Visiting the Half Moon Bay property of Markegard Family Grass- Fed Farm and ranch is a stark reminder of what came before driverless cars and food delivery apps. Marking the ranch entrance is a small painted sign, featuring a black and white cow and a local phone number. You might feel like you’re in the Old Country, but in reality you’re only miles from a busy strip of the 280 freeway used daily by Silicon Valley commuters.
This intersection between progressive and old school is the perfect metaphor for the ranch: a family-owned operation that is leading the charge for regenerative ranching, and turning on its head traditional thinking about raising cattle.
“Nature is chaos,” says rancher Doniga Markegard, who is the family spokesperson and familiar face of the movement. “There is beauty in diversity. Things aren’t meant to be grown in rows.”
Regenerative ranching mimics how ruminants, or grass-eating animals, lived in the wild before industrialized ranching took hold. Instead of keeping cattle fenced in on grasslands to eat new growth down to the nubs, regenerative ranchers move animals regularly to avoid the overgrazing that damages pastureland—and the wildlife that supports it. By replicating herd movement that predators would naturally create, regenerative ranchers let grasslands recover, and with their regrowth come thousands of organisms and species that would be displaced by a commercial operation.
If this sounds like a rancher problem, consider this: Research indicates that people are getting sicker, in part, due to the shrinking number of species supported by the planet. From disease-carrying insects that are kept in check by reptiles, to the pollen-producing plants that support honey bees, the delicate balance of biodiversity can be disrupted when one species runs rampant. In contrast to this trend: The Markegards found a threatened species of red-legged frog thriving in a pond supported by their nomadic herds.
Hallmarks of Regenerative Ranching
The key principles of regenerative ranching include the avoidance of soil tilling, support for species diversity and focus on soil health, which is carefully monitored by independent groups. Although animals are part of the process, grazing animals need to be carefully managed to make sure they bring new life to the land, instead of encroaching on species development. For example, bird nesting can be upset by unhampered grazing, and native bunch grasses that stay green year round and support micro organisms can be demolished without herd rotation. Keeping cattle moving as a herd also aids in bringing carbon-rich manure back into the soil.
Doniga and her husband, Erik, are crusaders in a movement that is slowly gaining attention nationwide. They and their four children, and ranch hand Sue, live on a parcel of land with ranch Erik started managing in 1987. Today, they are stewards of almost 10,000 acres of Bay Area grasslands where they rotate their herd—primarily cows—to graze.
Doniga’s approach is based on knowledge, experience and intuition. She holds undergraduate degrees in holistic management and land stewardship and spent years living in the wild and studying nature. From her childhood attending a wilderness school in western Washington state, to her early years as a naturalist tracking large predators, including wolves and mountain lions, Doniga learned to take her cues from nature, watching migration patterns and how animals lived in the wild.
More rebel than earth mother, Doniga speaks carefully, but with great intensity, about the regenerative ranching movement. Taped to the wall in the kitchen of her 1930s home on the ranch are hand-painted quotes from the seven sacred principles of the Lakota people—an indigenous tribe from South Dakota. She learned about the tribe’s practices from a holy man who took her under his wing at her wilderness school.
The third principle speaks to her the most: a deep caring for all living things. That includes animals, plants, trees, roots and nature. “It’s about putting back more than you take,” says Doniga. “It’s treating these species like kin or family—not just as resources.” It’s also the kind of thinking that requires the commitment and true desire to change the status quo.
This commitment to nature is evident in her explanation of the term “grass-fed,” a label that implies a higher-ground approach to meat eating. However, warns Doniga, grass-fed beef doesn’t mean that ranchers are following regenerative practices. The majority of grass-fed beef still supports the industrial model of fenced-in cattle that don’t graze on diverse pasture, and are often rushed through the process of maturity.
This might come across as splitting hairs, but Doniga contends it isn’t about principle—it’s about producing a tasty product. “You need to allow the animals to gain weight and finish the growing process in high-quality grasslands, so the meat is well marbled with a good fat ratio.” To accomplish this requires more land, more species diversity and more time.
Big Beautiful Belted Cows
The cows must also be ready for the grass-fed life. The Markegard family has invested in Belted Galloway heritage cattle, a breed well suited for this climate and for the grass-finished grazing the Markegards practice. These cows have a distinctive white band around their midsections, and while originally from Scotland, are known for their hardy coats and well-marbled meat. The Markegard cows also represent another unique aspect of the regenerative model: All butchering, transportation and storage are done for local consumption.
“It’s a unique business model,” says Doniga. “People were starting to source crops through CSA's from local farms but no one was doing it for meat. We had to figure it out.” Revenues are driven by buying clubs and selling at farmers markets and local restaurants.
As word spreads about the quality of their grass-fed meat, Doniga continues to look at their operation as both a livelihood and a mission. “It’s not just profit-driven,” she states. “We have to continue to innovate and look at the entire life cycle of the cattle. How can we make sure that all phases are regenerative? How can we avoid unintended consequences to the land?”
This deeply thoughtful, principled approach to business feels like a throwback to another time. But perhaps her way of seeing the world, where there is respect for the interconnectedness of any given system, could be a new model for success in a valley known for progress.
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