Stubborn Farm & Burk Beef, located west of Mancos, has a straightforward mission.
“All we do is raise grass-fed beef. Pretty simple,” said ranch manager Dustin Stein.
The ranch has had a stand at Durango Farmers Market for six years, the same length of time Stein has been involved with the ranch, he said.
“Jack and Patricia Burk were raising grass-fed beef for about 10 years prior to that, but they weren’t marketing at the farmers market here,” he said.
Despite the ranch’s relative simplicity, it has not been immune to this year’s drought.
“We had to choose whether we should sell off a bunch of animals, or buy hay, or lease some more pasture, or what,” Stein said.
“So I sent all my cow/calf pairs up to Gunnison for the summer, which probably cost me about 10 grand that I wouldn’t have otherwise spent.
“That was kind of a choice to keep our cows and spend a little bit more money just to maintain the herd.
“It’s been a challenging year,” Stein said. “But we’re still here.
ngonzales@durangoherald.com
