Our Beef
Sunshine makes grass. Grass makes beef. You are what you eat.
We buy weaned calves from local ranchers then grow them out on our lush pastures. They drink snowmelt water fresh from the mountains, lick salt and mineral blocks and feast on a variety of perennial grasses, legumes and forbes. Once they are fully fleshed out and "grass-finished" we quickly and quietly take them to a local USDA inspected processor. Thats it! No supplements, no grain, no imported feeds. In the winter we feed the same pasture grass cut, baled and preserved as hay. While we haven't pursued organic certifications, our pastures and the surrounding environment are as clean as agricultural land can get. We invite you to come see for yourself!
About Us
The Home Place
Sunshine Beef is raised on XK Bar Ranch, a small family ranch nestled into the foothills of the West Elk Mountains at 6800'. We also lease other nearby lands. .
Tony Prendergast - Rancher
A fourth generation Coloradoan, Tony raised 4-H animals as a kid. Then he spent years in the mountains as an Outward Bound Instructor, Wilderness Ranger and Outfitter. He also built homes with adobe, logs, stone, and straw bales. In 2011 he bought a couple calves to try his hand at raising grassfed beef, and has been growing the herd ever since.
Apprentices & Volunteers
The hands and hearts of this operation! In collaboration with the Quivira Coalition we hire a seasonal ranch hand apprentice who is learning the ropes of ranching while keeping the fields green, the cows happy and the fences tight. Additionally we bring on occasional volunteers thru the Wwoof program to lend extra hands while experiencing country life.
Family & Friends
Marianna, my kids Tara and Darby, my folks and many, many others keep the place humming.
In Stores & Farmer's Markets
Stores
FarmRunners - Hotchkiss
Indigo Autumn & Don's Market - Paonia
Summertime Farmers Markets
Arbol Market Paonia
Hotchkiss Saturday Market
at the Creamery
Regenerative Ranching
Holistic Management
We strive to sustainably produce healthy, delicious food, to contribute to our local community and economy, and to be good stewards of our land and water, By constantly rotating the cattle to fresh pastures we build soil fertility and do not have to use chemical fertilizers. We control weeds by hand chopping instead of using herbicides. We share the land with wildlife, preserve open space and sequester carbon.
Training the next generation of ranchers
For several years, XK Bar ranch has trained woofers and apprenctices through the Quivira Coalition's New Agrarian Program.