Traditional western ranching has always incorporated environmental stewardship into day-to-day work. Living and working on The Little Seven Seven Ranch is to live on the land, with animals, native plants, wildlife, streams, springs and changing weather.
Many people have read stories about beef production causing environmental damage and being resource intensive. These stories refer to the large scale and industrial feedlots, not to the type of ranching incorporated by the L77.
The ranch did not set about to solve environmental problems. The goal of the ranch is to raise the very best beef in the world. Raising grass fed Highland Cattle in harmony with the land is in fact beneficial to the environment.
The Little Seven Seven Ranch is essentially a large grass range and forest area. Not only does The L77 not use any pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers, the land has never been subject to these applications.
The L77 Highland Cattle herd roams and browses throughout the ranch, eating grass, brush and shrubs and leaving their natural fertilizer wherever they graze. The L77 does not have concentrated feeding areas. There is no manure disposal issue.
Argoforestery and Silvopasture are terms that describe the practice of grazing cattle or other livestock in forested areas. This is exactly what the Little Seven Seven Ranch practices. It makes sense for the land, and it works perfectly for the Highland Cattle.