The island sets the terms
Grazing matched to how fast the land recovers. Herds kept off nesting grounds and streams.
Our Ranch · Umnak Island, Alaska
500,000 acres of wild grass at the edge of the Aleutians.
One island, one herd, and nothing between the grass and your plate.
500,000acres of grassland
~13,000head of cattle
365days a year on grass
0antibiotics
0added hormones
0vaccines
Why Okmok
Some things can only be found, then cared for.
A herd shaped by a century of natural selection, on grassland the ocean keeps green all year. We are fifth-generation ranchers here to bring both under responsible management, so the land heals and the beef stays as natural as it gets.
Nature’s work, preserved
A century of selection built cold-hardy, disease-free genetics. We manage to keep them.
Heritage plus technology
Five generations of ranching, with GPS halters and invisible fencing instead of barbed wire.
Transparency over claims
No unverified superlatives. Progress documented, status labels truthful.
The Island
The Cradle of Storms.
Umnak sits in the eastern Aleutians, where two oceans collide and grow lush grassland at a latitude where almost nothing grows like this.
- Where two oceans meet
Warm Pacific air meets cold Bering Sea air, breeding wild weather and a rare island microclimate.
- Rain all year, no deep freeze
Tempered by the ocean, Umnak never reaches the deep freeze of mainland Alaska.
- Volcanic grassland, no trees
Coast to caldera, unbroken grass, fireweed and lupine on deep volcanic soil.
Live · Fort Glenn, Umnak
The Breed
Cattle the island chose.
Brought in the days of Russian America, then left alone for a century of Aleutian winters. A 2007 USDA study found Chirikof cattle closest to rare Siberian Yakut cattle.
- Chirikof cattle crossed with Hereford, and at times Charolais
- A closed herd for nearly 50 years
- Cold-tolerant, on grass year-round
- Isolated from mainland disease
The Herd
On the grass, all year.
From grass to plate
Six steps, one operation.
01
Land & Grazing
Over 500,000 acres of leased Native Corporation land. No trees, just grass on deep volcanic soil.
02
History of Cattle
Landed in the era of Russian America, then shaped by a century of Aleutian winters.
03
Current Cattle
About 13,000 head, mostly feral. Hereford and Charolais genetics, hardened back by the island.
04
Management
Fifth-generation ranchers. The first roundup begins spring 2027, then rotational grazing.
05
Technology & AI
Smart halters draw invisible fences, so the herd moves across open grass without wire.
06
The Beef
Processed at our USDA-certified facility at Fort Glenn. Organic, grass-fed certified.
Stewardship
Leave the island better.
Erosion control
Managed rotation lets overgrazed slopes regrow and hold their soil.
Bird nesting
Cattle are kept off nesting grounds through the breeding season.
Water protection
Streams and wetlands are fenced virtually, keeping banks and water clean.
Marine & local wildlife
Herds stay clear of haul-outs and shoreline habitat.
Okmok & Fort Glenn
Named for the caldera.
The Okmok Caldera, about 10 km wide, dominates northeastern Umnak. Its low, wide shape gave us our name and our cattle brand.
On its eastern flank sits Fort Glenn, a World War II base. Today it houses our USDA-certified facility, miles from where every animal grazed.
Climate & terrain
Volcanoes above, grass below.
First release ships summer 2027