When Daniel and Maria Rose scan the meadows and pecan groves along the Verdigris River in Porter, they know the benefits of their regenerative ranch aren’t just the income-producing chickens, pigs, and cattle roaming free. Grassroots Ranch lives up to its name as a business built from the grass up.

“We do focus on the soil first,” Daniel says. “Our goal is to raise animals in a way that has a positive impact on the land too. We move animals across the property every week to mimic the way wild animals move.”

Shortened soil-disturbance grazing followed by long rest periods lay the groundwork for healthier and tastier animals, says Daniel, who began selling Grassroots Ranch products, including free-range eggs, six years ago through the Broken Arrow Farmer’s Market and social media.

With no experience in raising animals, Daniel originally jumped into ranching sheep first in 2014 and eventually left the sterile environment of a nursing career for some real dirt work. He researched agriculture with the vigor of a medical student and gathered cows, pigs, and chickens to his mission to create a small-scale sustainable operation.

In February 2020, the family moved from the Osage Hills to a six hundred-acre property in Porter. A few weeks later, thanks to COVID-19, demand for free next-day home delivery in their Frozen Roller delivery van increased, and Grassroots Ranch sales increased too.

According to some studies, pasture-raised eggs like the ones from Grassroots Ranch chickens are higher in vitamins A and E as well as omega-3 fatty acids. Photo by Christina Winkle

The Roses’ desire to learn more about regenerative ranching and farming extends to sharing their knowledge with both customers and fellow farmers. Social media marketing has replaced grocery store ads for many people who want to know where their food comes from.

Today, about two hundred heritage breed pigs and cows, ten thousand meat chickens, and eight hundred laying hens best suited for strictly grazing rotate across areas of the property like short-term tenants.

“Every animal here lives its life outside on the grass with access to fresh forage throughout its entire lifetime,” says Daniel.

Later this year, the Roses will open Grassroots Larder on Cherry Street in Tulsa. The culinary market will feature Grassroots Ranch meats and eggs, as well as local products from bread, grains, sauces, and dry goods to fresh produce, meats, and prepared food items. And with culinary expertise from Chef Trey Winkle of Tulsa, meal kits for customers to finish at home will feature sustainable, local ingredients with both preservation and historic methods of cooking in mind.

“Our retail business was started by the incredible folks at Grassroots Ranch,” says Winkle. “When both the ranch and retail side needed to expand, the ranch wanted to be sure that their original focus of land stewardship and livestock management took precedence.”

The Rose family and other Oklahoma regenerative ranchers and farmers know that customers need only crack a farm-fresh egg or eat a pork chop from a grove-foresting pig to experience the difference—a difference that matters more than just taste.

Written By

Sheilah Bright