Unruh Walnut Farms – Colusa County, California: A Soil Health Academy Case Study
An in-depth producer case study profiling Daniel and Rachelle Unruh’s 193-acre Chandler walnut orchard near Princeton, CA. Covers their transition from conventional to regenerative production starting in 2013, driven by an intractable nematode problem, and details their practices: diverse cover crop mixes (including mustard for nematode suppression), no-till, reduced synthetic nitrogen, pheromone mating disruption for […]
Interview with Molly Taylor on Cover Crops
A blog interview with PT Ranch manager Molly Taylor covering the ranch’s adoption of cover crops starting in 2020, including the specific species used (turnips, clovers, collard greens, oats, rye), their no-till approach, integration with cattle grazing, benefits to soil health and drought resilience, and how California’s Healthy Soils Incentive Program and carbon credit markets […]
5 with a Farmer: Molly Taylor of PT Ranch
A short-form video in Kiss the Ground’s “5 with a Farmer” series, featuring five rapid-fire questions with PT Ranch manager Molly Taylor about regenerative farming, her philosophy on soil health, and what she hopes future generations understand about working with nature rather than against it.
A Flock of All Trades
A feature article from Bluedot Living’s Santa Barbara Green Guide (March 2025) profiling Cuyama Lamb’s multifaceted operation: wildfire prevention grazing contracts with fire departments, native habitat restoration, seasonal shearing and wool processing, a collaboration with indigenous weaver Porfirio Gutierrez, and research into wool pellets as a soil amendment.
Testing Virtual Fence Systems for Fire Fuel Management: Final Report (FW23-421)
A USDA SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) farmer/rancher grant final report by Cuyama Lamb LLC testing GPS-collar virtual fencing (Nofence) technology against traditional electric fencing for targeted grazing in wildfire fuel management contexts. Includes detailed comparative analysis of containment effectiveness, labor hours, and projected costs over 1, 3, and 5 years.
Baa Baa Local Sheep: Cuyama Lamb, Stewards for the Land
A longform magazine article from Edible Santa Barbara’s Summer/Fall 2020 issue offering an in-depth, personal account of Cuyama Lamb founders Jack Thrift Anderson and Jenya Schneider. Covers the operation’s three pillars — land management grazing, meat production, and wool — as well as the semi-nomadic lifestyle of shepherding, the role of working dogs, and the […]
Cuyama Lamb: Regenerating Native Grasslands Through Sheep Grazing
A feature article by the nonprofit Kiss the Ground profiling Cuyama Lamb as a pioneering regenerative grazing operation rooted in Native American land stewardship principles. Covers their rotational grazing model, wildfire risk reduction, invasive species management, and cooperative ownership goals.
Meet Cuyama Lamb: A California Lamb Producer Story
A short producer profile video from California Lamb featuring Cuyama Lamb LLC, highlighting their ecological grazing operation, regenerative land stewardship practices, and commitment to sustainably raising food and fiber in Santa Barbara County.
The Art and Science of a Prescribed Burn: Firefighters and Ranchers Team Up at the Chamberlin Ranch
A Santa Barbara Independent article by Tyler Hayden reporting on a two-day, 80-acre prescribed burn conducted at the Ted Chamberlin Ranch in May 2021, in which Santa Barbara County Fire Department trained firefighters from 13 California agencies in wildland containment techniques while simultaneously reducing dangerous fuel loads on the property. The article covers the dual […]
From Pilots to Big Bold Visions: Rapid Scaling of Carbon Farming in Santa Barbara County
A panel presentation slide deck from August 2017 prepared for the Central Coast Climate Collaborative, featuring Russell Chamberlin (Ted Chamberlin Ranch), Anna Olsen (Cachuma Resource Conservation District), Emily Miller (Community Environmental Council), Sharyn Main (Santa Barbara Foundation), and Aeron Arlin Genet (Santa Barbara County APCD). The presentation covers the science of carbon farming, results from […]