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(Summary) The historic Prather Ranch, near Mt. Shasta in northern California, has put a new meaning on dual-purpose cattle. Prather's closed herd, which produces about 1,000 calves a year, is foremost, a supplier of pharmaceutical materials for worldwide use. But those same animals also provide super tasty prime beef. The 11,000-acre operation qualifies as a Famous Farm(Ranch) because of its unique cattle herd and because its owned primarily by Walter Ralphs, past president of Ralphs Supermarkets, a huge southern California grocery chain.
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Speaking of added
value, how about $1 million per animal?
By ERIC GRANT California's Prather Ranch gives new meaning to the words value added. In fact, byproducts derived from cattle produced and processed by this beef operation account for an astounding $1 million per head, retail value. And ranch managers Jim and Mary Rickert are working hard to find more markets for byproducts such as hides, blood and bones. The ranch's primary clients include major pharmaceutical companies such as Collagen and Cohesion Company. Collagen in 1990 approached the Rickerts, who manage the Macdoel-based operation for Ralphs Ranches Inc., about developing a production system for collagen, a product used in cosmetic surgery and skin grafts. The company wanted a sole supplier that used only source-verified cattle. Its goal was to eliminate the risk of spreading neurological diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), to people. The Prather Ranch proved an ideal location for three reasons. First, the cow herd had been closed for 15 years. Except for bulls, no new cattle had been introduced since the mid-1970s. Total inventory today is 985 cows, which includes a backup herd 100 miles away. Second, the ranch's isolated location, far from other cattle, prevents exposure to disease. And the company liked its natural, mountainous setting, which prevents chemical contamination. Third, a sole veterinarian had worked continuously with this herd since the 1960s, which meant health records were complete and comprehensive. "Our veterinarian was able to declare the cattle had never been fed ruminant-derived proteins, meat or bone material, which are believed to be sources for BSE in Europe," says Jim. Prather Ranch management also consulted with the Food and Drug Administration and a team of international scientists to develop a set of standard operating procedures. Because the Collagen company is ISO certified (by the International Organization for Standardization), ranch managers had to prove they were following a specific and rigorous set of production standards. "We have to maintain an extensive set of records on everything we do," says Mary. "It can be overwhelming, but it's worth the extra work." ISO standards don't apply just to the cattle, either. Because the ranch grows all of its feed, including grain for the feedlot, it maintains meticulous records of fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide applications, even though use of these is minimal. Management also conducts environmental surveys each year, monitoring irrigation water and soil for contaminants. A small packing house, located on the ranch, comes complete with a quality testing laboratory. The company currently processes about 10 head every two weeks through its packing plant, although the Rickerts expect production to double by summer. All told, Prather Ranch produces four main products. They include: Collagen-Taken from hides, it has a number of uses, mainly in cosmetic surgery. It can be injected under the skin to eliminate facial lines or wrinkles, or to enlarge and shape lips. It's also an important component in skin-grafting techniques for burn victims. One of its more interesting uses is to bulk up the sphincter muscle to control urinary incontinence. This surgical procedure is repeated once every six months. Collagen's annual reports show the retail value of each hide is about $1 million. "The product goes through quite a few hands by the time it reaches the consumer, and we only get a tiny fraction of the total value," explains Mary. "But it's worth the time, and the re-turns are far better than just producing beef." Bones-While still being tested, parts of bones processed by the Prather facility are made into surgical devices, such as plates, pins and screws. Substitutes for similar stainless steel devices, they are used to mend broken bones in humans or repair damage caused by surgery. "The company developing this procedure has been successful at marketing similar devices made of human bones, but their problem is supply," says Mary. "Bones from cattle aren't that much different, yet they're readily available." Beef-Because Prather Ranch's primary function is meeting the rigorous demands of pharmaceutical companies, beef really is a byproduct of the operation. Branded under the Prather Ranch Beef trade name, the product is dry-aged in whole carcass form for two to three weeks. A local grocer markets approximately 70% of the beef, with the balance selling directly to consumers off the ranch. "We raise nice animals, and we treat them gently. This improves the quality' of our product," says Jim, who is a third-generation packer. "Consumer acceptance of dry-aged beef has been unbelievable. We've brought back some vegetarians and others who turned away because of beef's taste and concerns over diet/health." Individual attention doesn't end there. All processing is done by hand. "Each cut is then put onto a computerized scale, which shows us retail value and generates a dress-and-yield analysis on each carcass," says Jim. (BEEF TODAY/April 1998)
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Macdoel Ranchers Raise Cows Unlike An Others In the United States by Jenny Coyle They look like normal cows. They sound like normal cows. They even smell like normal cows. But these are Super Cows, unlike any others in the United States. They help puff up the lips of sensuous actresses. They come to the rescue an elderly woman to help them deal with incontinence. And if you are ever unlucky enough to get in an accident, these Super Cows might provide you with a bone graft some day. Yes, these cows, right here in Siskiyou County, are a special breed. In order to produce something called collagen, which is manufactured from the hide of the animal, these animals live a different kind of life. They don't ingest hormones or antibiotics, and the people who raise them probably know more about the personal history of each and every Super Cow than your doctor knows about you. The good news for beef-eaters is that a secondary product - the meat from these specially bred cows - will soon be available in a local meat market. HISTORIC RANCH This story begins in the 1800's when Edgar Ball became one of the first pioneers to enter the Butte Valley and settle the Forest Meadows Ranch. There was a hotel at the ranch, and cattle drivers from Linkville (now Klamath Falls) would stay overnight there en route to the railroad station in Montague, which they reached via the Ball Mountain Road. The Prather family bought the ranch just after the century and added a lumber mill and narrow gauge railroad on the property. In the 1930s the ranch changed hands again, this time into the ownership of the Robinson family. Remember the Ralphs line of grocery stores? In 1964, the ranch was purchased by Ralphs Ranches, whose primary stockholder is Walter Ralph, founder of the grocery store chain. Ralph, who lives in Beverly Hills, opted to keep the name of the ranch Prather Ranch. The ranch consists of 3,000 acres called the Headquarters Ranch, which is where the pastures, pens and new slaughterhouse are located, and another 3.000 acres used for hay production. Jim Rickert, a Fall River Valley resident, has been the business manager of the ranch for nearly 14 years. It was Rickert who brought the idea of Super Cows to Siskiyou County. He was the one who made the connection between the Prather Ranch and Collagen Corporation, a company based in Palo Alto. A CLEAN HERD An acquaintance of Rickert's who serves on the board of directors for Collagen Corporation called Rickert and picked his brain about where to find a relatively "clean" herd that could be developed for use in pharmaceutical products. The Prather Ranch was just what the doctor ordered for the collagen Corporation, and for Americans who need collagen. Rickert knew the herd had been "closed" for many years, he, said, which means no new females had been introduced there. No pesky neighboring cows can be found in the area, so the danger of Super Cows co-mingling with other cows was minimized. Water had to be clean, and water source for the ranch is a spring and wells - so the water there does run through other cattle ranches, soil and water have been tested. And there's no history of other livestock such as sheep or goats, being raised at the ranch, Rickert said. Careful records were kept on herd for five years preceding the contact with Collagen Corporation, which went to work with the Prather Ranch four years ago. Extensive genealogy, feeding, a medical records for the 2.000 herds are kept on computer by ranch manager John Bennett and his wife Lori, both former Scott Valley residents. "Our herd is on a more control: diet than most people are on," Bennet said. For its products. Collagen Corporation accepts only Hereford and Angus steers. In the past, Prathef Ranch shipped the cows to slaughterhouse in Stockton, and hides were then sent to bc manufactured in Fremont. But Rickert said that cleanliness was a concern when they were dealing with a slaughterhouse that killed 1,000 other cows the same day as it killed the cleaner Prather Ranch animals. So even in their death, these Supreme Cows must be treated differently. THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE Collagen Corporation decided to construct a slaughterhouse at the ranch in order to have more control over the cleanliness of thc final product, Rickert said. Just last week, the slaughterhouse was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, making it the only slaughterhouse in Siskiyou County with that status. It's designed for the slaughterhouse of 40 cows in a day, but only has storage capacity for 20 per day. Rickert said that about 20 will be slaughtered per week at the beginning. "We're it mom and pop deal Rickert said. The slaughterhouse, which is supposed to be in operation this week or next, is specially constructed for clean-ness. Rickert said, on a tour of the facility, last week. The cows are led from an adjacent and are first sprayed with water and scrubbed to get most of the dirt off hide. The animal then walks up an outdoor holding area where its head is restrained and it is hit a "stun gun." The throat is then cut, and the animal is moved into the room of the slaughterhouse. Here is where the hide is separated from the bulk of the animal. It goes to a "clean room" of sorts, where sanitation is as perfect as possible. On this week's tour, Rickert said visitors would no longer be allowed in this room without clean rubber boots or surgeon booties on. COLLAGEN STORY Laura Hartley, marketing manager of Collagen Corporation said in a telephone interview from Palo Alto that manufacturing process that .turn hide into collagen is "proprietary information." But she did say that the end product "injectable collagen," which is a substance not quite as thick as toothpaste. The injectable collagen recently has three uses. The first is for cosmetic purposes. The product comes in two forms, with the names of Zyderm and Zyplast; both are collagen implants used to eliminate lines and wrinkles. Hartley said the product has U.S. Food and Administration approval “for the treatment of soft tissue deficiencies” also known as lines and wrinkles. Injectable collagen has been used another cosmetic way as well. Though Hartley said this other use is promoted by her company. It has to do with lips. Remember when the movie “aches" came out, starring Barbara Harshey and Bette Midler? There was a lot of publicity surrounding the fact Hershey's lips were made fuller with injections of collagen. Others said to use the same technique are Madonna and Michelle Pfeiffer. For such use the collagen is injected into the meat of the lip, and is not for the USFDA approved treatment "of soft tissue deficiencies," said Hartley. That's why her company does not promote the practice. A second product made with injectable collagen has the trade name Contigen. It is injected into sphincler muscles to alleviate incontinence, Hartley said. It is used more on women than on men, she said. The third product is called Collagraft, and it's used as a bone graft, according to Hartley. It can be used to repair a long bone fracture. Physicians faced with a need to replace lost bone have three choices. There are actually places called bone banks, where physicians can purchase bone that is compatible with the patient. The second choice is to remove bone from another part of the patient's body. Collagraft gives the physician a third choice, and it's made from the raw material provided by the Super Cows. Hartley said that Collagen Corporation is the only company in the United States providing these products. The products are not only used here, she said, but are also exported around the world. So these Super Cows from Macdoel or at least parts of them, travel the world. According to Hartley, the sale of the three approved products is funding more research into the use of' collagen for heart patients, and hearing and vision correction. WHERE'S THE BEEF….GOING? Back at the slaughterhouse, when the hide goes off into one room, the meat goes into another, and this is where Siskiyou County residents will have a chance to be part of the Prather Ranch story. Rickert, Bennett, and herdsman Dan Rajnus knew that clean cows and an excellent computer tracking system could add up to some very popular beef by product from the Prather Ranch cows. The meat isn’t organic. Rickert said, because the hay and grain fed to the cows is not raised without the use of pesticides, though minimal application is used. But the cows are not given hormones, nor is there a whole sale application of antibiotics, he said. If a cow gets sick, it alone is treated and that treatment is carefully recorded. Rickert figured there would be a market for beef free of hormones and mainly free of antibiotics. Where in Siskiyou County? Rickert supposed that Mount Shasta was a good bet. His investigation led him to introduce himself to Keith Cool, the butcher who runs Keith's Meats in the Mount Shasta Supermarket. Cool provided two things that Rickert was looking for. First, Rickert needed a butcher who could take a whole carcass and cut it into prime cuts. Many butchers today use boxed sections of meat and aren't actually working with a full carcass, Cool said. But that's precisely his training. Cool was born in McCloud and later moved to Dunsmuir. He went to work in the butcher shop at Thriftway Market when he was 16. "I've been cutting meat ever since," he said last week. "I've owned butcher shops in Weed and Dunsmuir, and I’ve been at Mount Shasta Super for two years now. Before that I was at Marconi's Market." The second thing Rickert needed was a market with clientele that would want this kind of meat, and provide valuable feedback on its quality. The beauty, according to Rickert and Bennett, is that the accurate computerized record-keeping will help them, over time, improve an already great product. "With the data we get, because we're keeping such accurate records, we can track characteristics" said Rickert. "Anything you do in a breeding program is long term, It's two years before you know anything about an animal. What were we doing two years ago? What we have extensive records to answer that question.” By the time the meat is available in Mt. Shasta, which should be sometime after April 19th, the Prather Ranch will know the precise history behind every t-bone and chuck roast. "We'll have direct identification of the animal from conception to the consumer," said Bennett. "That means we'll have a more consistent end product. We'd hope the consistency pleases people, so that if you buy a steak today and it's great, you know you can expect the same thing in three weeks." Cool said the meat is going to be more "old-fashioned," which means better taste, too. "From the eating standpoint, It should have the marbling that beef used to have," he said. "When they started breeding for leanness, they also took the flavor aand tenderness out of beef. Meat jus[ doesn't taste like it used to. "But this beef isn't being bred for leanness," Cool continued. "lt's being bred for the standards of the medical industry. It should be top quality eating beef. I had one of the New York steaks and the flavor was very good -like I could eat when I first started cut-ting meat: Cool said that once he gets the meat and the weather gets nice, he'll have a couple of demonstrations so people can sample the meat. Prices will be competitive with other meat products at first, but eventually the Prather Ranch meat will be more expensive, he said. But it's a question of quality, adds Cool. Not only will he be butchering the meat at the slaughterhouse, but he'll also get to pick what he sells, "It's really an ideal situation for a little meat man," Cool said. "it means l won't be left at the mercy of someone who's dumping what's left on the little guy. Once we have it here, we hope to never be out of it.Meanwhile, back at the Prather Ranch, the Super Cows hang out in pens and out in the pasture. They go through another day of precision diets and quality-controlled lives - all recorded on computer ?unaware of the impact they have on people all over the United States.
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