A Visit to James Ranch

It is not often that one gets to visit a herd of beautiful Jersey dairy cows living in the San Juan mountains of Southern Colorado. This past spring, Hannes and I were invited by Dan James of James Ranch in Durango to do just that.

Fern, Faith, Nikki and Cora are a few of the Jersey girls who get to live the ultimate dream life of a cow. Together with their new calves, they roam the vast meadows at the foot of the dramatic Southwestern red rock. Usually, after calving, cows are separated from their new calves, but not on James Ranch. Here, the moms and babies all stay together grazing the idyllic pasture lands of the Animas Valley. They are indeed the happiest of cows!

Dan produces a delicious artisanal gouda style mountain cheese called Belfort from their milk, and they also sell herd and milk shares to a few lucky local residents. There is a long wait list for the rest of us.  James Ranch has become a popular destination for farm tours, BBQs and summer concerts. We were thrilled to see our Churncraft butter churn join the ranks. The cream from Jersey cows has an especially high fat content, so it makes amazingly rich and creamy butter. Happy churning, James family!