Novato resident Loren Poncia has been awarded the prestigious J.W. Jamison Perpetual Trophy as Outstanding North Bay Rancher of the year for his ongoing contributions to the North Bay agriculture community.
Sponsored by the Sonoma County Fair Board, the award was presented to Poncia during the annual Farmer's Day festivities at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa on Sunday, July 28. A native of West Marin, Poncia is the owner of Stemple Creek Ranch which is well-known for its organic, 100% grass-fed, free-range Angus beef and sheep. The 1,000 acre ranch, located in the coastal West Marin hills just north of Tomales, has been in his family for four generations.
Since taking over the daily ranch operation from his father several years ago, Poncia has worked hard to build on his family's legacy by developing a reputation for sustainability, humane husbandry practices, and high-quality grass finished meats. A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a dual degree in Dairy Science and Agricultural Business, he has continued to put environmental stewardship at the forefront of his business philosophy by maintaining and protecting sensitive native habit for wildlife in and around Stemple Creek, which runs through the basin of the property to the Pacific.
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Other enhancements include obtaining organic certification for most of the ranch's pastures and livestock, using moveable hotwire fences for rotational grazing, and installing solar water pumps and tanks that use gravity flow technology to fill numerous water troughs on the ranch. By demonstrating the utmost commitment to the land and animals in his care, Poncia has earned the respect of his peers and built a growing customer base that appreciates his devotion to excellence.
With his wife and business partner, Lisa, and daughters Avery and Julianna at his side, Loren hopes to pass the long-standing tradition of ranching to the fifth generation in his family. "I am very grateful and honored to receive this award," he says, "I love what I'm doing and really appreciate this recognition for all the hard work."
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Meet Loren and the Poncia family at the annual Stemple Creek Ranch Open House and BBQ, Saturday, August 17 from 11:00am-2:00pm. Everyone welcome! Guests will be treated to a ranch tour and lunch featuring delicious Stemple Creek Ranch grass-fed beef burgers. Tickets are $10/adults and $5/children 12 and under. RSVPs required. Visit the ranch website at www.stemplecreek.com/events to purchase tickets.
