Ranch on the Rock has a Colcord, Okla., address. That is a little deceiving since it is almost straight west of Siloam Springs. Owners James and Elaine Couch have a unique Christian perspective of stewardship of the land. As Christians, being stewards of the land is their motivating idea.
Their mission statement says, "Redeem, improve and heal the land, working with nature, using natural methods and raise food the way our Creator intended. Redeem our health and help others redeem theirs."
James Couch raises pastured beef for sale, specifically a Beefmaster and Angus cross. These cattle are raised right on the Couch ranch. I had spoken with James on the phone and then Linda and I were on our way to meet him for a tour of his ranch. The directions said to go three miles west of the Cherokee Casino on 412, then one and half miles north on County Road 712.
County Road 712 is a gravel road which winds its way through farm and ranch land. We came to a fork in the road with several mail boxes, one of which belonged to the Couch's. At this point, I called James for further instructions. He told us how to proceed to his house. I don't think I would have found it on my own. We were using our GPS, but its directions stopped at the mail box.
As we made our way up a long uphill drive and pulled into the yard we were met by three dogs that barked and bounced around the van. One dog, a blue heeler, was particularly active. There was also a Great Pyrenees and a small black feisty mix. They were all milling around and barking their heads off. I was a bit hesitant to get out of my vehicle. Just about that time James came out on the porch and began to quiet the dogs. Or, at least, he tried to quiet them. The blue heeler did not mind very well.
"Dandy! Be quiet!"
But Dandy wasn't quiet. He ran all over the yard, occasionally jumping high into the air. Eventually, he settled down enough for us to get out of the van and meet James Couch. James is a very personable man with a friendly demeanor. He actually grew up in the Gentry area. He has a brother living directly across Flint Creek from where our place is located. James and Elaine (she was at work when we visited) own 211 acres where they live. About 100 acres are pasture with Sager Creek running through their place.
We all got in James' pickup and drove around their place. The dogs led the way. James showed us some of his cattle and talked about why he chose the Beefmaster breed. James believes they can handle the heat better than some breeds. And the beef gets high marks for flavor. James has embraced the idea of pasture-fed beef. The grass growing in the creek bottom where his cows were grazing was lush. The cows were lazing around under the trees and seemed to be content. It had stormed recently and a large tree had fallen across the road, so James wasn't able to show us the ranch on the other side of the creek.
There is a rent house on the place with tenants. The tenants have dogs and James' dogs all decided to stay there as we headed back to his house. We had to go back and persuade them to come home. This all took a while, but it gave us a chance to visit and get to know one another. James and I have both had issues with our hearts and James has had to battle prostate cancer.
Having health problems has been a motivator for James to do what he can to raise cattle in a healthy manner. It is not just a theory for him. James wants to improve his own health and be able to help other people improve theirs, too. If you are interested in the health benefits of pastured beef, James has some comparison information on his website at www.ranchontherock.com. He can also be reached at 479-719-0102.
You can order a whole beef from James or a half of beef or a quarter if you so desire. Just pay James for the meat and he takes care of getting it to the processing plant in Southwest City, Mo. Either James or the plant will call when the meat is ready. The plant actually ages the meat for 10 days or so, which helps to tenderize it. James will deliver the meat for a charge or you can pick it up at Southwest City Meat Processing.
Linda and I ordered a quarter of beef and, when it was ready, we drove up to Southwest City and picked it up ourselves. It was all vacuum-packaged and labeled with the cut of meat and our name on it.
The steaks stood out because the fat is very yellow due to carotenoids in the grass the cows eat. The order pretty well filled our upright freezer. We were so excited to try a steak, I fired up the grill and put a couple of T-bones on to cook. The aroma of smoked meat was tantalizing and, I must confess, it was hard for me to wait. We also had grilled veggies and homemade bread.
Linda and I were both pleasantly surprised to discover how flavorful and tender the steaks were. I guess you could say they tasted more beefy than what I was used to from the store. They were quite lean with almost no marbling (the only visible fat was on the outside), which, until tasting, had caused some fear of being tough. They were far from tough. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal and are looking forward to eating the rest of our pasture-raised beef -- along with plenty of fresh vegetables from our own garden and more of Linda's delicious homemade bread.
Until next time, Happy Gardening!
Sam Byrnes is a Gentry area resident who has been gardening from his youth. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 06/03/2015