The Grassroots Business Model

A recent business engagement took me back to Washington’s Methow Valley via the scenic North Cascades Highway. The pass was beginning to wear fall colors, fewer cars were on the road, minimal activity at the trailheads, and only an occasional enthusiast unstrapping a mountain bike in the roadside parking lot. The road was beginning to climb, and the appearance of breathtaking vistas and rugged snowy peaks perfectly coincided with the disappearance of reception bars on my cell phone. It’s when the road truly becomes therapeutic. The occasional deadly one liner notwithstanding, Vonnegut’s audio of Cat’s Cradle was growing ambient and losing me to the majestic scenery of landscapes, rivers, and waterfalls in the constantly changing light. If you did manage to find a distraction away from the windshield up to this point, the top of the pass demanded full driver attention. The serpentine winds like crazy, the two-lane track is closer to one lane split in half, and guard rails become few and far between. Whether they were never installed or are permanently missing with replacement efforts deemed moot after multiple attempts is anybody’s guess. The initial decent was steepest yet, dropping me into a giant glacial bowl with a panoramic view, and almost a vertical vantage point of the majestic landscape below. With one last zig zag in the road, I was below the tree line and headed for the valley.

Needing a break to stretch my legs and be away from the wheel, I pulled off the road. I was in the lowlands now, the landscape flattened out and the occasional solitary structure began appearing on the meadows and the moderately sloping hillsides. As I was studying a house about 300 yards off the main road and wondering what it would be like to live at the end of one of those instantly identifiable, long, classically countryside driveways, a sign caught my eye. The large, hand painted white letters on a primitive red plackard spelled out the words “Local Lamb” with a phone number below. It was simple, direct, and the product advertised is a personal favorite needing no further endorsement so I dialed the number.  No one answered. Spoiled by the convenience of e-commerce and the acknowledgement and instant gratification of email confirmations, I reluctantly left a voicemail wondering if anyone was every going to listen to it and just how long it’d been since the last time I shopped by phone.

A local number came up on my screen later that afternoon. On the phone was Betsy Smith of BCS Livestock in Winthrop. The Smith family, Hank, Betsy, and their son Casey, are 5th generation local farmers raising sheep for meat and wool.  What followed was an eye-opening conversation about regenerative agriculture, innovative resource management, land stewardship, and how a small business is looking at the big picture by choosing sustainable business practices while producing an incredible final product.  

You see, the animals really ARE from the Methow Valley in a holistic sort of way. Rather than being confined to one place their entire life, the sheep spend their days in a variety of different locations.  The abundance of undeveloped, privately owned land characteristic of the area represents a diversified portfolio of fertile grazing grounds ideal for sheep farming, land that BCS Livestock does not own. Rather, it is out on loan to the Smiths courtesy of the local property owners as part of a mutually beneficial co-op arrangement rooted in a shared philosophy of conservation and sustainability. A virtuous cycle, harnessing the highest and best use of the available resources, is put into motion.  The presence of the sheep on the otherwise underutilized land promotes consumption of the vegetation, triggering fresh growth cycles. The improved biodiversity and fertility of the soil in turn produce new, nutrient dense grass that is the staple of a healthy diet for the animals and is reflected in the excellent quality of the wool and the superb, all grass fed, grass finished meat. Networking within the community to pool resources and achieve a whole that is greater than the sum of the individual parts in large part based on the honor system. In exchange for the conditional use and access to the land, the farmers are entrusted with the care and long-term, generational well-being of these delicate ecosystems.  BCS Livestock carefully monitors the impact of the sheep on the land to ensure that the collective footprint of the herd is not detrimental to and does not exceed what the ecosystem can sustainably support. The animals are moved to a new location before excessive soil depletion can occur, and the vegetation allowed to not only sufficiently regenerate, but come back stronger due carbon sequestration and other positive byproducts imparted by animals. 

All of this conversation, and a fascinating educational seminar courtesy of Betsy, occurred before I placed an order or announced any intent to do so. But order I did, which is done through the company website overseen by Betsy’s son Casey, and uses a simple shopping cart model. In addition to a variety of lamb products, also available for purchase are wool yarn and clothing, and locally raised beef. Separate cuts of lamb can be ordered individually or bundled. Half or whole animal purchasing options are most cost efficient and let you choose the cuts and dimensions.  The meat comes vacuum packed and freezes well. Whole animal yields approximately 42 lbs. of meat on average, and can easily be shared among several households. My order was ready for pickup the next morning and consisted of a bundle of small cuts perfect for a quick, high temp sear treatment on the grill, and tasted absolutely incredible! The friends and neighbors that I shared the product with have already joined the buying pool for the next time I travel to the Methow Valley. 

The photo in the headline was taken recently, with the valley already in winter mode. But in the distance, blending in with the first traces of snow, the sheep were still peacefully roaming the pastures. The seasons changed and the summer crowds were gone for the shoulder season, but life at the farm carried on. The sheep and the Smith family live here, day in day out, year after year, generation to generation.  More information on BCS Livestock and product ordering can be found by visiting the company’s website at (www.bcslivestock.com) or by calling (509) 996-3159.