Raised Wild on Chambers Creek Ranch

Travel an hour south of the DFW metroplex, just north of Italy, Texas and you’ll find Chambers Creek Ranch. Vast grasslands bisected by  Chambers Creek,  diversity permeates every detail of the ranch. Changing elevations, soil types, weather patterns, and vegetation types across the ranch create a richly varied landscape. The ranch has been in owner Barron Kidd’s family for over sixty years. Ranch Manager Ricky Langer has been involved with the property since he was a teenager, working his way from day jobs to a full-time role that touches all aspects of the ranch’s business.

“The land is a living thing, and it has a personality, and we’re learning it’s personality every day.”

This is the perspective that Barron and Ricky bring to the ranch – every day is an opportunity to observe how the land responds to shifts in management methods, seasons, and climate patterns.

The land that is now Chambers Creek Ranch was previously used for row crop production and is still surrounded by traditional plowing and tilling practices. Although the term  regenerative agriculture  – which aptly describes the mindset behind the ranch – is trending now, Chambers Creek Ranch has been experimenting with these practices for many years.

One area in which the ranch has implemented regenerative methods is their approach to vegetation management. The  lowland and riparian zones  of the ranch have been rehabilitated through native seeding and rest periods. The supplemental seeding and relief from grazing pressure encourage the native seed bank to flourish. A few years back, they stopped using fertilizer and witnessed the grass adjust and become more resilient. These methods allowed the grass and forb diversity to reach its full potential and eliminated a costly synthetic input.

About five years ago, the ranch implemented  rotational grazing , using a combination of permanent fencing and hotwire to subdivide the property into around 40 smaller paddocks.  The hotwire method  is more economical than permanent fencing and offers flexibility in response to the weather, time of year, cattle, and vegetation. Rotational grazing is both an art and a science, and they emphasize that it’s “not winging it, but responding to the land”. Not all management experiments are long-term winners, but all provide information that can be applied in a productive manner. A high-density grazing trial yielded an incredible vegetation response, but it also put a high stress on the cattle. In seeking a balance of benefits, they felt it was best to continue to rotate the cattle, but at a lower density and longer duration.

One of the most readily evident benefits of the practices implemented at Chambers Creek Ranch is the increased resilience – a resilience that trickles upward from the  soil health  and water retention to the robustness of the vegetation, the condition of the cattle that feed on it, and the stability of the beef business that underpins their livelihoods.

"In an 18-month period we experienced the worst freeze on record, the worst flood in 50 years, and one of the worst droughts in 50 years, and we made it through all of that without having to buy hay or sell off cattle."

This is a testament that the methods they use are working for their land and cattle. One of the most beneficial practices used on the land is ensuring the cattle are  not grazing the vegetation too low . Maintaining an appropriate height and density of living leaves and stems reduces the amount of exposed ground, resulting in reduced water runoff, soil erosion, and fence damage. The plants intercept rainfall before it directly impacts the soil surface and they slow and impede overland runoff. In addition, proper grazing height promotes healthy root growth. A plant that is overgrazed is forced to direct its energy toward regrowing leaves and stems, while a plant that has a functional amount of greenery is able to devote energy toward deep and resilient root growth. The roots create a soil structure that promotes infiltration of water, reinforcing the stability of the whole system.

The combined functions of healthy above- and below-ground biomass allow the soil to hold more moisture, making it resilient in times of extreme weather, and in turn creating a more stable forage source. Before they switched to rotational grazing on the land, some seasons required feeding up to eight rolls of hay a day. After switching, they have doubled their tonnage of cattle, are stockpiling hay, and are increasing the forage diversity. They have also observed a reduced (and nearly eliminated) need for antibiotics and have an altogether healthier herd. Eliminating plowing on the land has also reduced the presence and damage of feral hogs.

Chambers Creek Ranch is taking a new, locally-focused approach to beef production and sales, with aspirations to educate the community on the ecological, economic, and health benefits that come with consuming local, holistically produced beef.

As a part of the holistic mindset, they hand pick which cattle are going into beef production. A low stress environment is maintained from loading to unloading to slaughter. This level of care provides a more humane environment for the animals and benefits the taste and quality of the end product. Barron and Ricky frequent the cut floor of their local FDA certified processor to ensure the beef is being processed to ranch standards. The ranch is audited by multiple outside agencies on a regular basis. As of the writing of this article, Chambers Creek beef is  IMI Global certified as Verified Natural Beef  and  Global Animal Partnership (GAP) Animal Welfare Level 4 (Pasture Raised) certified .

To create a delicious and unique flavor profile in the beef, the cattle consume an American based mineral mix produced in Utah. Since utilizing this mix, they have observed the cattle broadening their palates and increasing the diversity of plants they consume.

On the marketing and sales side of the business, Chambers Creek Ranch has moved away from the commercial space and is instead focusing on local retail and direct to customer sales. After production is complete, most of the business the ranch sees is initiated through  Facebook . Staying true to their hometown roots, the local Italy football stadium uses the ranch’s beef at their concession stand while advertising the ranch. Additional direct consumer outreach occurs at nearby farmer’s markets in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, including the Grand Prairie, Benbrook, and  Waxahachie  markets. (In fact, the connection with the  TRWD Watershed Protection  program came through a chance meeting at one of these markets.) They have also recently opened a retail shop at the ranch. This provides and experiential and educational shopping space where consumers can see the animals and management practices with their own eyes.

"We are big into trial and error, always trying something new. It's one of our advantages."

Adaptive land management that responds to the livestock, vegetation, and seasonality leaves a lot of room for experimentation. Continually building upon successful aspects of this approach allow them to build a regenerative practices profile that is catered to the individual needs of the ranch. This ongoing and evolving suite of best management practices provide for the long-term sustainability and thriving of the land and the business. As an added bonus, nearly all of the practices employed have multiple benefits. The same practices that increase plant diversity allow for extreme weather resilience. Keeping proper grass length reduces soil erosion which in turn will increases water quality. A stable livestock herd sustains the premium quality beef that Chambers Creek is so proud of.

Chambers Creek Ranch takes pride in their land and practices and wants to share its beauty and beef with the local community - don’t hesitate to  call or email  them to learn more!

To learn more about how Tarrant Regional Water District supports agricultural best management practices, visit our  Watershed Protection web page . Anyone who lives, works, or recreates  in the watersheds that feed TRWD supply reservoirs  is welcome to give public input on our goals and implementation activities via participation in the creation and maintenance of our Watershed Protection Plans. The TRWD Watershed Protection team can be reached via email at  watersheds@trwd.com .