About Us
Our Story
The VanWinkles are 4th and 5th generation ranchers focused on beef production who also know the importance of caring for the land, livestock, and community.
Howard and Janie first met in their early teens through 4-H activities. In the early 1980’s Janie and Howard were married. At the time, Howard had 20 head of Suffolk sheep and Janie owned 20 head of Charolais cross cows. Once married, both became focused on growing the business together, stewarding the land and caring for the livestock. Howard worked at various auto shops and dealerships while working nights and weekends to build their herd. In 2000, he opened his own auto repair shop with his brother which he sold in 2010, allowing him to work on the ranch full time.
Meanwhile, Janie received her Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Education from CSU. After Howard and Janie moved home to Mesa County she worked for several big box retailers, including Store Manager when Barnes & Noble opened in Grand Junction. In 2004, Janie opened her own business, Nick-N-Willy’s Pizza. The pizza shop was sold in 2015, allowing her to join Howard and work at VanWinkle Ranch full time.
It only took 35 years for the goal to work together to be reached!
A new addition joined the VanWinkle Ranch in the late 1990’s when their only child was born. Since birth, Dean has been an integral part of the ranch. He started building his own cow herd through 4-H when he was 8 years old. Dean graduated from Kansas State University in 2021, when he returned to the ranch. His wife, Tayler, joined him. Paisley, their daughter, will be the 6th generation on the ranch in western Colorado.
The VanWinkle Family continues to be committed to producing affordable, safe and nutritious beef while ensuring there is an abundance of care for the land and community they call home. VanWinkle Ranch is open to hearing from consumers interested in learning more about how beef is produced and to answer questions.
Please join in the journey by following along with VanWinkle Ranch on facebook >>
Our Practices
Our family has been working in this area of western Colorado for 4 and 5 generations. We care.
Our focus is on humane handling of our cattle. Good stockmanship is evident in all we do. We let the cattle dictate how we will do the work that needs to be done. Our family is a firm believer in the methodology of letting the cattle make their own decisions while we encourage and guide them in the direction we would like for them to go.
Our mantra is "give them time and space with little to no pressure".
- We are Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certified to ensure we use best practices when working with livestock. VanWinkle Ranch is the 2024 winner of the National BQA Cow/Calf Producer based on the way we manage our cattle and landscapes. In Howard's words, "We do the right things, the right way".
- We use managed rotational grazing practices on all our landscapes. Time of year, length of grazing, available moisture, and when it was last grazed are all considerations when making decisions on grazing management.
- We work with NRCS and other conservation groups to develop best practices for irrigation and land management in our arid western Colorado climate.