Learn more about our philosophy and the staff that makes it happen
Land Management
The land has been, and always will be our most valuable resource. As such, we ensure that every decision we make is focused on incrementally improving the land over time. By using nature as our blueprint and following the Six Principles of Soil Health using the Three Rules of Adaptive Stewardship, we are improving the Four Ecosystem Processes. To learn more about the 6-3-4 visit our educational resource page.
Food Quality
Healthy food comes from healthy animals which comes from healthy soils. Our commitment to regenerative agriculture principles and practices provides the foundation our food is grown upon. This, coupled with our Wagyu breeding program, and low stress animal handling techniques, translates into one of the best eating experiences available in North West Colorado... And the best part about it is that it gets better every year!
Ecological Context
The Yampa Valley Ranch is located at the headwaters of the Yampa River in North West Colorado. Our headquarters sits at 7,800' elevation and reaches up to 9,200' elevation. Our lower elevation pastures are largely influenced by the Yampa River, 1.5 miles of which flow through
the ranch creating aquatic, riparian habitat, and flood irrigated pastures. The higher elevation pastures consist of sagebrush steppes, subalpine meadows, and dense pockets of aspen groves and dark timber. Our climate is characterized by cold winters with significant snowfall to mild and dry summers resulting in cool season grasses being a primary forage component of our operation.
Operational Context
Why and how we do the things we do are driven by our mission and constrained by our ecological context and time. Our mission is informed by two mandates: 1) Profitability is the essential necessity to true sustainability 2) Be the catalyst that expedites the appreciation of land over time. Providing healthy and delicious food (our specialty being BEEF!) just happens to be the byproduct!
Meet our staff
Chase Hall
Ranch Manager
*Likes cows and grass*
Chase grew up in Montgomery, Tx where he developed a passion for agriculture and the outdoors. He went to Texas A&M University on a United States Marine Corps scholarship and graduated with a Bachelors in Animal Science with a focus on beef cattle production. After graduating and Commissioning in the Marines, Chase put his Ag career on hold to serve as a Combat Engineer Officer with 7th ESB and CLB-11 at Camp Pendleton, CA and forward deployed with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. After 5 years of active service he decided to return to his true passion of developing profitable, productive, landscapes through the use of regenerative practices and producing healthy and delicious beef along the way.
Favorite quote: "Meet your meat" -Ron Swanson
Ed John
Head Horse Trainer
*Likes horses*
Ed grew up in Colorado Springs, CO in a non-agricultural family but had a strong desire to be a “cowboy” from a very young age. Through family friends, he was introduced to ranching and horses around 13 years old. From that time on he pursued every opportunity he could find to work with horses and cattle. He graduated from CSU with a Bachelors Degree in Equine Science and found his way into the western performance horse world. Going on to work for some of the biggest breeders and trainers in the industry over the next 10 years. During this time Ed developed a true passion for the working cow horse, both in and out of the show arena. Ed and his family found their way to Whispering Willows Ranch in 2021 to manage the Horse Division.
Fun fact: If not on a horse Ed likes to be in the wilderness hunting mule deer or fishing for trout.
Ali Hall
Marketing & Beef Sales
*Likes taking photos*
Ali grew up in upstate New York, where she graduated with a degree in Physical Therapy. That career path, along with a summer of working at a guest ranch, landed her in Steamboat Springs, CO. Outside the clinic, she is extremely passionate about connecting individuals to their food source and supporting well-managed agriculture that enhances the health of their landscape. Additionally, she has created a niche in the photography world, capturing local agriculture, outdoor/backcountry sports, and the western world.
Fun Fact: She bailed off her runaway horse during a skijoring competition.
