History

Founded by Jack Harris in 1937, the Harris Ranch Beef Company (now operated by Jack Harris' son John) was originally a cotton and grain operation.^[1] In the 1970s the ranch opened a burger stand near Interstate 5.^[3]

The farm also operates an inn and restaurant, raises fruit and vegetable crops, and breeds thoroughbred horses.^[1][4] Overall, the operation has more than 400 employees.^[5] Approximately 14,000 acres (5,700 ha) are devoted to garlic, broccoli, pomegranates, and tomatoes, among 35 types of fruits and vegetables.^[6]

During the war on terror, volunteers from the San Joaquin Valley, especially Bakersfield, supplied with beef from Harris Ranch, have volunteered to serve steaks to service-members who are OCONUS.^[7]

In January 2012, an arsonist destroyed fourteen cattle trucks on the ranch. The Animal Liberation Front claimed responsibility.^[8][9]

Marketing and distribution

At over 800 acres (320 ha) and with a population of over 100,000 cattle,^[6] and hundreds harvested daily, the ranch is the largest on the West Coast. It is also among the largest (when including density) in the United States. A vertically integrated operation, it owns a fleet of trucks that take cattle from several ranches with which it deals, and does its own finishing, slaughtering, and packaging.^[1]

The ranch supplies the hamburger meat for the In-N-Out Burger chain, and also distributes beef and prepared meals through grocery stores and restaurants nationwide.^[1][5]

Harris Ranch was one of the first to build a brand around itself as a specialty niche product, and is credited as a forerunner of companies like Niman Ranch and Dakota Beef.^[1]

Restaurant and inn

The restaurant was targeted to local farmers when it opened in 1977, but later became popular as a halfway stop on the busy highway connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles.^[10][11][12] A 153-room luxury inn was added in 1987.^[6] It was built in hacienda-style.^[11] The restaurant evolved into a "farm to fork" concept in the late 2000s, featuring not only beef but wine and other products made locally by the ranch.^[1] As of 2008 the restaurant was the 57th busiest in the United States and sixth busiest in California based on gross receipts.^[5] The site was chosen for a hydrogen vehicle fuel station as well as one of the first battery swapping Tesla stations.^[13][14] Later, 18 superchargers were added. Then, in 2021 an expansion of 80 more V3 superchargers was planned for 2022, making it the world's largest supercharger location.^[15]

Public reception

The ranch is known to travelers for the "ripe, tangy odor of cow manure", described alternately as a "horrible stench"^[16] and "a good, honest, American smell".^[17] This smell inspired food writer Michael Pollan to conduct the research on factory farming that led to his sustainability book, The Omnivore's Dilemma.^[16] The owner of Harris Ranch, in turn, threatened to withhold a $500,000 donation to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo if it sponsored a speech there by Pollan.^[18] In reference to the large number of cattle processed at its facilities, some critics^[19] have nicknamed the ranch "Cowschwitz",^[16] comparing the slaughtering of cattle to the slaughtering of Jews during the Holocaust at the Auschwitz concentration camp.^[6][20][21] Animal behavior expert Temple Grandin described the nickname as a matter of public misperception, saying that the company "does a great job" of keeping its animals.^[22]