Welcome to Dot Ranch, home of America's oldest breeds of heritage livestock and poultry.

Here at Dot Ranch, we pride ourselves on our stewardship of both land and animal. We raise some of the oldest breeds of domesticated animals in all the Americas. The central focus of our ranch is the oldest breed of domesticated sheep in America, the Navajo-Churro Sheep. We also raise one of the oldest goat breeds, Navajo Angora Goats, and the second oldest chicken of the United States, the Mottled Java. Our ducks are the oldest domesticated animal in the Americas, Muscovy Ducks, and we also breed the venerable Irish Dexter Cattle. We choose to work with heritage breeds instead of more common, modern production bred animals because we believe that ranching is about more than just the bottom line, it's about history, conservation, and preserving the spirit of the American West. There's more to our animals than RFID tags and recorded weights, there's a sense of connection that only comes from daily and intensely personal interaction.

Here on Dot Ranch, we believe in the strength of the family farming and ranching community.

We believe in the strength and tenacity of the farm kid who wakes up to put on four layers of clothing just to go outside and break the ice for the animals to come drink, then go back inside and change for school. We believe in the kindness of our neighbors, and their willingness to wake up and come help pull a stuck lamb in the middle of the night. Best of all, we believe in each other, in a confidence that has been built up through disasters, triumphs, long commutes and grueling lambing seasons. We live in an era that is marked by a greater dissociation between people and their natural environment, the source of their food, their families, and their communities. The average age of farmers in the U.S. continues to climb, while the number of farmers and ranchers slides into a decline. We made a choice to be part of the solution to these issues, and the worthiness of this is one belief our whole family is committed to.

Every family deserves access to sustainable, accountably produced and fairly priced food.

All too often today, people have no idea where their food comes from, or what's in it. In urban communities, it is often difficult, if not outright impossible, for people to grow their own food, and the cost of unprocessed food continues to skyrocket. Certified Organic doesn't mean what people assume, and Locally Sourced often is only as local as the continent it's sold on. Navigating food labels and certifications is a maze of regulations that rarely reflect the words used. Factory farming, with its reliance on bigger, quicker, faster, has turned its back on the animals that kept our ancestors alive. We would like to see that change. We believe in the right of every day people to know where their food comes from, and to know how it was produced. When you buy lamb, beef, poultry, or eggs from Dot Ranch, you're getting more than just a good deal. You're also getting the assurance of knowing, beyond doubt, that you are supporting an actual family with your purchase. You're getting meat from identifiable animals, who were named, loved, and treated with dignity throughout their lives. We welcome visitors to come see for themselves just how our animals are treated, so that you too, can eat with a conscience.

Veteran owned and family operated, Dot Ranch is Oregon's first agricultural operation to be certified Homegrown by Heroes.

Established in 2010 by US Army and Oregon National Guard Veteran Mickey Willenbring, Dot Ranch was one veteran's answer to the question of what comes after war. As a disabled combat veteran, I felt a strong call to return to my rural roots, and seek healing in the land and the unjudging presence of animals. With an extensive background in ecological restoration efforts and agriculture, it was just natural to start a pasture based ranch that specialized in heritage breeds. Joined by my child, and now by my husband, Dot Ranch is 100% family owned and operated. We provide a wide range of products including artisanal meats, eggs, hand tanned pelts, skulls, fiber products, and finished goods. All of our products are certified Homegrown by Heroes through the Farmer Veteran Coalition and the USDA, proving that your purchase supports a genuine military family run operation.

We're not your conventional meat producers, and that makes the difference.

When we say our animals are pasture raised, we genuinely mean they live with grass beneath their hooves and open air above their heads. Our calves are born in the field, and our lambs are born in the field or in the barn, depending on whether the weather is good enough for pasture based lambing. Our animals are grass fed, which means that they get to graze year around, and they receive grass and alfalfa hay when our grass isn't growing as fast. During winter, we bring the sheep and cattle back in to sacrifice pasture so that the rest of our pastures can get a break and regrow. Even then, our animals are never confined indoors, and they always have open access to field or barn. We never use hormones or medically unnecessary antibiotics, and we never submit our animals to unnecessary vaccinations or medications. We keep detailed health records on all of our animals, so we know who has sneezed when and why for. This allows us to provide the highest quality care to our animals, and the highest quality products to your family.

We invite you to learn more about our animals, our philosophy, and our products by exploring this website. So come on in. Get to know your food, and get to know your farmer.

In response to the impacts of COVID-19, Dot Ranch has launched a new intiative to bring locally grown food to veterans in need. To learn more, and to read about locally available food security resources, click on the logo below.