’re going to get. It’s a consistent, humanely-raised product and, if they know what they’re getting, they’ll choose it every time versus generic beef. They are voting with their pocketbook and choosing us.”
There’s pride in the symbiosis, and there’s pride in passing it on to the next generation.
“We live in a great industry where we literally have generations on the same place, next to each other every day,” says Jared, noting that there’s a sixth generation coming up. “We’re never going to get rich and wealthy, but we also realize there’s more to it than money. It’s part of our lifestyle, part of our family.”