The Eagle Rock Ranch Story
The Eagle Rock Ranch story is one of a first-generation ranching family that started with a dream and dedication. Dave and Jean Gottenborg, who met as wranglers on a dude ranch back in the mid ‘70s, have wanted to own a ranch for as long as they can remember. That dream became a reality when they purchased Eagle Rock Ranch, located just west of Denver, CO in Jefferson, after Dave retired in 2012. While neither him nor Jean had a ranching background, they knew they could make it work! Through ranch classes offered at Colorado State University, hiring good ranch hands, surrounding themselves with like-minded ranchers and a deep rooted passion for this endeavor, they were able to transform Eagle Rock Ranch into what it is today.
The ranch itself is situated at 9,000 feet elevation in the Colorado High Country in central Colorado. The ranch straddles Tarryall Creek, located in the Terryall Valley, which in their opinion, is one of the most beautiful and scenic high mountain valleys in the entire United States. This is where their cattle are born, raised and spend virtually all of their life. The Tarryall Valley has been designated as a National Rural Historic District and is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places as well as the Colorado State Registry of Historic Properties. Eagle Rock Ranch has even been assigned a Smithsonian Institute identification number of 5PA.4467. With all the added history, the Gottenborg’s are truly living out their dream on Eagle Rock Ranch.
Dave and Jean have two children, Drew and Erin. Now all grown up, Drew and his family visit on weekends when they can, and Erin, along with her husband and three kids, are weekend warriors on the ranch. She says she never dreamed her parents would own a ranch. She grew up riding horses and was an avid 4H member. She remembers the days of renting backyard barns from neighbors where she would keep her horses. She too dreamed of a day where she would have her own horse barn.
Now, fast forward about 25 years, Erin loves watching her children, and her nieces and nephews, experiencing the ranch at such a young age. She is continuously in awe of the ranch and can’t believe this is where she gets to make a life and enjoy her passion.
Verification Programs
Today, Eagle Rock Ranch participates in numerous verification programs. They are a proud to be Beef Quality Assurance certified, as well as verified as Non-Hormone Treated Cattle (NHTC) and Verified Natural Beef programs through IMI Global, a division of Where Food Comes From, Inc.
They believe that having exposure to these programs is what helps them produce their high-quality, Verified Natural, grass-fed Black Angus beef that they are so proud to offer consumers. They even recently started offering “Eagle Rock Ranch” branded beef that consumers can order from them directly.
Happy Cattle, Happy Life
It’s obvious that Eagle Rock Ranch focuses on sustainability and quality. In fact, throughout their ranch you’ll see signs that say, “Quality in Everything We Do,” because that’s exactly what they strive for. They pride themselves in the way they treat their animals and take no short cuts when it comes to the care of the ranch and treat their animals with the respect they deserve. They are constantly reminding themselves that “happy cows produce great tasting meat,” which is why they feed their cattle the protein rich natural grasses, let them drink from cool mountain run off water, and breath fresh mountain air. They believe this is key to creating a superior product for consumers, and they look forward to what’s to come.
Learn more about Eagle Rock Ranch here.
Learn more about Where Food Comes From here.
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