Harris Ranch
| Industry | Beef producer |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1937 |
| Founder(s) | Jack Harris |
| Headquarters | Coalinga, California, U.S. |
| Area served | United States |
| Products | Beef |
| Owner(s) | John C. Harris |
| Employees | 400 |
| Parent | Harris Farms |
| Website | www.harrisranch.com |
Harris Ranch or the Harris Cattle Ranch feedlot is California's largest beef producer, producing 150,000,000 pounds of beef per year as of 2010.[1] It is located alongside Interstate 5 at its intersection with California State Route 198 east of Coalinga, Central California, USA, in the San Joaquin Valley. The ranch is owned by Harris Farms.
Contents |
[edit] Description
[edit] History
Founded by Jack Harris in 1937, the Harris Ranch Beef Company (now operated by Jack Harris' son John) was originally a cotton and grain operation.[1].
The farm also operates an inn and restaurant, raises fruit and vegetable crops, and breeds thoroughbred horses.[2] [1] Overall, the operation has more than 400 employees.[3] Approximately 14,000 acres (5,700 ha) are devoted to garlic, broccoli, pomegranates, and tomatoes, among 35 types of fruits and vegetables.[4]
In January 2012, an arsonist destroyed fourteen cattle trucks on the ranch. The Animal Liberation Front claimed responsibility.[5][6]
[edit] Marketing and distribution
At over 800 acres (320 ha) and with a population of over 100,000 cattle,[4] and hundreds harvested daily, the ranch is the largest on the West Coast. It is also among the largest (when including density), in the United States. A "vertically integrated" operation, it owns a fleet of trucks that take cattle from several ranches with which it deals, and does its own finishing, slaughtering, and packaging.[1]
The ranch supplies the hamburger meat for the In-N-Out Burger chain, and also distributes beef and prepared meals through grocery stores and restaurants nationwide.[3][1]
Harris Ranch was one of the first to build a brand around itself as a specialty niche product, and is credited as a forerunner of companies like Niman Ranch and Dakota Beef.[1]
[edit] Restaurant and inn
The restaurant was targeted to local farmers when it opened in 1977, but later became popular as a halfway stop on the busy highway connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles.[7][8] A 153-room luxury Inn was added in 1987.[4] The restaurant evolved into a farm to fork" concept in the late 200s, featuring not only beef but wine and other products made locally by the ranch.[1] As of 2008 the restaurant was the 57th busiest in the United States and sixth busiest in California based on gross receipts.[3]
[edit] Public reception
The ranch is known to travelers for the "ripe, tangy odor of cow manure", described alternately as a "horrible stench"[9] and "a good, honest, American smell".[10] Food writer Michael Pollan was inspired to conduct the research on factory farming that lead to his seminal sustainability book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, by the smell.[9] The owner of Harris Ranch, in turn, threatened to withhold a $500,000 donation to California Polytechnic University if it sponsored a speech there by Pollan.[11] In reference to the large number of cattle processed at its facilities, some critics[12] have nicknamed the ranch "Cowschwitz",[9] comparing the slaughtering of cows to the slaughtering of Jews during the Holocaust at the death camp, Auschwitz.[4][13][14][15][16] Animal behavior expert Temple Grandin described the nickname as a matter of public misperception, saying that the company "does a great job" of keeping its animals.[17]
[edit] See also
[edit] Gallery
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Harris Ranch Inn
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For most travelers, the feedlot is the most recognizable view of Harris Ranch from Interstate 5
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g Munoz, Olivia (October 4, 2010). "Harris Ranch markets farm-to-fork". Associated Press. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16248323.
- ^ HRBC | About Us | Our History
- ^ a b c Cary Ordway. "Stop at Harris Ranch like visiting destination resort". California Weekend Getaways. http://www.californiaweekend.com/california-vacation/harris-ranch.html.
- ^ a b c d Weekend America http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/12/21/coalinga/
- ^ Lee, Henry K. (January 10, 2012). "Animal-rights arson at Harris Ranch?". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/10/BABM1MN8BU.DTL#ixzz1j5DR39e1.
- ^ Marble, Steve (10 January 2012). "Animal rights activists take credit for blaze at cattle ranch". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/01/animal-rights-activists.html. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ Schwartz, Ariel (February 24, 2010). "Earl Cox's Tesla Charging Station Makes Electric Roadtrip From L.A. to S.F. a Reality". Fast Company. http://www.fastcompany.com/1561593/tesla-chargepoint-installed-halfway-between-la-and-san-francisco.
- ^ Maybury, John (February 7, 2012). "Wandering and Wondering". Pacifica Tribune. http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_19914351.
- ^ a b c Black, Jane (December 7, 2009). "Think you're dining 'green'? Menus won't always tell you". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/06/AR2009120602778.html.
- ^ Susan Spano (2006-10-08). "Eat well, sleep deeply off I-5, at Harris Ranch". Los Angeles Times. http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr-spano8oct08.
- ^ Enzinna, Wes (November 2010). "Big Meat vs. Michael Pollan". Mother Jones. http://motherjones.com/environment/2010/11/michael-pollan-backlash-beef-advocacy.
- ^ Estabrook, Barry (December 28, 2011). "Feedlots vs. Pastures: Two Very Different Ways to Fatten Beef Cattle". The Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/12/feedlots-vs-pastures-two-very-different-ways-to-fatten-beef-cattle/250543/.
- ^ Micah Sachs (2005-07-04). "Punk and Stupid". San Diego Jewish Journal. http://www.sdjewishjournal.com/stories/july04_5.html.
- ^ "Sacred cows at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo". Los Angeles Times. 2009-10-16. http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/16/opinion/ed-pollan16.
- ^ Martha Rosenberg (2009-10-18). "Farmers Protest Food Activist Michael Pollan at University of Wisconsin". Op Ed news. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Farmers-Protest-Food-Activ-by-Martha-Rosenberg-091018-399.html.
- ^ BC Upham (2009-10-16). "Cattle Company Forces Change in Michael Pollan University Lecture". Triple Pundit. http://www.triplepundit.com/2009/10/cattle-company-forces-change-in-michael-pollan-university-lecture/.
- ^ Mitchell, Larry (Febreuary 19, 2012). "Temple Grandin: Ag must make progress known". Chico Enterprise Record. http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_19999409.
