My family lives on a small ranch 80 miles east of Colorado Springs. The ranch has been in my wife’s family for three generations. I try to raise the healthiest, tenderest, most environmentally-friendly beef that I can. I focus my animal selection, my herd health approach and my choice of meat processor on the effort to provide you with the best beef possible.

Our animals are predominantly grass-fed. We do feed them limited amounts of concentrated protein in the form of sunflower and corn, but most of their diet comes straight from the Colorado plains. Our animals never spend time on a feedlot.

I am a grass farmer as much as a rancher. I use a system of electric fences to direct where cattle are grazing, so that while grazing they improve the quality of the sod and soil the on the place. It has been very satisfying to see the change in productivity that has already resulted on the pastures.

Of course the point of all these efforts is lost if you don’t enjoy the meat. I will continue to make changes in the future to ensure that all the meat is as tasty and as tender as it can be. Please let me know how I did this year.

—Dan Merewether