Grown In Marin 

Liz Cunningham milked cows and fed and tended calves on her family farm as a little girl. Her father, Alexander, better known as "Bud," developed a fine herd of Holsteins, specializing in higher butterfat from his black and whites. "Bud was a great breeder, and had some of the best genetics around," said Kevin Lunny, an ex-dairy operator, now beef producer and oyster grower. "Along with my grandfather, he also pioneered AI (artificial insemination)." Liz grew up on the farm and went on to family life and career ending up at St. Anthony Farms, milking organic Holsteins and supervising a milking crew. But the urge to farm on her own again surfaced. Liz and her husband Dan Bagley bought a few hundred baby layer chicks, certified their fledgling operation organic with Marin Organic Certified Agriculture (MOCA), and began Clark Summit Farm just north of Tomales. Liz's animal husbandry background kicked in and she began building up a grass-fed cattle herd with some of the original genetics from the the family dairy herd.

     Tomales produces perhaps the best grasslands in Marin (along with Point Reyes peninsula) with its cool weather, deep hillside soils, and foggy summers. So it was a natural conclusion that Liz and Dan would optimize this rich resource. The chickens would be pastured next to the cows. Dan's engineering and construction skills came in handy, and he designed and built mobile laying houses that are strategically placed out in pastures that are full of nutritious rye grass. The certified organic range-fed eggs have the orange yolks that you can only find from open-range-fed birds.

       The grass-fed beef program is also underway and Liz's herd is growing. She sells off the ranch in halves and quarters. "It's absolutely delicious!" says Ellie Rilla, Marin County Farm Advisor.

       Liz and Dan felt like they still needed something to keep busy, so they added a dozen hogs to fill out the ranch. The piglets are always out in the grass, which accounts for about a third of their feed intake. Pastured pigs graze right next to laying chickens and cattle.

       Just to round things out, the ranchers decided to try a few spuds to take advantage of the famous Tomales potato growing soils.

       Liz seems low key and matter-of-fact about her operation. She is full time at Clark Summit Farm now, having left St. Anthony's to build her own operation. "I like animal husbandry," she says with her characteristic understated style. But her and Dan's operation is a real gem and boost for sustainable agriculture in Marin. Her reliance on the natural grass resources for multi-species grazing, and the growing demand for healthy, ecologically sound farming, and just plain love of the land and her animals, add up to an operation that looks like a winner. - Steve Quirt, UC Cooperative Extension