Terra Madre Delegate Profile -
Andrea and Katherine Malmberg, ranchers
Twin Creek Ranch and Lodge - Lander, WY
www.twincreekranch.com

Tucked up against Wyoming's Wind River Mountains in a spectacular land of red sandstone cliffs and lush spring-fed valleys is Twin Creek Ranch & Lodge. Here the Malmberg family lives a life reflecting their passions: caring for the land, growing healthy food, and providing a place where people find renewal and rejuvenation.

Once a traditional rancher, Tony Malmberg began to view his ranch differently after attending a Holistic Management seminar offered by The Savory Center in 1987. Putting what he learned into practice, Tony has improved his land-using livestock to do it-increased wildlife populations on the ranch, and won numerous stewardship awards. Now, with his wife Andrea and daughter Katherine, Tony is adding to the working cattle ranch, making room for the diversity needed for economic sustainability.

The most obvious addition to this 16,500-acre ranch is Twin Creek Lodge, built four years ago from hand-hewn logs selectively harvested with horses from the upper reaches of Twin Creek. One of the reasons for building the lodge rested on Andrea's desire to share Twin Creek with the local community and to build a food culture close to home. Her Country Cuisine Gatherings feature locally grown foods prepared with a commitment to health and well-being. Now, after spending a day in nature's great wild open, guests dine on the Malmbergs' free-range beef, poultry, pork, goat cheese, vegetables, and other local foods. A retreat house on the ranch will soon expand into a wellness center where Katherine will provide naturopathic care and use food grown on the ranch for her prescribed therapies.

Grass-finished double-aged beef production, however, still holds center stage at Twin Creek. All of Twin Creek's sales, apart from those to a local smoke house and grill, are direct to the consumer. Since many of their customers also visit the ranch, the Malmbergs have an opportunity to explain their land management practices and to demonstrate the land's remarkable recovery. Andrea says, "We have become increasingly respectful of the earth and the wild and domestic animals, and we've also become more aware of whom we serve-our customers. We know every one of them personally. When we go to town, just seeing us reminds them to order more beef. This is sustainable, low-input marketing!"

The Malmbergs believe that aligning people's passion with the landscape can create layered and synergistic uses. "Our dream," says Andrea, "is for Twin Creek to be seen as a place of ecological integrity. Connected to this healthy core, we see profitable enterprises, led by vivacious entrepreneurs who share the benefits of costly infrastructure." Goat grazing, cheese-making, hunting, fishing, poultry raising and many other potential enterprises can enhance each other as they improve land health and bolster a community's economy. -Jody Butterfield, The Savory Center