Rancho Llano Seco was incorporated in 1861 and has a rich history of balancing agriculture, live stock husbandry and conservation. The Rancho is one of the last Mexican land grant properties that remains intact. It is a reminder of a lost era when California, American, Indigenous, Mexican and Spanish histories intersected. Llano Seco means dry plain in spanish, and comes from the dry land wheat fields that have been a historical source of pride for the Rancho's farmers since its inception.
OUR HISTORY
In 1844, the last governor of Mexican California, Pio de Jesus Pico granted Llano Seco an 18,000-acre land tract to Sebastian Keyser, an Austrian trapper and colleague of John Sutter. In 1861, the Rancho was purchased by prominent San Francisco banker and diplomat John Parrott, an ancestor of the Thieriot family. He developed the land as one of the most profitable ranches in California, cultivating wheat, grains, sheep, hogs, cattle, and mules. In its 6th generation of gentle land stewardship, our family continues to explore and preserve Llano Seco's richness.
THE LAND
Bookended by the Sacramento River and Chico Creek, and their various sloughs and oxbows, Llano Seco is defined by the relationship between water and land. Wintu, Maidu, and Yana tribes were the original caretakers of our Sacramento River Valley. Populating the southern Cascade and northern Sierra Nevada Mountains, they sustained themselves with their skills as fishermen, hunters, and foragers. It is with great respect that we carry on their tradition with our approach, encouraging symbiosis between our cultivated fields, untouched waterways, and wilderness corridors.
OUR COWBOYS
Herding cattle on horseback is a lost art in the west. Our cowboys take great pride in their ability to commune with our animals in this historic practice. They share the duties of cattle ranching with their colleagues in the Valley, and offer help to each other with the gentleman's understanding of reciprocation during moments such as wrangling and branding. A symbol of both our connection to our past as well as our practice of low carbon footprint farming. Our roughly 1,000-head cow/cattle operation is commanded entirely by Baker, Coop and their trusted horses.
CONSERVATION
Joining forces with conservation groups and US Fish & Wildlife, Llano Seco works to restore native grasslands, wetlands, oak savannas and riparian forests in order to preserve and grow the diversity of animal and plant existence on the Rancho. Our unique canal system works in concert with the Sacramento River and its offshoots. Our livestock represents an evolution in our relationship with the land that echoes the past and is a sustainable plan for the future.
RESOURCES & PARTNERS
