La Cense Ranch and the Grass-fed Party 

The philosophy and practices of the La Cense Ranch are part of a growing food revolution, one which has been fueled recently by the popularity of such books as the Omnivore’s Dilemma. The La Cense Ranch believes that educating more people on the benefits of grass-fed foods and ranching will help fuel a true consumer initiated revolution in the way our country produces and distributes beef. The La Cense Ranch believes that starting a conversation is the first step towards this change, and www.grassfedparty.com was created to begin the conversation.

The practices of the La Cense Ranch in Montana stand as a good model for sustainable ranching practices advocated by the Grass-fed Party: the cattle eat grass their entire lives, the ranchers have been trained by specialists in low stress animal treatment methods, the cowboys use rotational grazing methods that increase biodiversity of the rangeland, the ranch houses are heated by natural thermal springs, and the beef never passes through middlemen, but it sold exclusively online directly through the ranch. For more information about La Cense Beef, please go to www.lacensebeef.com to see more product and ranch information.

Above Photo:  A discussion of issues facing the Dillon ranching community at the 1st Grass-fed Party Montana Cowcus held at the La Cense Ranch in October 2008. 

About the La Cense Ranch

La Cense Beef has been operating their 88,000-acre ranch in Southwest Montana since 2002. The land was originally designated as a ranch 1869, making it one of the oldest cattle ranches in Montana. Spanning 88,000 acres, and sitting at an altitude of 5100 feet, the La Cense Ranch is a pristine, unpolluted, vast landscape where the La Cense cattle enjoy the most natural, unadulterated life possible. The cows drink pure mountain spring water and graze natural grasses, which, due to the high altitude, are very high in Omega-3s.

Seasoned ranchers, Race King and Bud Griffith, who are committed to practicing progressive, yet time-honored methods of natural ranching, oversee the La Cense Ranch. They are accompanied by a team of experienced and conscientious cowboys, cowgirls, and ranch hands, who carry out the La Cense commitment to integrity by working to ensure a stress-free environment for the cattle, moving the cattle to new pasture daily, and continually testing for soil and grass quality.

The La Cense Ranch practices the sustainable ranching method of rotational grazing, a process of moving cattle to different to grazing areas each day. This practice helps the land by nurturing native plant growth and diversity, while increasing soil fertility.

La Cense cattle are able to graze on the rangeland throughout the most of year. On the rare occasion that this is not possible - due to extreme snow cover or temperatures - the cattle are fed hay, which is harvested in mid-summer on the La Cense Ranch. The cattle feed on Montana’s state grass, Bluebunch Wheatgrass, which produces a large amount of leafy forage per plant. They also feed on native alfalfa.

La Cense does not spray any pesticides on the rangeland. La Cense is able to rely on the cool, high-altitude climate of the ranch for natural pest control. Additionally, the La Cense intensively managed rotational grazing practice naturally reduces the proliferation of unwanted weeds and insects. All of the cattle are source verified, which ensures that all the cows in the herd are born on the La Cense Ranch and never mingle with other herds.