Flying M Livestock
The Ellensburg, WA-based Mays family has been in the cattle business for almost 50 years. Flying M Livestock, their multi-faceted, family-owned operation, includes a grassfed cattle herd of 700 mother cows; 5,000 to 10,000 yearlings and designated areas for grazing them; and an overseas receiving station for cattle from Hawaii.
Since 2000, however, the ranch has focused on herd genetics and raising Black Angus cattle of the highest quality for the grassfed beef market. Flying M cattle are born and raised in the Kittitas Valley, known for its superior grass and hay productivity. In the spring, when they are several months old, calves turned out with their mothers into the rangeland foothills. When they return to the lush irrigated pastures in the fall, they’re weaned on green grass.
Holistic resource management is the foundation of the Flying M grassfed program, which emphasizes low-stress cattle handling techniques and on-going efforts to improve and excel as outstanding stewards of the land and their animals. Using their herd of quarter horses, the ranch team completes as much work from the saddle as possible.