Chokurei Yak Ranch faces change after 16 years of stewardship
By Zaylah Khundmiri
photographs by Matt Lit.
When Kyle Grote, a video producer from Ohio, first came to the San Luis Valley (SLV) in 2006, he was looking for a quiet place where he and his wife Teanna could raise their family. He never would have expected that he would soon be the new steward of 2,400 acres of highly sought after land in the remote SLV.
Bidding on water
It all began at an auction in 2007. Stretching between Moffat and Crestone, 2,400 acres of undeveloped land, previously the Weiss Ranch, was being sold in seven parcels.
Rumors were spreading that this fertile land, home to precious water reserves including 20 artesian wells, was of interest to yet another rancher with ambitions to sell SLV water out of the Valley. To safeguard some of this water, Kyle planned to bid on one or two parcels.
During the auction, bids flew back and forth on individual parcels, until one rancher halted the crowd, placing a bid for all 2,400 acres. Emotions ran high as the realization hit that this rancher was also the alleged water investor. In Kyle’s mind, there was only one way to keep the water safe. In a leap of faith, Kyle bid for the entire ranch. And to his amazement, he won. Kyle wasn’t sure how he would finance the entire purchase, but he knew he had done the right thing. His life course changed in that moment. “It was an amazing feeling,” Kyle reflected, “I got ‘God bumps’ all over; it felt like a confirmation.”
Home of the “Happy Yak”
Soon after, Kyle, Teanna, and their two kids moved to Crestone to envision their lives as the new owners of the ranch they soon renamed, Chokurei Yak Ranch. In addition to protecting the water, Kyle knew he wanted to feed the local community healthy, organic food, starting first with yak. Twelve yaks were introduced to the ranch by 2008, a number that has increased to over 300 today. Disease resistant, winter hardy, and low maintenance, yak are perfect residents of the SLV.
Ever since, Chokurei has supplied the community with one-of-a-kind, antibiotic-free, grass-finished yak meat. Chokurei is “Home to the Happy Yak,” said Kyle. The yak free range on the ranch and enjoy fresh air, plenty of space, and a clean diet of native grasses. He described his yak as “half wild and half domesticated,” since they are both friendly to humans but also can survive on their own. For example, his yak sleep in circles around their young to protect against predators and will even charge coyotes if provoked. With gratitude for the animal, every part of the yak is used at Chokurei. Currently, you can find their meat sold in a variety of cuts at the Elephant Cloud, the famous Yak Burger at T Road Brewing Company, and at Robin’s in Salida. Chokurei is also excited to continue to work with Sacred Wyld Harvest. Visit Chokurei’s website for more offerings: www.chokureiyakranch.org.
Chokurei expanded their commitment to the local food system in 2009 by developing a 6,500-square-foot greenhouse designed to grow fresh, organic produce. For years, Kyle distributed veggies and eggs to towns within a 60-mile radius of the ranch and stocked the food banks with frequent donations.
Combining their commercial veggie operation with their meat business, Chokurei also opened a farm-to-table restaurant, the Yak and Cracker, near the golf course in 2011. Menu items featured organic produce that was picked that morning from the farm, as well as eggs and meat from the ranch. They also had a school lunch program that fed kids organic food from the farm. The Yak and Cracker was yet another way that Chokurei promoted their slogan, Know where your food comes from and feel good when you eat.
Financial strain eventually forced Kyle to move away from his vegetable operation and Yak and Cracker, though the meat business continued to thrive. Kyle began to grow organic cannabis starting first with the cultivation of Sacred Valley Medicine, and then Primo Cannabis.
Drowning in water fees
After nearly a decade of growing cannabis, Kyle is ready to shift his focus back toward optimizing sustainability on his ranch and providing food for the community. However, given the rising cost of water fees and ranch operation costs, Kyle is unable to do this alone. When Kyle first bought the ranch in 2007, he wasn’t charged any water fees. When new rules took effect in 2020, he paid $17,000 in water fees and the second year he paid $16,000. Last year this fee nearly doubled, with his last payment amounting to $33,000 for the year. Kyle lamented, “the [water] subdistrict has changed the way they charge.”
Chokurei’s income is no match for these high water fees, and Kyle is concerned that finances will come between him and his efforts to protect the land and water. “I don’t want to sell the ranch and let it fall into the wrong hands,” he explained. Therefore, he is looking for a water attorney and for a partner to assume 40% of ranch ownership, to fund and lead projects toward food sovereignty and sustainability, and assist with marketing. Small, independent farms are struggling, Kyle said. He has seen many farmers in recent years forced to sell their farms because of rising fees. He is concerned that Renewable Water Resources (RWR) has bought many of them, bringing them one step closer to their goal of exporting SLV water. Kyle is hanging on as long as he can. In addition to finding a partner, Chokurei is working to bring yak tours back, update old farm equipment for hay operations, and continue to feed the local community high quality yak meat. Kyle is doing his best to stay optimistic during these difficult times.
He recalled some advice that the ranch’s previous owner once gave him: “You can truly never have a bad day out here if you just take a moment to look around.” That line has stuck with Kyle despite all the obstacles he has faced as Chokurei’s steward. The same trust and open heartedness that allowed Kyle to win the bid 16 years ago will continue to guide him as the ranch faces transition in the coming years.