Land
Ghost Donkey Ranch is a 227-acre working cattle ranch set in Knights Valley, California, between Calistoga and Healdsburg in Sonoma County.
Adam Gordon & Kristina Oneal purchased the ranch about a decade ago as a home, preserve, and site for a series of virtuous agriculture projects.
The ranch is studded with oaks and climbs from the valley floor to rolling hills. Redwood Creek runs along one boundary, with other ranches and vineyard lands nearby. Adam and Kristina designed and built a home there, but otherwise, the land is devoted to wildlife, native plants, and cattle. No pesticides, fertilizers, or chemical agents are allowed and water usage is minimal. Cows drink from the stream or water troughs. The ranch is set behind other properties, providing a tranquil setting with no road noise or impacts.
Animals
The ranch-raised wagyu have 100% Japanese genetics. Mothers and calves are segregated to offer the most relaxed environment and cows are grouped by age and temperament. They forage on native grasses, supplemented by a customized nutritional mixture. Will and his wife, Liz, hand-feed the waygu twice daily. Cows that wish to are petted and scratched regularly, but beer consumption is limited to Adam and Will.
Typical Japanese waygu spend their lives in pens, with minimal activity. The meat is delicious and beautifully marbled, but by design is so rich that it is appreciated in small portions. Knights Valley Wagyu is leaner, with greater flavor development and interest, while heralding the unique taste of Japanese waygu. By foraging in open pastures, the cows lead more active, happy lives with their family groups, and stress is virtually eliminated.
Philosophy
Grazing cattle is the single most effective way to reduce fuel load over large pastures. Fire has always been part of the land, and the cattle take the place of large herds of deer and elk that long ago freely roamed California. Minimal water is used and the cows are raised pesticide- and hormone-free. This is a vote for sustainable agriculture and an offer outside the grape-growing monoculture. Eating small amounts of thoughtfully and sustainably raised beef supports an alternative to factory farming of large animals and heralds a return to a nearly lost way of food production.
