We are Alex and Kelsey Karol, owner/operators of Outlaw Valley Ranch. Our chunk of paradise is 345 acres of oak studded grasslands 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean in santa maria, California. Roughly 3 hours from LA and San Francisco. We are first generation ranchers. Neither one of us grew up farming or ranching, but we both had a passion for the land and working with our hands. Unhappy with industrial agriculture and the environmental devastation we knew it was causing, we wanted to be more connected to our food.

 

We got our start in organic agriculture at Linn’s farm in Cambria, CA growing vegetables for their restaurant. As we dove deeper into agriculture, we eventually got turned onto livestock when we started learning about the regenerative effects that grazing animals have on rangeland. When managed properly, grazing has the ability to reduce greenhouse gasses by sequestering carbon and improve the soil. And, at the same time provide healthy nutrient-dense meat for humans. That was it, we were hooked! After a few years, master’s degrees, and many other farm and ranch jobs, here we are managing our own solar powered protein factory.