Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Thayne and check out the Cakebread Ranch. The 300 acre ranch is situated in a beautiful mountain valley and includes a 5-acre organic farm, cattle ranch, fly fishing outfit with access to four miles on the Salt River, and a dining lodge. Having a ranch similar to this has always been a dream of mine. Buying some of the timberland for sale would be a good starting point for a novice like me. In 2016 there are plans to break ground for a resort lodge as well. The dining lodge features a bar and lounge, private dining room, gift shop, fishing locker room and a main dining room overlooking the river and property. Dinner is served in the main dining room Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights with brunch on Sundays. The private dining room is available for parties up to 24, and the dining lodge can be rented out for any size party. The patio features large stone fireplaces, which make for a beautiful area for cocktails and intimate conversations.
I had a great opportunity to tour the full blood wagyu cattle ranch with Ranch Manager Jim Norman. Norman practices a holistic land and cattle management plan. He makes sure that not only are the cattle benefiting from his management, but the land is too. He uses the entire property for turning out the cattle on pastures and chooses the pastures based on which need the most fertilization. In order to keep the hay clean and fertilize the entire pasture, Norman starts dropping hay at one end of the pasture and moves it across as the herd consumes the hay.
He has produced a natural herd, with no vaccinations and no antibiotics to make the beef the best it can possibly be. The herd is born on site, through a natural birth (meaning Norman does everything he can to make sure he doesn’t have to assist on the birthing process). There are 45 animals in the herd this year, with 16 new calves. The cows were bred with a 10-year-old bull and have all birthed healthy calves.
The cattle live their full life on the ranch, from birth to finishing. There are four cows chosen for finishing this year. Once a cow is chosen for finishing, it is moved away from the main herd in order to gain more weight and eventually be sent to Hog Island for processing. When the meat returns to Cakebread, it is available for guests as well as purchase.
I had the opportunity to taste strip steak and ribeye from the latest cow, and it was delicious. Cooked perfectly at a medium rare, this steak didn’t need any extra spices or sauce. I was presented with a salted steak as well as a “naked” steak and found them both divine. If you have an evening to visit the ranch I highly recommend it.
