Hearst grass-feed natural free range beef; an old business marketing itself in a new ways...

Hearst Beef Video:

The Hearst Family Central California Cattle Legacy

Hearst Jack Ranch Sign, Cholame, CA

Hearst San Simeon Ranch Sign

The 73,000-acre Jack Ranch is a relatively recent purchase (1965) for the Hearst Corporation but the Hearst family is not new to the cattle business, they have just changed how they run the business; They have been in the cattle business since the mid-1800’s and have perfected their herds and developed better ways to raise animals that results in a superior product. The biggest change is in how they raise them and finnish them for market. Many cattle raising businesses (cow/calf operations) wholesale there beef cattle to others who fatten them up on grains and mixed feeds in feedlots before they are slaughtered for the market. Feedlots are really unsavory overcrowded environment which often involves medicating with antibiotics, growth hormones and other drugs because the animals are unhealthy. If a cow in the Hearst’s heard requires antibiotics they are culled out and sold; none of the Hearst beef which gets marketed has ever had antibiotics this part of the natural method of raising beef that they have perfected.

The Jack Ranch is 60 miles east of San Simeon in Cholame, California; Hearst maintains a base cowherd of 2,500 heads there.

Hearst ranch looking up to Castle

at Castle looking down to ranch buildings and San Simeon

The Hearst family entered the cattle business in 1865 when George Hearst purchased the 48,000 acre Piedra Blanca Rancho. In California at that time the Spanish rancheros had been raising cattle for hides and tallow which were long lasting products which could be shipped long distances. After a period of high taxation draught the Spanish owned California ranchos had become unprofitable for hide and tallow operations so they began to sell properties off to pioneers like George Hearst, who developed them into beef and dairy operations when the rains returned. Beef and dairy products are more perishable than hides and tallow but brought a quicker profit return and were more beneficial to the local community, less wasteful and more profitable (although George Hearst probably wasn’t looking for a cattle ranch, considering his mining background it is more likely that he was speculating the land contained cinnabar). The Hearsts would add San Simeon to the ranch and increase the acreage so that today the Hearst San Simeon beef cattle ranch which surrounds Hearst Castle and stretches for miles in every direction totals 80,000 acres and maintains a 1,000 head base cowherd; 128 square miles the largest privately-owned working cattle ranch remaining on the coast.

Hearst Piedra Blanca entrance just off PCH 1, across from San Simeon, CA

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