“With good character, good cattle, and good work we will supply Chico with quality beef” Paul Lucas (My great, great, great grandfather)
Welcome to the rants and ramblings of a 6th generation, Northern Californian, commercial, cattle rancher. I also raise heritage hogs in addition to my beef. I am a huge fan of heritage pork and can spend hours extolling its virtues, if you let me. In addition to that, I cook, garden, can, write, hunt – well basically, I’m “that girl”.
I earned my B.S. degree from CSU Chico in agriculture business. I also thought it would be a super good idea to go to law school, until I was actually IN law school. Telling your family you are dropping out of law school is NOT a fun conversation to have, so think long and hard before you watch Legally Blonde and decide you are going to be Elle Woods.
After that fiasco, I worked as a legal assistant in town for three years. I wanted to experience “normal life” before I returned to the ranch. I’m proud to say I had a gym membership, a parking place, an 401K and can write a sternly worded letter like it is my job.
I live on the Ranch, in a converted milk barn (or pump house! Depends what time of year!), with my manx cat, Jack, my border collie, Hoot, my Kelpies, Boo and Duke Mayo.
I am very passionate about agriculture and want to share my life and experiences with those who are curious about agriculture. Feel free to ask me anything about ag and I will do my best to answer honestly, without scaring the crap out of you or bashing farmers and ranchers that produce differently from myself. This blog is about my very unique life. It mainly focuses on the ranch, my recipes and the ridiculous things I get myself into, but don’t be surprised if some random things pop up. Be warned, I am anything but normal.
Please contact me if you have questions about agriculture, need a speaker for your event, or just want to shoot the shit. MegRBrown@gmail.com.
Don’t poke me with a stick, please.
Hello,
I am an Idaho farmwife, Agra-Diva and passionate about “agvocacy”. The reason I’m writing to you is to let you know that I have listed your blog on a newly created site called Farmer Inc, The Real Story. This is an informational site and designed for our non-agriculture friends as a one stop shop to enable them to see and read what real farmers do. As a fellow Ag blogger, I have two requests; 1) please help me promote this newest blog site in any manner you can and 2) I am putting together a “Farm Blog Book” that will feature all of our best blogs. So if you are interested, please send me your best blog in a word format attachment, a jpg picture or two and a synopsis about you & your farm. Please see my farm blog that better explains my newest project at http://www.idahofarmwife.net.
Thank you and I hope to hear back from you soon.
Thanks, Gayle Anderson
All I can say is that I wish people would make the same connection to pigs, cows, turkeys, chickens and all other animals they use for food, as they do their horses, dogs cats…. Animals are not food, man has deemed them food. it breaks my heart you are killing your pigs … I only hope that some day you make the connection to all sentient beings as I have. this is the film that I watched and have since been vegan and an animal rights activists. http://www.earthlings.com Blessings
McKenna
No stick 🙂
Good and well appreciated blog-
(Andy Vance is how I found your page.)
Cheers,
Lyn
Thank you, Lyn. I really like to hear that! Andy is so awesome! It was such a honor getting interviewed by him! Please let me know if you have any questions related to the ranch and I’ll post about it! Thanks for checking me out!
Give me some info on the Pony Hill Ranch. Where is it in reference to Greenville, CA? If you have other historical pics of the ranch and people that lived there and would be willing to share them, let me know. Very interesting. Thanks.
Hi Jeff! I have lots of information and pictures about the Pony Hill Ranch. Shoot me an e-mail to megrbrown@gmail.com and let me know what your interest is and I’ll see how I can help you.
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Hi Bombshell on a horse. 🙂 Informative and impressive blog lady. I bookmarked it. PS the lemon tree you put in Matt’s office is amazing in both asthetics and aromatherapy.
Love and kisses,
-Jen
Just checked out your blog after noticing that you followed me on twitter. You seem like a very interesting person and have a great way of telling your stories. I will be reading your stuff. Thank you for the follow! billhusa1
Hi Bill! I love your photos, so I hope I don’t disappoint you! Thanks for following me too!
Just read your blog about the punch. Think I’m gonna be making some of that Vodka style real soon. Sounds tasty. Thank you!
Nice site, and it was nice to meet you at the Butte County Farm Bureau dinner. Keep up the good work! Linda Watkins-Bennett
Action News CBS 12/NBC 24
Hi Linda! It was wonderful finally meeting you! LOL, I feel like I’ve known you for years! Thank you so much for checking out my blog!
Still waiting for you to email me that photo we took together (unless it turned out poorly, then no worries!)
I really love your blog. I am from Northern Iowa and I didn’t grow on a farm per say, but my grandpa farmed and my uncle farms. As of a couple of years ago my dad even started row-crop farming. In college, I work for my uncle doing chores and anything and everything with cattle and love it! That’s why your posts are so interesting. I am a Pre-Vet major as well.
Pre-vet major! Heck yeah! We need more vets! Keep it up!
Thanks for the feedback on my blog, I love it!!!!
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Megan,
Your twitter feed was recommended to me by Twitter so I thought I would look you up! Very impressive and would be happy to follow you! I am a rancher and Extension Livestock Specialist for Texas A&M in South Texas.
Joe
Wow thank you so much! I love getting feedback from industry professionals!!!! I look forward to following you as well!
Meg –
Thanks for your devotion to telling the story of agriculture and beef! Like my colleague Joe Paschal, I also ranch and work in the arena of animal and natural resource management.
Rick
Hi I wanted to know how do you kill the cow? I’ve looked at your pictures but I would like to know how to you make the cow bleed out? thank you
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The horse looks like he is smiling. I would be smiling too. 😉
Really enjoying your blog from MT! Just started up a blog as well about agriculture, family, and ranching! Check it out at http://www.themontanaranchadventure.com Beautiful pics!
Oops-wrong email
I followed you recently on twittter, so just found your blogs. I like your blogs. you write long articles. I enjoy learning about ranching in California. Not much different from South Dakota only we have winter. I started blogging several years ago just to let my neices and nephews who live in cities know what I do. The wife’s nephew came to visit and was very surprised that cattle and sheep grazed out on open range. he thought all cattle were raised in confinement and fed antibiotics. Also my wife used to go to Rapid City and visit third grade classrooms and visit with them about ag. That became to complicated because of the system. So now we do field trips where the third graders come to us. It is a lot of work but probably worth it. The teacher uses the blog in her classroom , ( I think, need to talk with her)
Good luck with your cattle feeding operation we are trying to something similar, but not on your scale. We market about on head per year. hope to improve.
Hi Meg, found your site through a relative who showed me your fork video. Fascinating. I thought I knew a lot about pigs but I had never heard of Red Wattles. You must be proud. Did you know this? (you probably do)
-The Red Wattle hog is listed on the ALBC Conservation Priority List as being critically endangered meaning there are fewer than 200 annual registrations in the U.S. and estimated to have fewer than 2,000 individuals of this breed globally.
I volunteer at a horse rescue and we have a couple of pigs as well. Someday I hope to live on a farm if i can get my husband to move! Keep up the blog, enjoy farm life for some of us & count your blessings! Laura
Hi, spoke with you on FB about your pics. I won’t make any. But I hope my wife will make them for me.
You are a very interesting woman. It shines through in your writing. You are also very nice looking, which is obvious from your photos. A great combination and I hope you achieve all your life goals.
Our connection…I too grew up in Greenville. Just guessing here, but Phyllis and Larry Brown and me were schoolmates. I also grew up around all the Taddeis. Related to you how?
In the summer a girl named Judy Peterson used to come up from the valley and hang with Kathy Brown. Is she by chance your relative?
Here is some confusion for me…I am almost related to the North family. My first cousins were Leslie and Audrey North who were daughters of Jim North Sr and my late aunt Jean Cameron North, who died a hopless alcoholic at a young age. There is or rather was, a woman named Nadine Peterson, who my cousin Leslie referred to as her sister. I never met her and don’t know the connection, if any, to the Norths or to you or to Judy Peterson. So there you have it. Do you know or were you a relative of any of them?
Don’t know the Lucas family, but grew up with many McIntyres.
Anyway, that’s one old guys story and bunch of questions. I am going to go back over your website and if it’s on FB or some other way I will be following your blogs with interest.
Bye
Bob Cameron GHS 1964
You may not remember me, I use to shoe your dads horses. I stayed with you folks at Table mtn ranch on fall. I believe you had Louis the potbelly pig. At any rate , I enjoy your blog.
I remember you Gladys. I wanted to grow up and shoe horses because I saw you do it! Thanks for stopping by!
Enjoy your blog …
Need to visit down here in Texas one day …
Now is a good time … The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is going on …
http://www.fwssr.com/ 119 years young …
John
P.S. trying to get my daughter to major in Ag ..
Thanks! I really, really want to go to Texas! Let me know if I can help influence your daughter! Aggies rock!
Before you come down …
Here are some fun maps showing the different areas of Texas ..
http://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/pwd_pl_w7000_1187a/media/33.pdf
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/geo/pics/txphysio.jpg
http://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_mp_e0100_1070z_08.pdf
http://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/pwd_pl_w7000_1187a/media/33.pdf
http://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_mp_e0100_1070n_08.pdf
http://www.charts.noaa.gov/PDFs/11300.pdf
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/texas.html
http://www.elcaminorealtx.com/images/mapLg.jpg
There are some areas you should visit …
Just depends on what time of year you come ….
It gets hot here in the summer, October is the best month weather-wise, unless you have the storm chaser bent – then late April/early May …… Rodeo & stock show time is in the late winter thru early spring …
Holler afore you come, we’ll get you to right places to visit …
alas … methinks my duaghter will study early childhood education …
I love your site! I raise registered black Brangus down in Texas and love it. It’s nice to see another “cattle gal”. Great site! HLR
Hi Megan!
I am so excited to have found your blog! I look forward to reading your candid posts and am sure they will be informative as well as entertaining! I’m from Virginia and working in Minnesota, so I love to read and learn about how ag is done in other places!
~Sarah
http://www.theconventionalfoodie.com/
Hi Sarah!
Thanks for the comment! I can’t wait to follow you too!!
Thanks for the help roast was fantastic.
If you have another trip South planned, run by CowTown for 120 years of cowboys & cattle .. http://www.fwssr.com
Twit follower but new to The Beef Jar, luv your work .
Thanks!
Hi Meg,
My dad has shared many Lucas stories with me over the years. Today, I decided to Google his grandfather’s name, John Henry Lucas of Chico, California and we stumbled upon you wonderful blog about our family’s history and story. We remembered the time we stayed at aunt Alice’s cabin and churned chocolate pudding ice cream. We would love to know if there are any Lucas family reunions or websites dedicated for connecting and reconnecting the Lucas’.
Thank you for your time and dedication,
Ronald Joseph Lucas, age 81, Great Grandson of Paul Lucas
Lori Denise (Lucas) Heier, age 58, Great Great Granddaughter of Paul Lucas
I just wanTed to say I love your site and what you have to say! Where are you from, originally?
I’m from California
I know that, but where abouts?