Prather Ranch response to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or Mad Cow Disease

	Contact Information
	S. James Rickert, General Manager Mary E. Rickert, General Manager Mark Keller, Beef Wholesale Manager/Sales Prather Ranch P.O. Box 817 Fall River Mills, California 96028 530.336.6667 www.pratherranch.com www.closedherd.com sjrick@shasta.com

Macdoel, CA -- December 31, 2003 -- In light of recent findings of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or Mad Cow Disease in the United States, Prather Ranch assures its commitment to beef purity, food safety, and exceptional quality assurance.

Prather Ranch operates on approximately 15,000 acres in the shadow of Mount Shasta, in Northern California.  The ranch is home to its "closed herd" founded in 1964. Since its inception, there has not been any animal derived protein fed to the cattle herd.

In 1990, the Prather Ranch operation and cattle were audited and deemed "clean" of BSE by pharmaceutical companies and the International Standards Organization (ISO).  Standard operating procedures were set in place to actively manage and ensure the herd and operation had biological security.  Prather Ranch is positioned to provide an unparalleled level of sanitary conditions.  The result, Prather Ranch Beef is considered the "gold standard" for food safety.  Prather Ranch beef customers are offered a highly specialized product - great tasting beef that is scientifically documented, inspected, and pure.

Prather Ranch harvests 1,000 animals a year (20 animals per week) for its premium quality, dry-aged, certified organic and natural beef sales.  Due to our low cattle volumes, meticulous attention (100% USDA inspection and HACCP plan implementation) is paid to the details of harvest, beef aging, and beef fabrication.

To maintain its isolation and improve the genetic potential of the cattle, the Prather Ranch breeding program mandates that all cows be bred by artificial insemination, using frozen semen from superior Angus and Hereford bulls.

The "closed herd" provides assurance of the history and origin of every animal in the herd.  All herd members are born from our "closed herd" foundation and Prather Ranch management does not buy any animals to add to the cattle program.  The exclusive USDA inspected abattoir (harvest facility) is located on the ranch property.  The ranch has a dedicated cattle truck and equipment used only on the "closed herd."

History of the Prather Ranch

1964		Walter Ralphs purchased the geographically isolated Prather Ranch and started the foundation of the closed herd.
1975		Last introduction of females to the herd.
1984		Cattle identification system implemented with cattle born in 1984.
1990		Prather Ranch was contacted by an ISO regulated pharmaceutical company that was searching for a documented "clean" source of cattle hides for an injectible collagen product.  Due to BSE concerns, an audit of the entire herd was initiated.  The Prather Ranch operation and cattle were documented "clean" through extensive auditing and scientific testing. Standard operating procedures (SOP's) were set in place to actively manage and ensure the herd and operation had biological security and quality control.
1995		State-of-the-art abattoir (harvest facility) was built on the ranch property.  The abattoir design was adapted to create a low stress environment for the cattle before harvest and to provide an unparalleled level of sanitary conditions.  The Prather Ranch Meat Packing Facility uses a "mushroom-head" stunning device that doesn't penetrate the animal's brain during harvest.  In addition, the facility does not split the carcass exposing the spinal cord.  These processing procedures are non-traditional for North American beef processing.  This is a redundant proactive step taken to mitigate the exposure fluids and tissues from the spinal column that are suspect to house the prion BSE.  Prather Ranch hand-bones their beef and has never used Advanced Meat Recovery methods.  The result, Prather Ranch Beef is an example of the pinnacle of food safety.
1999		Forty-percent of the Prather Ranch herd receives "Certified Organic" designation.
2002		Jim and Mary Rickert named the "Professional Farm Managers of the Year", a national award presented by the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers.
2003		Prather Ranch selected as "California Commercial Producer of the Year" by the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association.
2003		Prather Ranch received "Certified Humane" Certification based on stringent humane animal treatment policies certified by Humane Farm Animal Care (www.certifiedhumane.com).
2003		Prather Ranch implemented a water quality monitoring program on irrigated pastures. This program will help provide data to assist in documentation of our proactive position on environmental issues.
Today		Prather Ranch continues to be proactive about documentation and scientific testing. Every animal has been meticulously tracked by a specialized computer program. The scope of regular scientific testing includes: live cattle, beef, feed, soil, and water. Every six months documentation is submitted to the pharmaceutical companies on the herd health history status.

This level of traceability and detailed record-keeping has provided a distinct advantage to provide superior certified organic and natural beef products. The animal identification system can track individual packaged cuts of meat back to the animal's birth.

Prather Ranch is now considered the "clean source" for hides, bones, and glands for a handful of ISO 9000 regulated pharmaceutical companies.

This attention to detail for companies who have millions of dollars riding on the bovine raw materials for their pharmaceutical products give Prather Ranch Beef a unique product - Great tasting beef that is documented, inspected, and pure.

For information: www.pratherranch.com

Contact:	sjrick@shasta.com sales@pratherranch.com
Phone:	530-336-6667 Jim/Mary Rickert 877-570-2333 Mark Keller