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Marin County - California

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    • About Dr. Weston A. Price
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      • 2025
        • May 3, 2025: Havening
        • March 8, 2025: Choosing Healthy Clothing
        • January 26, 2025: 2024 Conference Viewing Party
      • 2024
        • November 10, 2024: Using Sound and Frequency for Healing
        • October 6, 2024: Christina Hildebrand
        • August 18, 2024: Stinson Beach Walk
        • August 11, 2024: Talk With the Chicken Lady
        • June 30, 2024: Nutrition & Bodywork
        • June 1, 2024: Bodega Pastures Farm Tour
        • February 11, 2024: Learn How to Muscle Test
        • January 7, 2024: Real Food & Supplements
      • 2023
        • December 2, 2023: Tennessee Point Labyrinth (Marin Headlands) hike
        • November 26, 2023: Special Viewing of Wise Traditions Conference Talk
        • October 7, 2023: Indian Valley Organic Farm
        • September 10, 2023: Biotic Ferments
        • August 5, 2023: Salmon Creek Ranch Tour
        • July 22, 2023: Sunset Marin Walk @ Tennessee Valley Trail
        • June 9, 2023: Holistic Dentistry
        • March 18, 2023: The ABCs of EMFs
      • 2022
        • August 7, 2022: Food Exchange and Potluck
        • June 4, 2022: The Immune System
        • May 7, 2022: Be Love Farm Tour
        • February 26, 2022: Something Ain’t Right Documentary
        • January 8, 2022: Taming Anxiety with Nutrition
      • 2021
        • October 30, 2021: Nut-N-Other Farms
        • August 21, 2021: Yemaya Seaweed Company
        • July 10, 2021: Bannister Oak Farms
        • May 29, 2021: Desi Milk
        • May 15, 2021: Foraging for Food and Medicine Walk
        • April 12, 2021: All About Fasting
      • 2020
        • December 4, 2020: Freedom From Anxiety
        • November 7, 2020: The Root Cause Protocol
        • September 10, 2020: Breathe Easier: Smoke Remedies
        • August 23, 2020: Sauerkraut at Home
        • July 27, 2020: Being a Savvy Shopper: Avoiding Refined Foods & Ingredients
        • June 16, 2020: The Truth Behind Labels: What Goes IN, ON & SURROUNDS Us
      • 2019
        • May 26, 2019: Green Gulch Farm
        • February 23, 2019: Small Animal Naturopathy
        • January 27, 2019: Backyard Farmer
      • 2018
        • September 16, 2018: Mini Traditional Food Fair and Potluck
        • April 29, 2018: SoMar Farms
        • February 24, 2018: Bay Area WAPF Mixer
      • 2017
        • December 3, 2017: Food, Mood and Fermentation
        • November 10-13, 2017: Pearls from the 2017 Wise Traditions Conference
        • October 8, 2017: AppleGarden Farm Tour
        • September 17, 2017: Dr. Cowan’s Garden
        • September 2, 2017: Fermentation Festival in Petaluma
        • August 20, 2017: Apple + Almond Harvest Party
        • July 22, 2017: Nutrient-Dense Foods Tasting
      • 2016
        • November 11-14, 2016: Pearls from the 2016 Wise Traditions Conference
        • October 23, 2016: Raw Paleo
        • June 11, 2016: Backyard Chickens
        • May 26, 2016: All About Kombucha
        • April 16, 2016: Wireless Devices – Health Dangers & Solutions
        • April 2, 2016: Natural Healing with Essential Oils
        • March 6, 2016: Live Blood Microscopy: What Does It Reveal about Our Health?
        • February 20, 2016: All About Bone Broth
        • January 5, 2016: To Be…Or Not To Be…Gluten-Free?
      • 2015
        • December 6, 2015: Holiday Party and Food Trade
        • November 22, 2015: Turmeric Kraut Demo with Trish Carty
        • November 12-16, 2015: Pearls from the 2015 Wise Traditions Conference
        • October 16-18, 2015: Bioneers Conference
        • September 5, 2015: Apple Harvest & Processing Party
        • August 8, 2015: Visit Amy’s Homestead
        • July 12, 2015: Stemple Creek Ranch Tour
        • June 25, 2015: Electromagnetic Fields
        • May 20, 2015: Vaccines: Movie and Panel Discussion
        • April 12, 2015: Fluoride in the Water
        • March 29, 2015: Marcey Shapiro, MD
        • March 8, 2015: Nicolette Hahn Niman, author of “Defending Beef”
        • February 26, 2015: Dennis Dierks of Paradise Family Produce
        • January 21, 2015: Muscle Testing with Srinika Narayan (SF event)
        • January 15, 2015: Homeoprophylaxis with Deborah Landowne
      • 2014
        • December 5, 2014: Aaron Gilliam of Thistle Meats
        • November 23, 2014: Miso tasting with the San Francisco Chapter
        • November 16, 2014: Probiotic Soda Workshop with Kim Ireland
        • November 6-10, 2014: Pearls from the 2014 Wise Traditions Conference
        • October 18, 2014: Doug Stonebreaker of Prather Ranch Meat Company
        • September 29, 2014: Julia Ross Speaking on Depression
        • July 27, 2014: Iodine and Your Health with Jerome Chambless
        • June 15, 2014: Father’s Day Farm Tour @ WHOA Farm
        • May 10, 2014: Awareness Through Movement with Susan Hammond
        • March 29, 2014: Holistic Dental Health with Rupam Henry
        • February 23, 2014: Energy Medicine with Connie Prodromou
        • January 19, 2014: Dessert Potluck
      • 2013
        • December 15, 2013: Pearls from the 2013 Wise Traditions Conference
        • November 2, 2013: Primal Posture with Abeja Hummel
        • October 17, 2013: Personal Stories
        • September 26, 2013: Detoxification with Maureen Donohoe
        • July 20, 2013: Salmon Creek Ranch Tour
        • July 13, 2013: Indian Valley College Organic Farm
        • June 30, 2013: “Get To Know Your Farmers’ Market” tour
        • May 9, 2013: Removing the “Obstacles to Cure” with Dr. Louisa Williams
        • April 7, 2013: Personal Stories
        • Feb 21, 2013: Tim Wightman
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July 20, 2013: Salmon Creek Ranch Tour

(This is a report from the Sonoma County Weston Price potluck and tour at Salmon Creek Ranch in Bodega)

Lesley and John Brabyn bought the 400 acre property in 2007. It was originally part of a 600 acre ranch that has forest, lots of hills (which makes it not ideal for grazing) and 2 miles of Salmon Creek.

They have New Zealand Kiko meat goats that are grazed rotationally to clear the brush from the certified organic land. Their only food is foraged. Lesley told us that goat is the most widely eaten meat in the world! They offer Halal slaughter at different times throughout the year.

They have 26 cows, Scottish Highlander and Angus, that freely roam and forage around the property. It was quite a sight to see these huge animals casually walk past the house, past our tour and up the road. Stormy, the bull, is walking past the farm store below.


They have Pekin or Pekin Hybrid ducks that are raised for 8 weeks before being processed at a USDA facility in Stockton. To be organic, poultry feed can not contain animal products but they do eat bugs and worms in the pasture. Some soy feed is used because it’s difficult to provide enough protein for their growth. While the ducks are raised organically, they cannot label the meat as ‘certified organic’ because the wax used by their processor, that is required to remove the pinfeathers from waterfowl, is not certified organic. There are no other custom processors of duck in California. Salmon Creek Ranch is the sole provider of duck to Chez Panisse and they also sell to Terrapin Creek, Peter Lowell’s, One Market and John Ash restaurants.

Their Khaki Campbell duck layers produce 40 dozen certified organic eggs/day which are sold at Whole Foods, farmer’s markets and shipped all over the US. Ducks lay their eggs early in the morning but if not contained, they will randomly lay their eggs anywhere! The ducks are herded into an enclosure at night so the eggs can be easily retrieved in the morning. The eggs are often quite dirty because the ducks will cover them with mud to keep them moist. Lesley used to hire highschoolers to wash the eggs but recently bought a $12,000 commercial egg washer to do the difficult job.

They are experimenting with raising Emden geese and possibly using them as guardians.

Their biggest challenges are weather and predators. A bad storm can easily wipe out many ducks. Anatolian shepherd dogs guard the goats, geese and ducks from mountain lions, coyotes and bobcats. The only predator that they are unable to guard against are ravens and crows. The ravens and crows will peck and eat a duck alive! They found the only deterrent to the ravens and crows is a dead one of their own species nearby.

Lesley and John also raise and show their Anatolian guard dogs and Saluki dogs.

Their daughter works for them and sells at local farmer’s markets. They are at the Wells Fargo market every Saturday, the Sonoma Valley market every other Friday, and the Bodega Bay market in the summer. And they sell off the ranch from their cute farm store. You just need to call first to let them know you are coming! Lesley and John were generous with their time and information and very gracious hosts.

By Karen Hamilton-Roth

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