Here they come! Above, left; Cattle along Magnolia for the first time in years. Above, right; Community members near Magnolia celebrate Woody Woodward’s first ever cattle drive. Lower, left; Onward, cattle are that way! PHOTOS BY BEN SPROUL[/caption]

Woody Woodward got to fulfill a dream of his on Friday, June 25, 2021. As the owner and operator of his homegrown cattle ranch Magnolia Grassfed, he had the opportunity to lead his first ever cattle drive.

The drive, which consisted of 66 total cattle, started from the B Bar S Ranch near Twin Sisters and ended near Reynolds Ranch, about four miles away from Nederland. Woodward hopes that the next drive, which he plans to hold sometime in August, will involve more interested members of the community and beyond and consist of at least 100 head of cattle.

Since cattle drives are legal on public roads according to Colorado law, he hopes to make them a tradition that continues the historical legacy of cattle drives in the Magnolia area. A cattle drive probably hasn’t occurred in the Magnolia area since the 1950s, when hundreds of cattle were picked up and driven to a grazing pasture in Tolland, near Rollinsville.

Talking to him about the drive and his land, Woody’s excitement is clear. He has a deep interest in the agricultural history of the area, and he feels honored that he now gets to be a piece of that history. It isn’t just the past that he’s interested in, though it’s also the future of the land that he loves so much. Through the ten years he’s run Magnolia Grassfed, he’s taken a holistic approach to his land, analyzing the relationships between the wildlife, plants, water sources, and farm animals and making sure that no single element is overwhelming the others.

Managing his land and working hard to raise home-grown meat is something he loves being able to do for a living. He loves that his business gets to have such a positive impact on the community and that he can reassure his fellow community members that his meat comes from a healthy, home-grown place.

For more information, check out magnoliagrassfed.com or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MagnoliaGrassFed. They are located at 10165 Magnolia Drive, Nederland and can be reached at 720-628-1286.