THE RANCH

LOCATED IN CASTRO VALLEY

Urban Cowgirl Ranch is pioneering sustainably raising livestock within the confines of urban environments by using horses and its surrounding agriculture as a medium to inspire positivity within our inner-city communities. We are working to easily, sustainably, and ethically feed animals by implementing a hydroponic fodder system that allows us to grow high-quality feed within just a small space on the property. This allows us to decrease our feed bill by over 50% after only 8 months of usage. In addition, it provides us stability and freedom from the crippling effects of drought, and the many other factors that cause price inflation and the decrease in quality in forage that can so easily bankrupt businesses that are based around fodder-fed animals.

We have a partnership with a biotechnology company that enables us to ethically manage the wastes that our animals produce, thus alleviating the cost and labor-intensive processes of manure handling in the city where we are unable to spread it due to lack of space. This company’s bio-digester will take the wastes that come from our animals and turn it into ethically sourced, sustainable biofuel that in turn provides energy for the entire property.

This model of sustainable feeding, and waste management, allows our ranch to thrive, which enables us to in turn impact our communities through fun, equine experiential learning and agricultural education, which for most inner-city youth and families is a world they have never had the opportunity to view or experience.

Urban Cowgirl Ranch’s sustainability efforts directly confront the high cost of care and accessibility by being centrally located minutes from I-580 and within 15 minutes of some of the SF Bay Area's most underserved communities.