FIVE MARYS MEATS :

Five Marys livestock including Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep and Berkshire hogs spend their whole lives at Five Marys Farms in Siskiyou County; roaming freely and grazing California grasses. Brian and Mary’s ranching methods and beliefs help to preserve and protect the land and respect the animals from birth through processing. After the animals are processed, the meats (beef, pork and lamb) are available for purchase through FiveMarysMeats.com.

Specially packaged for shipping, Five Marys Meats can be shipped anywhere within the continental United States direct to your doorstep. Meats can be purchased individually by-the-cut or in weekly special combination boxes.

If you’re interested in a monthly or quarterly subscription box, The Five Marys Farm Club offers customized boxes based on the size of your family and your cooking preferences. Registration to the Farm Club is limited. Please join our mailing list to be notified when registration is open to the public.

FIVE MARYS BURGERHOUSE :

Five Marys Burgerhouse is open Monday-Thursday 11AM-8PM, Fridays 11AM-9PM, and Saturdays 8AM-9PM (Breakfast 8AM-Noon on Saturdays!). We’re located right downtown Fort Jones and offers our dry-aged beef, pork and lamb in a delicious lunch and dinner menu served 6 days a week.

Our Bourbon Bacon Burger or Cowboy Blues Burgers are customer favorites, and make sure to have an M5 Sidecar with our own Five Marys Bourbon or Whiskey. You can even purchase and take a bottle home from the Burgerhouse - they make fantastic gifts and are only available to buy at Five Marys Burgerhouse!

Ready to visit us for a meal? You’ll find us at 11825 Main Street | Fort Jones, CA 96032 (*closed Sundays!)

PHONE: 530.468.4555

ORDER ONLINE HERE!

COOKBOOKS & RECIPES :

Mary loves to cook, and she loves to share her homegrown recipes. Released in September of 2020, Five Marys Ranch Raised Cookbook features 75 of Mary’s favorite, tried-and-true recipes ranging from dinners and breakfast to desserts and cocktails. To learn more about the Ranch Raised cookbook click here or purchase on Amazon.

In addition to the Ranch Raised Cookbook, Mary shares recipes here on the website as well as on her Pinterest page.

And in September 2022 - Mary’s second cookbook - Five Marys Family Style will release filled with new recipes, DIY’s and seasonal menu inspiration! Available for PRE-ORDER soon!

M5 ENTREPRENEURS :

Inspired by Mary’s story? Ready to launch a business of your own? Already in business and ready to scale up?

The M5 Academy and M5 Entrepreneurs is an opportunity to learn directly from Mary and to connect with other small business entrepreneurs. Choose from either the Business Boot Camp for entrepreneurs just starting out or the Small Business from Scratch course featuring three different education modules and 76 chapters of content and resources.

Brian and Mary Heffernan spent years in the business world in Silicon Valley before becoming cattle ranchers six years ago. They built a new model from scratch to raise and sell their ranch raised meats directly to customers all over the country by selling online and shipping.

This course includes everything they’ve learned to build and grow a Small Business from Scratch, especially in the agricultural arena - from formation and branding to social media and shipping - in an easy to follow online course with video modules as well as companion workbooks, links, downloads and an online community of like-minded entrepreneurs to offer support, discounted rates and guidance along the way. Complete with practical information and resources to take your business to the next level no matter what stage of business you are in and the tools to do it efficiently and cost effectively.

Mary and Brian are passionate about empowering entrepreneurs with the the tools to build and grow successful businesses from the ground up and to inspire agricultural business owners to fulfill and continue to grow their small business dreams and find profits quickly. They offer live Q&A sessions in the community and are active in the platform daily to help guide and answer questions.

Mary says : “I get asked often how to successfully start a business on a shoestring and make it work, how to build a business from scratch and how to balance everything. There is no short answer. It’s a lot of work - but with the right direction you can go into it confidently, one step at a time and make it happen. In this course, I offer guidance and advice on how to actually make a living by starting and running a small business from scratch - without requiring a lot of outside professionals. With a strong foundation and doing things right from the start, and by learning the tools to do these things yourself… 

YOU CAN DO IT!”

“RANCH RAISED” & “family style” COOKBOOKS

Homegrown recipes from our family to yours…

In these 75 satisfying, homespun recipes you’ll find something for every meal and mood, including Mary’s favorite beef, pork, and lamb dishes, as well as the secret to her famous sidecars! Evocative photos capture the breathtaking beauty of the ranch, the carefree joy of the girls with their horses, the majestic Great Pyrenees who roam the land, and so much more.

ranch raised Reviews

“A book that makes you want to leave the city and move to a ranch to have this kind of life yourself. Filled with drool-worthy recipes and beautiful memories. I can’t wait to try these dishes!” 
—Tiffani Thiessen, actress, producer, TV host and author 

“Hallelujah for this cookbook from trailblazing rancher Mary Heffernan—I’m excited to cook delicious, quality meals from it!”
—Eva Shockey, mama, wife, author, TV show host, and social media influencer  

“Mary Heffernan is such an inspiration. Her beautiful new cookbook shares intimate glimpses into their day-to-day ranch life and a multitude of wonderfully comforting home-cooked meals!”
—Michelle Tam, New York Times bestselling cookbook author and creator of Nom Nom Paleo 

“Mary’s remarkable energy is exceeded only by her kindness. This cookbook is filled with delicious recipes and captivating images of the fantastic life she and her husband have created.”
—Robert Novogratz, principal designer, The Novogratz 

“This cookbook is everything Mary’s brand emulates: work hard, play hard, and enjoy life with those you love. Here, the ranch-life photos tell the story and her approachable, homespun recipes bring the comfort.”
—Hannah Neeleman, Ballerina Farm 

“These inspiring recipes bring a fresh and classic edge to down-home cooking. Mary is the best friend we all wish we had, and I imagine that if I were on her ranch today we’d be sitting around her table, eating homemade English muffins and jam. Until then I’ll be makin’ them myself with her easy-to-follow recipes!”
—Jenna Rammell, Jenna’s Kitchen 

“Ranch Raised is so much more than a cookbook—and it’s one I know I’ll be coming back to time and again. It’s a beautiful, candid, heartfelt window into the life, kitchen, and home of the wildly successful rancher and businesswoman Mary Heffernan. Mary’s open and honest sharing has inspired thousands of people to reconsider where their food comes from and how they, too, can courageously live a more authentic life.”
—Erin Benzakein, New York Times bestselling author of Floret Farm’s A Year in Flowers 

“Mary Heffernan is a force for good and a true example of what hard work and determination can do for your family and the world we live in. This cookbook is an absolute treasure, filled with recipes and a glimpse into a simple yet profoundly rewarding life. It belongs in every home that values grit, true love, and good food.”
—Danielle Kartes, founder and creative director of Rustic Joyful Food 

“A rare treasure. Mary Heffernan has poured the beauty of her home, the love of her family, and the warm comfort of her food into every page.”
—Nikki Callison, Callison Ranch Beef

“Heffernan’s accessible volume on ranch living and cooking transports and inspires.”
—Publishers Weekly

“This is California cuisine with a decidedly carnivorous bent—it is a ranch after all. Snacks like jalapeño poppers and beef jerky precede recipes starring beef, pork, and lamb. To echo those often-spicy meats, vegetable dishes include cauliflower in peppery Buffalo sauce. Drinks and a few desserts round out the hearty offerings, and color photographs capture the beauty of ranch life and its gustatory pleasures.”
—Booklist

About the Author

MARY HEFFERNAN and her husband, Brian, left behind the busy life they'd built in Silicon Valley to become cattle ranchers with their four young daughters—all named Mary. Together they own and operate Five Marys Farms, an 1,800-acre ranch in the mountains of Northern California where they live, work, and raise all-natural beef, pork, and lamb. Mary and Brian sell and ship directly from the farm to families all over the US. They share their meats with local customers and visitors from far and wide at their popular restaurant and bar, Five Marys Burgerhouse. Five Marys was awarded Best Farm in America by Paleo magazine and has been featured in Oprah magazine, Real Simple, Sunset, and other national publications. Mary has a fiercely loyal following on social media and hosts popular summer farm dinners and weekend retreats at the ranch. She and Brian believe in raising meat naturally and that great cooking starts with well-raised ingredients.

M5 RANCH SCHOOL :

Launched in 2020, M5 Ranch School features online lessons for kids and a community for parents who are looking to enhance and expand their children’s learning.

Lessons include a variety of age-old as well as modern day skills. Students learn about animal husbandry, ranch life, outdoor living, vocational skills, art & travel…. and so much more. Connect with other families eager to broaden their students’ horizons and learn new things. Spaces are limited, learn more here.

MEET THE MARYS :

Are they all named Mary? It’s a question Brian and Mary Heffernan get a lot. And yes, all four daughters are named Mary! Like their mother, the four girls were all named Mary after strong and memorable grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family and each carries the middle name of that grandmother or great aunt. 

Each daughter goes by a nickname, based on their middle name: MaryFrances is "Francie"; MaryMarjorie, "Maisie”; MaryJane "Janie or JJ"; and MaryTeresa, "Tessa.”

Here is Mary’s story on the names!

“We didn't know what we were having when I was pregnant and I was sure it was a boy (but so thrilled when SHE was a girl!) and we named her MaryFrances Borchard after Brian's grandmother who had just passed away, her name was Bernice Borchard (and apparently did not like her first name!) but had a sister named Frances and my great grandfather was also named Francis. We loved the name and decided to call her Francie honoring strong family members on both sides of our families and Francie is just that.

Then Maisie came along - another surprise girl! and we named her MaryMarjorie Sheehy after my grandmother Mary Sheehy who died before we were married and her sister, our favorite Great Aunt Marjorie Sheehy. Aunt Marge cries every time she sees Maisie saying how much she looks just like her late sister, my mom's mother who was such a great lady! Maisie is lucky to have inherited the Sheehy girls pretty petite looks and sweet and loving personality too.

We kind of figured we'd have a boy next by the odds of it- but nope, along came another girl! Good thing we still had lots of Marys in the family to pick from. Janie is named after my Dad's mom MaryJane Simonson but we gave Janie my middle name so she's MaryJane Regan. I never met my dad's mom, she died young but I know she had a strong and sassy personality just like her namesake.

The fourth baby had to be the boy right? Tessa surprised us again rounding out our gaggle of girls! She is named MaryTeresa Katherine after my Aunt Tere (Teresa), Aunt Kathy my godmother who died and is greatly missed and Great Aunt Kate who died when I was pregnant with Tess. She's been affectionately called "Tiny" since birth or Tiny Tess which suits her small frame and huge personality well though!

And that's how we ended up the Five Marys 😊

MARY’S STORY :

I am passionate about small business and I'm thrilled to share my years of knowledge, experience and insight with other small business owners in this course, Small Business from Scratch.

I have learned that it's always best to do as much as you can yourself. I believe this is a huge part of any small business success to minimize outsourcing, cost and to stay true to your vision.

My story is a long journey of creating businesses when and where I see opportunity, and then working hard to make them successful. I have started twenty small businesses in different industries from tutoring to restaurants to ranching - and now full circle to sharing my love of small business in teaching this course. 

As you can guess, this story is a long one! I do my best to tell my story here in this post, but if you'd like to listen to the audio instead, here is my story in a podcast interview with Rural Revival. (just click play to listen!)

MY LIFE IN SMALL BUSINESS…

I have always loved turning a business idea into a reality. I love seeing a need in a community and creating a profitable business to fill that niche.  

When I see an empty store front my wheels start spinning with what could fill the space and serve the community - all while making money.  After all, a business is just a hobby unless it makes a profit!

EARLY ENTREPRENEUR DAYS…

In Junior High, my aunt asked me to babysit her twins, my cousins, in the mornings from 9-1pm while she worked for a few weeks. I figured if I was entertaining two kids all summer, I might as well entertain a bunch of them and make a little more money.  

I called it Mary’s Summer Fun Camp and I had 15-20 kids in my backyard each week with games and activities, making a lot more money in those hours than I could have babysitting all summer.

I ran that camp every summer until I was 18 and made enough money to buy my first car and put half of a downpayment on a house in college (I convinced my parents to invest in the other half) and rented out rooms to friends, managing the utilities and finances and making a little extra money to cover books and living expenses each month. I was running a business then too, but I didn't even know it.

MY FIRST REAL BUSINESS…

I went to William & Mary in Virginia for college and majored in Biological-Psycholgy and was set on becoming a doctor. After college, I started tutoring students for extra income while studying for the MCAT (the Medical College Admissions Test).

Pretty quickly, my schedule was full everyday from 3-9pm tutoring local students and I saw a huge need for either more hours in my day or more tutors to match with these students.

I interviewed and hired local tutors to work for me. I met with them every Friday at a coffee shop to give them their paychecks, the next week's schedule and a backpack full of tutoring supplies with my logo on it. I called it "Academic Trainers" because kids needed a personal trainer for their studies just like at the gym.

After awhile, I realized how much it would benefit the business, staff and students to have a central location in a tutoring center. I envisioned high-tech, but kid friendly, working cubicles where students could feel confident coming to do their homework just like their mom or dad might do at their job.

I found a space in our downtown and applied to lease the building. I was young, 22 years old, with a decent credit history and a little savings. I had to sit outside the the city offices a few times to convince them to grant me a use permit and talk the landlord into taking a chance on me. They agreed, and I signed a 5-year lease for Academic Trainers.

The day I signed the lease I realized I needed an $11,000 security deposit, that I didn’t have. The same day, I got my credit card statement in the mail with my limit extended to $12,000 and included checks with 0% interest for 3 months.

I wrote that check for my security deposit because it was my only option and I knew I had to work my hardest to make it work, there was no other option.

That mindset has always followed me into any business I've opened since then - there are no shortcuts but with hardwork and commitment you can make almost anything happen.

I worked every day and night - building IKEA tables and chairs, making a front desk from recycled pieces of desks, staying late every night to make brochures, building a website and ordering text books, computers and office supplies. 

I reached out to potential students in any way I knew how. Telling my story to teachers and parent groups, offering to host meetings in the space to get the word out. I had to be scrappy to get it growing and profitable quickly once I started paying rent - but I did it and in 3 months I had that credit card check for the security deposit paid off.

It wasn’t for a few years that I felt like I could hire a manager to run the front desk and give me a little more time to do other things. You have to be committed to put in the time, especially in the beginning.

I poured my heart into it and it was successful,
because I knew it had to be.

THAT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING…

A couple of years later, I saw another local gap to fill in errand runners and babysitters. So many young families were desperate for these services and didn't have a good resource to hire them.

I saw a need. I started a business called “GoGo Menlo” in Menlo Park with Go Go Girls to run your errands. I created this basic logo with self-taught Illustrator skills one night, built a website the next day, registered a DBA and "GoGo Menlo" was born.

The GoGo Girls had hot pink polo shirts with our logo and a hot pink razor cell phone to use while they ran errands or shuttled kids. I just missed the Task Rabbit model but apps weren't a thing yet. :)  

SEEING NEEDS AND FILLING NICHES…

We were already tutoring the older local kids, but I also saw a need for a place moms could have the flexibility to drop off their little ones for a few hours to get some errands done, have lunch or meet some friends. A place where kids were engaged and entertained for "guilt-free" babysitting.

I wanted to create a flexible drop-off space with great toys and activities and qualified teachers but on a short term flexible basis. I knew people were willing to pay for high-end services for their kids - more so than even for themselves. I was in the family-centered market and I wanted to capitalize on that. So I created a business called "Brilliant Babies" that filled this need we usually had a waiting list of kids to drop-in!

AND THEN ACCIDENTAL RESTAURANTEURS…

Brian and I loved to go out to eat, but we realized how hard it was to find a place we could bring the girls along when we dined out.  We wanted fresh, well-sourced food for ourselves as well as our kids - something beyond the pizza and chicken fingers. We wanted a place we could relax with good wine and beer where we could also feel comfortable bringing kids. 

I envisioned a "clubhouse" where we could build a comfortable space, aesthetically pleasing to the adults but also fun and engaging for kids. I thought we would just have daily food catered in, with no desire to open a restaurant.

I found a cute older cottage in our downtown and thought it would be a great place for a family gathering spot that served great quality food. We jumped in to make it happen, but quickly realized we needed a full commercial kitchen to accomplish what we wanted and it made more sense to hire a chef and open as a full-service restaurant.

I wanted a playroom where kids could be engaged and entertained by staff while parents enjoyed the rest of their meal and maybe another glass of wine. We turned an old porch in the back into a beautiful, self-contained playroom where parents paid to check kids in while they ate, helping our business model and margins on a restaurant.

With lots of hard work and a steep learning curve, we opened a farm-to-fork, full service restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week. It was a huge undertaking and Brian jumped in to help me in every way (this was about when we really started working together everyday!) and we learned a LOT along the way. 

Restaurants are hard. But it was busy. We had a line out the door most days and had to figure out how to make more food in a small kitchen and keep up with the demand. It was an unusual concept, but with the right execution... it worked.

SMALL TOWN READY FOR SMALL BUSINESS…

We opened a second restaurant with a simplified model - a quick-serve breakfast and lunch, juice & coffee bar with take-out dinners. We stayed true to our very family friendly brand with an indoor play structure spanning the perimeter and great quality ingredients in everything we did.

We also saw a need in this town for brick-and-mortar businesses with new energy geared towards families with children. The town was just starting to see new young families moving in left and right.  It was a rare opportunity for growth and we were focused on the opportunity in it. We jumped on the DIY trend and opened a do-it-yourself craft shop...

We started a little throwback coin-arcade next to our restaurant when we realized a lot of our customers were “aging out” of the playroom. We started another drop-in playspace and a small hobby shop with a lego bar.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO A RANCH…

The restaurants were always our main focus and we spent a lot of our time sourcing really good quality ingredients for our menu. In the quest for super high quality meats, raised ethically but with great flavor, we did a ton of research with our chefs  to know exactly what we wanted.

+ We wanted superior quality beef with a great story behind it.
+ We wanted a grass-fed lifestyle with a barley finish and a 28-day dry-age.
+ We wanted to know the animals were raised right and harvested humanely.

We searched high and low in small farms and couldn’t find anyone who could do this on a large enough scale to supply what we needed...

So we decided to do it ourselves.

We found a piece of property that suited our needs and relied heavily on my brother-in-law who is a 5th generation cattle rancher and other seasoned ranchers to give us sage advice on raising cattle for premium beef.

We thought we could hire a ranch hand to manage the ranch during the week and we'd commute back and forth (6+ hour drive each way with four kids in carseats) on the weekends. We were excited about the opportunity for recreation and ranch life for our kids while we got this operation started.

It was only 8 short weeks later, that we decided we couldn’t do this part time. We wanted to be the ones taking care of our animals all the time, not just on the weekends. We didn’t want to rely on someone else to do it the way we wanted it done, which was a little non traditional and outside the box. 

We wanted to be full time ranchers and we wanted to make this our livelihood.

Our lives switched paths and we found ourselves jumping in to ranching full time. This meant selling our businesses and leaving our beautiful home we’d worked so hard for, Brian leaving his busy law practice and moving away from a land of opportunity and the only livelihood we knew.

We knew we had to find a new model and create a business from scratch to sustain our livelihood, so we started from square one.

We knew if we couldn't, we'd fall back on lawyering and I'd switch gears to another business concept. But we WANTED so badly to make this work for our family. We wanted this lifestyle. And it's not an easy one to make a living on as first generation ranchers.

We've had more obstacles than I can count try to stop us dead in our tracks, but we knew we had to keep pushing, working harder until we found a way.  We started with traveling for deliveries and then “farm stands” (our own version of farmers markets) but we knew that wasn’t sustainable for us because we wanted to be on the ranch - not traveling all of the time to sell our meat.

The answer seemed to lie in shipping our meats directly to customers - and finding customers who appreciated well-raised, well-sourced meats.

SELLING AND SHIPPING OUR PRODUCTS

Shipping meat is no easy task, it took well over a year to navigate - but with lots of trial and error and lots of mistakes, we have a great system now to sell, pack and ship meat to customers all over the US.

We opened a Farm Store in town as a retail shop where we sell and ship our meats every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

We use social media to share our story and sell our product and in four years of shipping we've grown to reach over 8,000 customers and we ship over 10,000 pounds of meat every month right from our ranch in rural California.

EXPANDING OUR BRAND…

Last year, we purchased the historic bar & restaurant in our small town that had become run down and re-opened as Five Marys Burgerhouse, serving all of our own meats to our local community and visitors who come from far and wide for the Five Marys experience and to try our own barrel-aged Whiskey!

TELLING OUR STORY…

We share our story through experiences like "Camp Five Marys" where we host retreats and farm dinners in a first-rate outdoor kitchen and luxury camping site we built on our ranch to share with others. Guests come for a weekend to experience ranch life and be treated to beautiful meals to really feel connected to us - in knowing their rancher and knowing just where their meats come from they are usually customers for life!

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO GROW OUR BRAND…

All of this is because social media allows us to share our day-to-day life. To share our story and help tell the story of agriculture in today's world. It helps us reach customers we never thought possible and has grown our business exponentially in just a few years. Social media is such a HUGE part of marketing any business right now - and the best part is, it only costs you your time. And I teach you all of my secrets in this course!

I don’t think I’ll ever stop creating business ideas. But right now I’m so happy working hard on the ranch everyday with my husband and our girls - and I want to focus some time and energy on helping others create their dream in their own small business.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
-Mary

THE BIG MOVE:

Mary and Brian both grew up with roots to California agriculture, but met and started their family in Menlo Park (in the SF Bay Area) where Mary grew up. Brian was an attorney at a big law firm and Mary had started her own businesses in the area, a tutoring center and early-learning program for children.

When they purchased Sharps Gulch ranch in 2013, they never intended for it to be life changing, but rather a solution to a business problem. At the time, they lived in Silicon Valley and had grown their entrepreneurial ventures together to include several small businesses, including restaurants.

Frustrated with the problem of consistently sourcing quality meats for their customers, they decided becoming “the source” themselves seemed the best solution. What started as weekend commutes to the ranch from the Bay Area quickly evolved into a major lifestyle change.

In 2014, they moved their family of six (four daughters, all with the first name Mary) to Siskiyou County in far Northern California and jumped in to becoming full-time ranchers.

Their ranch features two houses and the family lives between both. Situated just a few yards apart, the smaller cabin style home, affectionately called the Little House, is their primary residence as they continue to remodel the vintage farmhouse known as the Bunkhouse or the Big House. Built in 1868 the Big House continues to be a work-in-progress including the recently completed, Five Marys Test Kitchen. To see more of the renovation process, follow Mary and the #m5bunkhouse and #m5testkitchen on Instagram.

OUR RANCH :

The land we live on is rich in family farming history and we are proud to continue that legacy through hard work, storytelling and the restoration of the ranch’s two homes, a large victorian and a 19th century creamery-turned house. We both come from a long lines of agriculture families, so we are grateful and excited to see these California roots grow into a story of our own.

- Mary and Brian Heffernan

Sharps Gulch was established in October of 1857 by early pioneers of Scott Valley, William and Augusta Sharp. After trying his luck mining in California’s booming gold country and farming in the San Joaquin Valley, William Sharp moved his family north looking for better land and a better life. Traveling in a covered wagon across California and through the Scott Mountains, the Sharps arrived near Fort Jones on Christmas Day of 1854 with chickens, pigs and the first turkeys to be introduced to the county. After renting land for a time, they purchased the gulch in 1857 and planted 500 acres of grain. William and Augusta had ten children: Emily, Philip, Frederick, Augusta, Friedell, Eugene, Josephine, Frank, Walter and William, and the farm stayed in their family until 1974 when it was purchased by the Hansen Family.

Brian and Mary Heffernan purchased Sharps Gulch from the Hansens in 2013 and continue the family farm legacy with their own roots in California agriculture- dating back to the 19th century.

Our livestock spend their whole lives on our Siskiyou county ranch, roaming freely and munching wild, Californian grasses. The ranching methods and beliefs we use, from grazing rotations to slaughter, preserve and protect the land we live on and respect the animals we raise from birth until their "one bad day" sacrificing for the food on our plates.

As far as certifications go, we believe in actions, not labels. Our products reflect our beliefs in respecting our animals, raising them with the utmost care and comfort and in feeding our customers only what we feed our family - the highest quality meats raised as naturally and humanely as possible.

We are raising Black Angus cattle, Navajo-Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs and a wide variety of laying hens.

Everyday is an adventure here on the ranch!

BLACK ANGUS CATTLE

"Angus Beef is known for it's finely marbled meat, tenderness, juiciness and preferred flavor over many other breeds."

George Grant brought four Angus bulls from Scotland to the middle of the Kansas Prairie in 1873, and these four Angus bulls, probably from the herd of George Brown of Scotland, made a lasting impression on the U.S. cattle industry.

Farmers took notice of their hearty breeding stock and superior meat qualities.  The first great herds of Angus beef cattle in America were built up by purchasing stock directly from Scotland. Twelve hundred cattle alone were imported, mostly to the Midwest, in a period of explosive growth between 1878 and 1883. Over the next quarter of a century these early owners, in turn, helped start other herds by breeding, showing, and selling their registered stock. Because of their native environment, the cattle are very hardy and can survive the harsh winters, with snowfall and storms. The cattle have a large muscle content and are regarded as medium-sized. The meat is very popular in Japan for its marbling qualities.

Angus beef develops with better marbling than most cattle, which improves flavor, tenderness, and keeps meat juicy while cooking (especially at high temperatures). Angus beef is considered the "gold standard" by high end steakhouses and meat connoisseurs across the globe.

Angus Beef is known for its finely marbled meat, which means that the fat is dispersed evenly against the actual cut of meat. This marbling trait of Angus cattle typically creates a tender, juicy and flavorful meat.

 **https://www.angus.org/pub/Anghist.aspx

NAVAJO-CHURRO SHEEP

"Known as the 'Chef's Choice' - the flavor of the meat is incomparably superior, with a surprisingly low fat content."

Navajo-Churro sheep are descendants of the Churra, the very first breed of domesticated sheep in the New World. Its importation to New Spain by the Spanish dates back to the 16th century where it was used to feed and clothe the armies of the conquistadors and Spanish settlers.

The Navajo-Churro sheep boasts many valuable traits. The meat is lean with a distinctive, sweet flavor. In addition to quality meat production, these sheep provide abundant milk and have a highly desirable dual fiber fleece. The sheep is hardy, living lightly on the land and requiring less water and forage than other sheep. The sheep is long legged with a narrow body and fine bones. The coat is prized by weavers and pelts are rare, known for their variant array of natural colors and long wool fibers.

... the first Churro sheep were brought into the Southwest by Don Juan Onate. The fact that these sheep still exist today is a testimony to their endurance and endearment. No other sheep population in the history of the world has survived such selective pressure with such dignity and spirit.

By the 17th century the Churro had become the mainstay of Spanish ranches and villages. Native Indians acquired flocks of Churro for food and fiber through raids and trading. Within a century, herding and weaving had become a major economic asset for the Navajo. It was from Churro wool that the early Navajo textiles were woven -- a fleece admired by collectors for its luster, silky hand, variety of natural colors and durability.

In the 1850's thousands of Churro were trailed west to supply the California Gold Rush. Most of the remaining Churro of the Hispanic ranches were crossed with fine wool rams to supply the demand of garment wool caused by the increased population and the Civil War. Concurrently, in 1863, the U.S. Army decimated the Navajo flocks in retribution for continued Indian depredations. In the 1900's further "improvements" and stock reductions were imposed by U.S. agencies upon the Navajo flocks. True survivors were to be found only in isolated villages in Northern New Mexico and in remote canyons of the Navajo Indian Reservation. 

In the 1970's several individuals began acquiring Churro phenotypes with the purpose of preserving the breed and revitalizing Navajo and Hispanic flocks. By 1977, the "old type" Navajo sheep had dwindled to less than 500 head so Dr. Lyle McNeal formed the Navajo Sheep Project to revitalize this breed and keep it from further depletion. There are currently over 4,500 sheep registered with the N-CSA, an estimated 1,500 on the Navajo Reservation and several hundred undocumented sheep in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

**http://www.navajo-churrosheep.com/sheep-origin.html

HERITAGE BERKSHIRE HOGS

Three hundred years ago - so legend has it - the Berkshire hog was discovered by Oliver Cromwell's army, in winter quarters at Reading, the county seat of the shire of Berks in England. After the war, these veterans carried the news to the outside world of the wonderful hogs of Berks; larger than any other swine of that time and producing hams and bacon of rare quality and flavor. This is said to have been the beginning of the fame of the Reading Fair as a market place for pork products.

For 200 years now the Berkshire bloodstream has been pure, as far as the records are known today.

The excellent carcass quality of the Berkshire hog made him an early favorite with the upper class of English farmers.

For years the Royal Family kept a large Berkshire herd at Windsor Castle. A famous Berkshire of a century ago was named Windsor Castle, having been farrowed and raised within sight of the towers of the royal residence.

According to the best available records, the first Berkshires were brought to this country in 1823. They were quickly absorbed into the general hog population because of the marked improvement they created when crossed with common stock. At least one of the major "American" breeds has publicly admitted its debt to Berkshire blood in establishing its foundation. This breed carries identical color markings.

The Berkshire is such a true breed when crossed on other breeds or on common hogs. His characteristics have been established and purified over a very long period of time. Breeders have been working at the task of improving him as far back as any record goes. He is indeed a splendid example of an improved breed of livestock.

Content providers via OKSTATE.edu

American Berkshire Association, 1769 US 52 West, PO Box 2436, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906 Phone: (317) 497-3618

National Pork Producers Council, P.O. Box 10383, Des Moines, Iowa 50306

THE HEFFERNANS :

Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the country to ranch and raise “free-range kids” in the dirt and sunshine. They both have deep agriculture roots and a passion for small town, small business, and family-centered food. So when the opportunity to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch came along in 2013, Mary and Brian knew they'd found their land. With eyes on a new adventure and California soil in their souls, they took their four spunky girls to Siskiyou County.

We are Five Marys Farms - after Mary and our four daughters all named Mary after grandmothers and aunts on both sides of the family. MaryFrances or "Francie" is 17, MaryMarjorie or "Maisie" is 15, MaryJane or "JJ" is 13, and MaryTeresa or "Tessa" is 12.

Those are the FIVE MARYS proud to be working the ranch everyday keeping up with the leader of our pack, Heff. 

Brian’s Family Legacy

Casper Borchard, Brian’s great, great grandfather, was born in Germany and came to Ventura County to began farming sugar beets in 1867. Known as one of the first agriculturalists in this region, Casper and his wife Theresa farmed in the area and eventually bought the Conejo ranch of four thousand acres. Their son, Antone, continued the family ranch and later settled in Orange County, where Brian’s family continued working in agriculture until the present day. Brian's Dad felt a strong tie to his farming roots and left the business world to begin his own farming journey in Imperial Valley and then in Tehema County  in the North Sate. Brian's dad, Tom, passed away this year but made many visits to the ranch before he died and was very proud to see his son following in his footsteps. We farm to remember Tom and his dedication to the land, the animals and the California farming community. 

Mary’s Family Legacy

Mary is a 6th generation Californian, with her family roots in Watsonville/Santa Cruz county which began when her ancestors came from Ireland to the Pajaro Valley in 1859. They grew strawberries, apples, lettuce, and sugar beets and farmed in the Watsonville area for five generations.

Below are photos from the Sheehy Family produce facility and the Sheehy family apple crate labels and brands. We proudly hang these in our home to remind us of our farming ancestors and our farming roots!

We are very proud to be back in agriculture, just as our ancestors were, on our own family farm to continue our Californian history on Siskiyou County soil. Our daughters are 7th generation Californians who we hope to raise with a love and respect of the land where we live.

CAMP FIVE MARYS :

Brian and Mary created Camp Five Marys as a place for visitors to come and experience a little bit of life on the ranch. Perfect for small retreats and glamping experiences, Camp Five Marys features authentic wall tents outfitted with cozy bedding, Tuft & Needle mattresses, western decor and classic products from companies like Pendleton.

At this time, Camp is not available for events or weekend retreats at Five Marys. Camp Five Marys is now primarily used to host special visitors to the ranch including Mary and Brian’s close friends and family. But make sure you are on our Friends & Family Newsletter list to be the first to know if/when we open up opportunities to come stay and Learn at Camp Five Marys!

THE TEST KITCHEN :

Completed in the summer of 2020, the M5 Test Kitchen is located in the Heffernan family’s Bunkhouse on their ranch. Outfitted with state-of-the-art SubZero Wolf appliances, the Test Kitchen is a place for Mary to test recipes and prepare meals for family and friends.

MARY’S eBOOK :

Parenting isn’t easy, but you’d be surprised at what your kids can do, when you let them. “They Can Do It : What I Learned About Raising Kids by Moving to the Country” is a downloadable eBook written by Mary to help other parents raise capable children.

Learn from her story as she shares about their decision to move from their busy suburban life in Silicon Valley to a ranch in rural Northern California and their efforts to raise strong, independent and capable kids. Because THEY CAN DO IT! :)

THE FARM STORE :

The Farm Store serves as our packing, shipping and office location and prior to COVID-19 was open for visitors to stop in and shop for M5 gear and goodies like our spice rubs, homemade honey and spun honey. We have moved the Farm Store down to the burgerhouse for you to shop your favorites there!

FIVE MARYS CUSTOM MEAT CO.

Mary & Brian have been working hard on designing and planning to build our own custom Butchery facility. The hope is to be completely vertically integrated and to control every aspect of our product from birth to packaging. It’s a long process to navigate and design right - but we are so proud of our new first-class BUTCHERY in Fort Jones!