VINA, CALIF. — Leavitt Lake Ranches was awarded the 2009 National Environmental Stewardship Award at the recently-held 2010 Cattle Industry Annual Convention in San Antonio. As the nation's largest producer of organic grass-fed beef, Panorama Meats processes beef raised by Leavitt Lake Ranches and distributes it as Panorama Organic Grass-Fed Beef to Whole Foods Market stores in Northern California.

One of the founding ranches of Panorama Meats Inc., Leavitt Lake Ranches in Vina, Calif., is owned and operated by Darrell and Callie Wood along with their son, Ramsey, and daughter, Dalice. It earned the award due to its commitment to environmental stewardship while improving production and profitability.


The Environmental Stewardship Award is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and is administered by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation.

The Woods’ environmental stewardship practices on the nearly 40,000 acres of Northern California rangeland that they own, lease or manage include restoration of vernal pools and protection of wildlife habitat for native species, including mule deer, pronghorn antelope and upland game birds. They have also improved irrigation systems and riparian conditions, and improved the habitat for spawning wild salmon.

Panorama cattle are raised on pastures of natural grasses, legumes and range forage. Cattle are never implanted with hormones, fed animal by-products or treated with antibiotics. All animals are raised in compliance with the Born and Raised in the USA verification program. Ranchers who raise Panorama cattle treat their animals humanely in low-stress environments and employ pasture-rotation and land-management practices that promote animal health and protect delicate rangeland ecosystems.