Stemple Creek Ranch Brings Grass-Fed Beef to the Ferry Plaza

Brie Mazurek, Foodwise Staff
July 2, 2025

The Poncia family has been farming in Northern California for four generations. Since 1897, they’ve grown their operation from a dairy farm in Fallon to 1,000 acres of ranches across four counties. By focusing on soil health and ranching on bird-friendly land, Stemple Creek Ranch provides high-quality meat through prioritizing sustainability and regenerative agricultural practices. Now that they’ve returned to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, shoppers can choose from a selection of grass-fed, grass-finished beef and pork, all raised on open pastures throughout their lives. 

Four Generations of Land Stewards

Loren Poncia was destined to be a rancher. His great-grandfather Angelo immigrated to California from Italy in 1897 and began raising dairy cows, pigs, and chickens in Fallon, Marin County, now the home of Stemple Creek Ranch.

The Poncias farmed dairy cattle until 1989, when they transitioned to beef. Loren started his own herd when he graduated from high school to help pay for college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Later, after a stint working in corporate roles, he felt pulled to follow his passion and returned to the family ranch with his wife, Lisa. They now raise Angus cattle and Hampshire and Dorset lambs in Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Humboldt counties. In 2019, they began pasture raising Duroc, Yorkshire, and Landrace cross pigs in their Tomales ranch eucalyptus groves. 

Stemple Creek’s livestock are born in the fields and raised in open pasture throughout their lives without artificial hormones, growth promotants, or antibiotics. All cattle and lambs are grass-fed and grass-finished, with no supplemental corn, soy, or grain. 

“We specialize in higher-fat grass-finished beef, not super lean,” says Loren. “Our pigs can eat as much non-GMO wheat, barley, and peas as they want, along with anything else they root up from the trees.”

Hay is harvested from their certified organic pastures in the spring to save for times when green grass is scarce. Most of the livestock is not certified organic, however, because their local processing facilities, all within Northern California, are not certified.

Ranching with Nature

A deep love and respect for the land runs in Loren’s family. His father was one of the founding members of Marin Agricultural Land Trust, on which Loren also served as a board member for a decade, and Lisa is a current board member. Their property in Marin is protected by an easement that guarantees it will remain in agricultural use in perpetuity. “We’re very proud of that,” says Loren.

The Poncias have restored riparian habitat on their land by planting native plants and trees around the creek, which prevents erosion and encourages wildlife. “We want to work in harmony with Mother Nature and have a biodiverse operation,” Loren says. Thanks to their efforts, the creek now provides nesting grounds for at least 24 different species of migratory birds.

Stemple Creek is also one of the three original ranches to participate in the Marin Carbon Project, a program that seeks to illuminate the carbon sequestration potential of rangeland in response to climate change.

Grazing is carefully managed by rotating the cattle through about 100 different pastures. “Our goal is to let the pasture rest so that the blades of grass get big enough that they capture all the sunlight that shines down on them, allowing for strong root development and pulling carbon from the atmosphere into the soil,” explains Loren.

One of the focuses of regenerative ranching is increasing the water holding capacity of soil by building organic matter, a strategy that could increase drought resilience. 

“I love watching the cycle of life, from when the first rains come and the grass grows and the babies are born,” Loren says. “The sun’s energy is captured by the grass, the cattle thrive and grow, and we’re able to produce a high-quality product that people here in the Bay Area really love and appreciate.”

Connecting Stemple Creek Ranch to the Farmers Market Community

“Our biggest challenge is having a high-quality grass-finished product year-round,” says Loren. The Poncias have grown Stemple Creek Ranch by selling to butcher shops, locally owned grocery stores, restaurants, farmers markets, and online customers. 

They also have an event venue and ranch stays, where they host farm-to-table celebrations. Lisa manages the event venue, Loren manages the livestock operation, and General Manager Conner Hackett manages the meat company  

After being in the farmers market from 2014 to 2017, the entire Stemple Creek team is excited to return to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market every Saturday.

“We are so lucky to have Conner and an amazing team. They make it all happen,” Lisa says, “We’re reconnecting with our community and sharing our sustainably raised meats with both loyal customers and new faces alike.”

Visit Stemple Creek Ranch on Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.

This article was updated from a previously published version.

Topics: Animal welfare, Farms