S2 E11: Te Amo Livestock with Will Ingram and Kathi Carlson

Our recent visit to Te Amo Livestock in Gaviota gave us insight into rigors of ranch management. With one added complicating factor... not only is the ranch a fully functional cattle ranch... one of the largest producers in Santa Barbara county it's also an Underdeveloped Rural Residential Community.

When we arrived at the Hollister Historical Working Barn, I saw a man in the tack shed who I later learned was Te Amo partner Will Ingram and co-owner Kathi Carlson. We toured the ranch and then sat down for an interview in the tack shed.

Ranches are almost always located in difficult areas. If land is able to be farmed it will be as it's usually more profitable. But when topography becomes problematic and access to water unpredictable, ranching becomes more viable. It just takes a certain type of people to facilitate it. Ranching is not for the faint of heart. Imagine have hundreds of large animals, animals responsible for your livelihood, scattered over thousands of acres of uneven ground. And though cattle are adaptable, they need regular supervision and care. It's a saying that is meant as an exaggeration, but if you were to ask a rancher... herding cats isn't unlike herding cows. Despite their size they can get themselves into some pretty weird places.