Trail's End Ranch

Trail's End Ranch, located in the picturesque Porcupine Hills of southern Alberta, was originally established by Fred Ings in 1903. The ranch has been passed down through generations, with each family member contributing to its legacy. Fred's wife, Edith, ran a guest ranch during the Great Depression, providing respite for British Commonwealth pilots during WWII. The ranch has remained a family retreat and grazing land, with values of hard work and integrity instilled in each generation. In the early 2000s, Linda Loree and her daughter Rachel, along with Rachel's husband Tyler Herbert, transitioned to raising grassfed beef, inspired by ethical and environmental consciousness. Linda's legacy continues through the family's commitment to the land and animals.

The cattle at Trail's End Ranch graze on the Porcupine Hills during summer and on native prairie and hay land near Nanton in winter, always with free access to pasture. They are fed and finished exclusively on forage, not grain. The ranch employs horseback cattle work to maintain a natural and stress-free environment for the animals. Water conservation and land impact are minimized through upgrades to the watering system and rotational grazing. Although not certified organic, the ranch follows organic vaccination protocols, avoids hormone implants and antibiotics, and controls weeds manually. The cattle themselves contribute to fertilizing the land.

Trail's End Ranch offers mixed quarters, halves, or whole beef, available in summer and fall, with customers picking up their provincially inspected orders at a small artisan butcher near Calgary. The ranch also provides a selection of nitrite, MSG, and gluten-free sausages made by a European sausage maker, using only reduced sea salt, grassfed beef, and spices. Individual packages of prime cuts, stew meat, ground beef, and organ meat are available by contacting the ranch. They make some deliveries to Calgary and welcome customer visits to the ranch, where visitors can sample products and see how the beef is raised. The ranch's commitment to ethical and sustainable practices has garnered a loyal customer base, with demand for their grassfed beef often exceeding supply.