Stemple Creek Ranch

People

Loren and Lisa Poncia, with 15 full- and 5 part-time employees

Farmland

1,000 acres in Marin, about 55 miles from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, plus additional land
leased in Mendocino and Humboldt counties.

About

Loren Poncia’s great-grandfather, Angelo, immigrated to California from Italy in 1897 and began
raising dairy cows, pigs, and chickens in Marin, home of Stemple Creek Ranch. The Poncias
farmed dairy cattle until 1989, when they transitioned to beef. Loren and his wife, Lisa, now raise
Angus cattle and Dorset and Shropshire lambs in Marin, Mendocino, and Humboldt counties.

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 animals are grass-fed and grass
finished, with no supplemental corn, soy, or grain. Hay is harvested from their certified organic
pastures in the spring to save for times when green grass is scarce. The Poncias strive to steward
their land in harmony with nature by practicing sound rotational grazing, feeding the soil, and
restoring riparian habitat.

Certification

Pasture is certified by Marin Organic Certified Organic Agriculture. Animal welfare is certified by
Global Animal Partnership.