Wacharas Ranch
From Our Ranch to Your Table
Who We Are
Welcome to the Wacharas Ranch site! We offer natural grass fed and finished cattle from Southern Colorado near the beautiful Spanish Peaks. We are Sue and Mark Williams and our mission is regenerative ranching. By this we mean improving the carbon content and resilience of our soil. We do this by planting and nurturing a diversity of vegetation and utilizing livestock in a humane and healthy way to naturally fertilize and stimulate our pastures. Our cows are Happy and Healthy and we want to share them with You!
What We Do
Wacharas Ranch is a 300 acre cow-calf operation/regenerative ranch, near La Veta, Colorado producing Irish Black and Irish Red beef cattle, a breed similar to Angus, but developed in Colorado for our unique climate and conditions. All of the cattle we sell were born and raised on our ranch, grazing on native grasses, legumes and cover crops. We use rotational grazing techniques designed to improve the health of both the cattle and the land. The herd lives in as stress-free and healthy an environment as possible (no ropes, no feed lots, no hyperglycemic diet, no antibiotics, and no growth hormones). The cows are pretty darn healthy and we think it shows.
What’s in a Name?
The confluence of the Wahatoya Creek, which drains the Spanish Peaks, and the Cucharas River, which drains the Sangre de Cristos Mountains, happens to be on our ranch. Thus, the name came to be!
The “Wacharas” Ranch
A Little Piece of History
The land was first developed by John Ritter in 1889. He and his family lived in a small log home for many years. In 1911, they built the 2nd ranch house. Both houses are restored and maintained to this day.
Our Beginning/Our Mission
Our purchase of the ranch was back in 2012. It is a Centennial Ranch as designated by the Colorado Historical Society, having been owned by the John Ritter family for over 100 years.
Shortly after we became owners, we purchased a herd of cows and started working on our plan as new stewards of the property. Our passions grew into a mission to improve the land through regenerative ranching practices and humanely raising all natural beef cattle.
We continue to research and implement best practices including no-till planting techniques, rotational grazing, and natural methods of fertilization enhancing microbial abundance and increasing the carbon content of our soil.
Time to Pause
The clean environment is home to an abundance and diversity of wildlife. Spring mornings are noisy with bird song from the meadowlarks, flycatchers, robins, redwinged blackbirds and many more. Sandhill cranes and geese make an appearance as they migrate through the area. Cliff swallows show up in mass and entertain us with their aerial acrobatics. Toads croak in the cool night air. In the Summer, white tail, mule deer, and pronghorn stow away their newborns in the tall grasses. Owls and hawks make their home here all year long. Autumn evenings echo with the sounds of bugling elk. Wild turkeys waddle through our backyard on some mission of their own. Time pauses when we have the opportunity to observe the creatures who also make this place their home.
We also like to have fun with family and friends. Branding is always a fun event. We make a point to include those who want to roll up their sleeves, get in on the action, and show the calves some tender loving care. The ranch has become a wonderful place to host family, friends, holidays and weddings.
