Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin O’bryan.
Hi Erin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m a health coach, and honestly, my whole ranch adventure started almost by accident.
Years ago, my family bought a ranch as our vacation spot. Then life took a turn. I went through a divorce, and I really wanted to hold onto that land, which meant it had to start paying for itself. So at 50 (yes, 50!), I decided to try my hand at farming. I’ll be honest with you: farming is HARD, and for a single mom, it was just too much.
That’s when I fell into raising sheep on my 40 acres, and it turned out to be the happiest accident of all. Those sheep were little miracle workers. They kept the weeds down, they fertilized the vineyard naturally, and because they were 100% grass-fed, they gave us meat that was ridiculously delicious and really good for you. (Here’s the health coach in me talking: 100% pasture-raised animals have a much better omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, which makes their meat some of the healthiest you can eat.)
I’ve since sold the ranch, but I just couldn’t part with my sheep! They now graze on a neighbor’s land that’s farmed organically, so they’re still foraging on clean, healthy ground. And lately I’ve been having fun experimenting with chickens, raising them on organic, corn-free, soy-free feed so they have that same healthy fat ratio.
At the end of the day, it always comes back to what I tell my coaching clients all the time: real food, raised with care, is one of the best things you can do for your body. I just feel lucky that I am the one that gets to raise it!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Ha! The road is never smooth when dealing with animals and mother nature. Some days are a rodeo for sure. But one of the biggest struggles as a small farmer is getting your meat to a USDA processing plant, of which there are only 2 on the central coast, so you can imagine how busy they are. You can’t always get an appointment when you need it plus the time and money involved in driving them up to Creston (near Paso) and then back again to pick it up or. have it delivered. It all adds up! Also, getting in to farmers markets can be difficult and costly and otherwise finding your market, the people that appreciate 100% grass-fed, pastured animals, and are willing to pay for it, is not always easy.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the daughter of a zookeeper. I grew up shoveling goat poop at the children’s zoo, raising my own exotic pets and hunting and fishing with my father. All of this gave me a great love for animals and respect for nature. I am most proud of how well I care for my animals. They live outdoors on pasture, moving to fresh grass and doing exactly what sheep are meant to do, with no crowded lots, no stress, and no shortcuts. Raising them humanely isn’t only better for them, it’s better for the food too: calm, healthy, well-cared-for animals give us better, more nourishing meat. For me, treating them with respect is simply the right thing to do.
And caring for the animals myself has made me a better health coach. When you’ve raised the food and followed it all the way from pasture to plate, you understand nutrition on a completely different level. I don’t just tell my clients that how an animal is raised matters, I can show them exactly why, because I live it every single day.
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Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Again, not to be repetitive, but it’s the authenticity of it all. I raise the meat that I encourage my health coaching clients to eat. I know what goes into raising that meat and I know why its important. I know what healthy food does to the body and I can explain it. It’s my passion and people get that.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hiddencanyonranch.com and www.erinobryanchc.com
- Instagram: hiddencanyonranchfarms and erin.obryanchc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hiddencanyonranchfarms
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinlobryan/
