CAPRA FOODS REAL RANCHERS //
Dr. Alan Mcanelly
Dr. McAnelly’s products are the best quality you can find. Because of the exceptionally nutrient-dense soil he’s been generating for years with Regenerative Agriculture practices, the quality of the soil parlays into the animal, from the land to your hand, and you can taste the difference.
Here’s what he had to say when we sat down for a conversation:
Where are you from and how did you get to where you are now?
I was born in the panhandle of Texas in Tuila, on a cotton and cattle farm, in 1946. I graduated from Texas A & M with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1969 and in 2004, I retired and started ranching with sheep and cattle in Hamilton Co.
My introduction to Regenerative Agriculture came around 2015/ 2016 when I started utilizing cover crops to improve some worn out cotton land.
How long have you been a part of Capra Foods?
From the very beginning!
Why do you think it's important for people to know where their food comes from?
It's an open door that encourages more responsibility from everybody. When consumers know where their food is coming from, and what goes into producing the foods that make it to their kitchen, they can appreciate the quality and care that goes into products like our Dorper lamb.
When you know the lifecycle of the things you’re consuming, you inadvertently begin to care more about quality and finding things that are good for you, but that are also good for the producers, for the environment, and in our case, even for the animals.
Why did you become a Capra Foods rancher?
I believed in the vision of Capra Foods and immediately wanted to be a part of it all.
There was a gap in the industry where outdated practices weren’t keeping up with consumer concerns, environmental realities, and rancher needs. Capra brought a new approach to pasture management - Regenerative Agriculture / No Till. That means no synthetic fertilizers, the process naturally returns nutrients to the soil, and provides a much more complete nutrition level than a monoculture pasture. It’s an ethical, all-encompassing, rewarding, and totally breakout approach to managing livestock production. It’s the future of ranching.
What do you think is unique about Dorper?
Dorper is a tough and hardy breed with a natural instinct to do well on sub-standard range land. But the real difference is the high-quality, sweet, delicate meat. It’s not your grandparent’s lamb, that’s for sure.
What would you tell someone who has never tasted Dorper before?
Come on down and let my wife Jolene cook you supper. You’ll be sold.
Dr. McAnelly is a wonderful rancher and a DELIGHTFUL person.
His lifelong commitment to caring for animals gives him a unique perspective when it comes to ranching and he applies his love of animals, and his concern for their wellbeing, to his ranching practices