Guest post by Judy Jeute of Royal Ranch and Naked~NureLike all of you, I am a big fan of Over Coffee-the green edition blog. So when I was asked to do a guest post I was extraordinarily honored, but also very nervous! You see, I am somewhat new to the blogging world, and started in a rather backwards way. Instead of just posting comments on other blogs, I took the bull by the horns and started my own. It's kind of funny, I started the Royal Ranch Green from the Bottom Up blog to help advertise my various llama related businesses, but it has turned into much more than that. By opening up the doors to The Royal Ranch I have opened up and shared things that have really impacted other people, a wonderful side effect that I hadn't counted on!
The Royal Ranch has always been very dedicated to Mother Earth, it is where we live, play, work and even consider it our church! Tom and I are both mountain kids through and through. I am a Colorado Native and Tom has been here since 1972, we tease that he got here as fast as he could! It was very important to us to raise our kids here and to add the “farm” environment was a dream come true for me.
Almost a decade ago Tom and I decided to start a commercial llama packing business. We chose llamas specifically for their low impact on the environment. They have padded feet instead of hooves, so even with a pack string of 5 or more animals, we leave no trace. Llamas are also very efficient animals and have wonderful, nutrient rich manure that they “pile”, meaning that all of the llamas in a paddock will all poop in the same area (of course, my llamas have several piles, but anything is better than manure EVERYWHERE!) which makes collecting my fantastic Naked~Nure very easy.
The Royal Ranch is an old homestead, one of the older ones in our area, and is steeped with local history, which is right up our alley, as we are both history buffs. The ironic thing is that the original homesteader, Charlie Royal, was passionate about rescuing animals as well. That too, has been a great experience for us and our kids, rescuing llamas is very rewarding; we take a llama that has been in a tough situation and give it a job, one that they love to do! We feel that the ranch is a precious gift and that we are here, in such a public place, to help teach others about our wonderful area and the animals and plants that live in it.
Very early in the season I had some plants that needed a lot of extra attention before they were planted outdoors, and at 9,000 feet of elevation, I really wanted them to be strong. So, I made myself a tea bag out of an old rice bag, filled it with llama manure and WOW, I was even surprised by the results. It got us thinking about what a great natural resource we have to share, not just with our friends and neighbors, but a very marketable, beneficial product that could be used in both urban and suburban settings. Llama manure is only second to bat guano when it comes to nutrients, so it is the best fertilizer a person can get at a reasonable price for a good quantity.
It is very important to us to not add any more waste to this already trash filled society, so our packaging is all reusable or recyclable, as a matter of fact, the tag (which is made of recycled paper) is the only waste with Naked~Nure. All of my materials come from second hand; fabric from neighbors who need to clean out their closets, or purchased from Goodwill, etc. We do use new burlap, for quality control, but that is the only “new” supplies we use. It is our hope that our customers use the packaging like they did in the old days of flour and potato sacks; they are wonderful for storing garden tools, bulbs or just about anything that needs to be hung up and out of the way.
The Royal Ranch has always been very dedicated to Mother Earth, it is where we live, play, work and even consider it our church! Tom and I are both mountain kids through and through. I am a Colorado Native and Tom has been here since 1972, we tease that he got here as fast as he could! It was very important to us to raise our kids here and to add the “farm” environment was a dream come true for me.
Almost a decade ago Tom and I decided to start a commercial llama packing business. We chose llamas specifically for their low impact on the environment. They have padded feet instead of hooves, so even with a pack string of 5 or more animals, we leave no trace. Llamas are also very efficient animals and have wonderful, nutrient rich manure that they “pile”, meaning that all of the llamas in a paddock will all poop in the same area (of course, my llamas have several piles, but anything is better than manure EVERYWHERE!) which makes collecting my fantastic Naked~Nure very easy.
The Royal Ranch is an old homestead, one of the older ones in our area, and is steeped with local history, which is right up our alley, as we are both history buffs. The ironic thing is that the original homesteader, Charlie Royal, was passionate about rescuing animals as well. That too, has been a great experience for us and our kids, rescuing llamas is very rewarding; we take a llama that has been in a tough situation and give it a job, one that they love to do! We feel that the ranch is a precious gift and that we are here, in such a public place, to help teach others about our wonderful area and the animals and plants that live in it.
Very early in the season I had some plants that needed a lot of extra attention before they were planted outdoors, and at 9,000 feet of elevation, I really wanted them to be strong. So, I made myself a tea bag out of an old rice bag, filled it with llama manure and WOW, I was even surprised by the results. It got us thinking about what a great natural resource we have to share, not just with our friends and neighbors, but a very marketable, beneficial product that could be used in both urban and suburban settings. Llama manure is only second to bat guano when it comes to nutrients, so it is the best fertilizer a person can get at a reasonable price for a good quantity.
It is very important to us to not add any more waste to this already trash filled society, so our packaging is all reusable or recyclable, as a matter of fact, the tag (which is made of recycled paper) is the only waste with Naked~Nure. All of my materials come from second hand; fabric from neighbors who need to clean out their closets, or purchased from Goodwill, etc. We do use new burlap, for quality control, but that is the only “new” supplies we use. It is our hope that our customers use the packaging like they did in the old days of flour and potato sacks; they are wonderful for storing garden tools, bulbs or just about anything that needs to be hung up and out of the way.
It is a little hard for me to talk about all of the “green” things that The Royal Ranch does, as it is so ingrained in us, we don't even think about it anymore. Along with some of the regular things like recycling, conserving energy and changing our light bulbs, it is important to us to also run our ranch in an environmentally friendly way. Little things like using timers on our water trough heaters in the winter and burning a fire for heat instead of using up our propane is just a part of our daily lives. Living in the Rocky Mountains shows us on a daily basis, WHY we are striving to be kind to Mother Earth.
Royal Ranch Green from the “Bottom” Up is a great way for us to share information and funny stories from this crazy old homestead. From green tips and recipes, to discussing our limits as mothers, friends and daughters, I have something for everyone.
I would like to add a giveaway to the one that is already here on Over Coffee, check out my blog, become a follower and I'll randomly draw a winner on the 30th of September for another bag of Naked~Nure!
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1 comment:
"...it is so ingrained in us, we don't even think about it anymore." That is truly the best way to be eco-conscious: to make it so natural it's ingrained.
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