Region V
Hotchkiss, CO
COLORADO RANCH HONORED FOR OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
LeValley Ranch in Hotchkiss, Colorado, is a commercial cattle operation that seamlessly integrates federal and private rangeland to support livestock production, wildlife habitat and range vigor with plant diversity, while also directly connecting to consumers and their community through direct marketing of beef. For five generations, the LeValley family has been stewards of the land and they achieve their goals through an overall philosophy of land health and management that concentrates on allowing time to rest, grazing moderately and creating pastures where they are utilized in a different rotation in consecutive years. Diversification has also played a role in the ranch’s success with income support from a big game and bird hunting enterprise as well as through involvement in the beef supply chain with Homestead Meats processing facilities and retail store.
“Healthy rangelands are important for the productivity of our ranch, and we wouldn’t be in business if we didn’t care for the land.” said Mark LeValley with LeValley Ranch. “If you manage the land right everything flourishes, and it is going to be here for the next generation.”
