Nestled in the mountains an hour northeast of downtown San Diego, cattle graze the hillsides turning grass into beef to feed city dwellers.
Alli Fender and her husband, Bryce, created Flying F Ranch in 2020 and run cattle on Mesa Chiquita Ranch, which has been in her family since 1921. They market their beef to San Diego County and surrounding areas.
“This is a family business,” Fender says. “Bryce and I have our Angus cattle we care for, but we also help my dad and brother with their cattle as well. With our black Angus cattle, we sell beef direct-to-consumer in USDA retail packages and bulk whole/half shares throughout the year to Southern Californians.”
The Fenders have two young sons and are expecting a third baby in June.
“We actively have our children involved in day-to-day tasks helping care for their livestock and critters they have on the ranch,” she explains. “Both boys have created a poultry business endeavor together raising Thanksgiving turkeys and meat chickens for locals in the San Diego region.”
Fender’s ranching legacy stems from her great grandpa, who immigrated from Switzerland and worked as a dairyman before eventually buying the ranch. It was then converted to beef cattle in 1990. The couple was gifted 10 bred heifers as a wedding gift in 2014 and have slowly transitioned their herd to black Angus for their carcass quality and adaptability to the environment.
Fender went to college and became a registered veterinary technician, working in the veterinary field for eight years before transitioning to the ranch full time.
“I did not think I would return to the ranch to solely work for myself and our family,” Fender says. “I always had a love and passion for agriculture and wanted to keep the legacy of our family alive. However, I thought going to college and getting a career job was what I was supposed to do based on what society has ingrained in so many of us.”
Fender says many believe staying on the farm or ranch won’t make enough money to raise a family comfortably, but she is proof it can work.
“Between being innovative, being open to diversification and having at least one spouse in the household with a solid career job has really made this possible for Bryce and I to make our dreams become reality.”
Alli handles the day-to-day management of the cattle, while Bryce works as a nurse at the local hospital three days a week. While she is thankful to be working for herself now, she has faced some challenges returning to the farm.
“This is a male-dominated field and being taken seriously as a woman in this space can sometimes be difficult — even with some of the people you think would respect you the most,” Fender says. “However, I believe throughout the years of working hard, speaking up for our community and being actively involved in cattlemen and cattlewomen groups at the state and national levels has helped me gain respect and confidence.”
Sharing Their Story
One of the hardest parts of being a young farmer was finding a niche in the industry, Fender says.
“I am a storyteller, and my current audience and clientele buy beef from us because they love our lifestyle, how we raise our animals and our story of how we got where we are today,” she says. “I think finding what makes you unique and stand out is crucial — especially when first starting out. The business will evolve but be open to what will set you apart from the rest.”
The Fenders have experienced this first hand. In the past, they only offered grain-finished beef but have had a lot of customers asking for grass-finished beef.
“Bryce and I prefer the taste and texture of grain-finished beef,” Fender says. “This year we offered some grass-finished beef from open heifers we had in our herd. People who bought our grass-finished beef really have enjoyed the new option. Now, we are trying to find a way to offer both since we have a market for both.”
She says it’s important to balance what producers want to offer and what our customers are actually looking for.
“I think for the future, it is important for us to ask our customers what they want versus what we want,” she adds. “Costs will be the difficult thing to figure out. With drought, minimal grass availability and feed costs in general, our price point may need to increase. We still have to make a profit.”
In addition to selling beef through their website, Fender attends farmers markets and uses that time to communicate with consumers.
“Grain finishing cattle is more consistent and takes less time than finishing on grass,” she says. “We don’t want to deteriorate our land to raise a different product. A lot of people are conscious about things like land, the environment and climate. So, that’s another talking point I like to mention too.”
Being open to conversations and taking time to explain and answer questions goes a long way to building customer trust.
“I just explain to people, I don’t care what kind of beef you eat or what kind of beef you want to buy. If you want to buy at Whole Foods or at Walmart, it’ll be safe beef — and you shouldn’t feel guilty if you have to settle for something that you would believe is less than because it’s not. It’s going to be equally as healthy and full of nutrients that any other beef product would be too.”
In addition to the direct sales side of the business, another opportunity Fender sees for their ranch will be growing the seed stock herd of their Angus cattle.
“We see a void in our area of Southern California for access to high quality bulls and heifers with genetics that lead to longevity and efficiency into our neighbors’ herds,” Fender says. “In the next few years, we are hoping to offer cattle for local ranchers and even ranchers across the U.S. to have access to.”
Get Involved
As millennial rancher herself, Fender offers some advice to other young people interested in ranching.
“I always tell people who want to get into the cattle industry to join their local cattlemen or cattlewomen organizations,” she says. “You get to network and learn from people who have been in the industry for many years and have a passion for it.”
Fender explains there are older cattlemen or women who don’t have heirs to sell, lease or pass down ranches too, but they want to keep the ranch alive somehow.
“Some people are looking for a younger, eager person to come in and help them take over the ranch or farm. That’s where you find those kind of people in these different organizations,” she adds.
Another piece of advice Fender offers is to start small. Even though she comes from a multi-generational ranch, she has a younger brother who is also involved. Fender doesn’t expect to inherit anything. Her parents have provided assistance and guidance, but she and Bryce are building a business that will continue to grow into the future.
“I just want to make sure I have all the resources I need to create opportunity for our family,” she explains. “Part of that is starting small with our own business. We’re only selling 15 head a year when it comes to our direct-to-consumer beef sales — including our whole and half beef, plus our USDA beef we sell retail. Don’t get too crazy and in a rush. Start with selling one a year or a herd of five — whatever you can get.”
If produces don’t have land they own, leasing ground offers an opportunity to get started. In southern California, leases are hard to find. But Fender keeps her eyes and ears open all the time for new opportunities that come up.
“You just have to keep talking to people and looking up different leases that are available to you. Don’t be afraid to look into an ag or a small business loan,” she adds. “Many loans USDA has available for ranchers just sit there every year because people don’t take advantage of it or don’t realize it’s there.
She says it just takes a little bit of time, research and talking to people.
“It all starts with building that network,” Fender says.
Future plans
Looking to the future, Fender hopes in the next five to 10 years, they will have their first bull and heifer sale on the ranch.
“We would love to offer purebred black Angus and commercial cattle to cattlemen both across the country and locally,” she says. “San Diego is a destination location, so it is a great place for people to bring their families for a mini-vacation and bring home some pretty cows. Additionally, I’d love to have a storefront butcher and meat shop to feature our meat products, as well as other local meats from various ranchers and farmers.”
Setting goals and moving forward remains important to Fender — who loves being able to raise her family and beef on the ranch.
“There is always something Bryce and I have an eye on that we would like to build or improve on,” she says. “For example, I would love to add more shade structures for our feeder steers, a pole barn for haystacks and an event barn for our Ranch-to-Table dinners we host a few times a year.”
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