About the Families at James Ranch

Dave James

Dave and Kay James came to the Animas Valley in 1961 from southern California with a dream to raise a large family on the land. They did just that (with a lot of work!) and successfully raised five children while juggling many businesses to make ends meet. To this day, four of the five adult children have moved back and are living on the ranch with their families; the fifth son lives in Durango with his family.

"Dave and my original desire to be in agriculture and raise a family in a rural setting has been fulfilled by providing our children with this ranch and the opportunity for agriculturally diverse enterprises for future generations while serving the community with a local, healthy food source. Living and working our ranch land has been our bliss and our children are carrying on our values. We’ve so much to be grateful for!" -Kay James

Kay passed away in 2020; we all learned how foundational she was, and still is, for the strength of the ranch. Dave remains a very active part of the family and ranch sharing his wisdom with the next generation, accomplishing many tasks across all the business entities, greeting people at the Grill and Market as they come and go, to name only a few.

Ott Family

The Ott family have owned and operated James Ranch Trees since 2000 when John and Julie purchased the business from Dave and Kay James (Julie's parents). Sadly, John Ott suddenly passed away in 2022, now their three grown sons, who have moved back to the ranch to begin their careers and families, have taken over the tree business.

Gunther, the eldest of the three Ott brothers traveled the world right after graduating from high school, then joined the National Guard in order to compete for them as a bi-athlete, moved back to the ranch in 2015, started coaching with the local Durango Nordic team while working for his family on the ranch. He started the James Ranch Homestead School in 2020.

Abraham ("you can call me Abe"), the middle of the three brothers, also traveled internationally gaining valuable ranching skills in New Zealand, came back to the states, graduated from college with focus on economics and education, managed a large cattle ranch north of Ft Collins, CO before moving back to the James Ranch with his finance, Maddie. He and Maddie are in the process of partnering with Jenn and Joe Wheeling to run the James Ranch Beef program.

Stanton, number three of the brothers, recently moved back to the ranch after being away for seven years completing his BS degree in biology and living in Boston learning the arborist trade. Now back at the ranch and sharing the ownership of James Ranch Trees, he is sharing his lifelong passion for baking nutrient dense sourdough bread by starting the Root Cellar Bakery CSA using only grains grown without pesticides and herbicides and sourced mainly in Colorado.

After a career of homeschooling the Ott gents, managing the tree farm with John, managing 300 laying hens, a vacation rental on ranch, as well as many other side gigs, Julie's main focus now is managing the James Ranch Market.

Dan & Becca James

We moved to Durango in 2000. For Dan it was "moving back to the ranch" and for Becca it was a whole new adventure. We came armed with a lot of enthusiasm, Dan's love for this land, and an idea that a 100% grass-based dairy and cheese making operation was our future. Tons of work, many mistakes, three children, and lots of calves later we have James Ranch Artisan Cheese. We have been grazing and milking cows and handcrafting farmstead cheeses here in the Animas Valley for 15 years. Our kids Grady (16 years old), Mason(14 years old), and Stella (10 years old) love their connection to the land and to really good, sustainable food. We hope you can feel the dedication and love put into every batch of cheese we make.

Stewart Family

After 28 years, Cynthia James Stewart, the last of the five James children to return home, decided it was time to rejoin her family in Durango. She, her husband Robert and daughter, Sonya, moved home to the ranch in 2009. Cynthia had been living in big cities including New York, Houston, and San Francisco since she left Durango after high school and with her degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology and Robert's career in the mortgage industry, they weren't sure what business they were going to start in order to live on the Ranch.

Within their first year in Durango, they learned how the James family members were implementing regenerative and sustainable practices in the production of their products. They were impressed with not only how extremely hard it was to farm and ranch this way, but the outcome of their products were delicious. Cynthia wanted to share this goodness with everyone and decided the best way to do so was open a restaurant (even though she had never worked in one). Robert went along for the ride!

In the summer of 2011, they opened a food cart on the property called the Harvest Grill and Greens at James Ranch and in September of 2019 moved into a bricks and mortar building and renamed the restaurant the James Ranch Grill. Their concept is to only source ingredients that are nontoxic and chemical free being produced locally by farmers and ranchers that are caring for the soil resulting in nutrient-dense and flavorful food. They feel so fortunate to be able to serve such delicious food to their guests knowing that the secret is simply fresh, regenerative, local ingredients produced with love and dedication.

Joe & Jenn Wheeling

Joe's Bio:

Joe was raised in the Badlands of western North Dakota on his family's cattle ranch. Life was unpredictable and he had to learn to adapt to radical weather conditions, understanding livestock, making veterinary diagnosis and spending days on horseback. He went to CSU and graduated with a degree in Animal Science. While at CSU he was on the CSU Meats Judging Team when they won the American Royal and was High Individual at the Houston Livestock Show. Joe got his MBA from the Wharton School of Business and was successful executive in corporate hospitality for 15 years. Now Joe is active in James Ranch Beef as well as other local businesses using his corporate experience and education.

Jenn's Bio:

The oldest of the James siblings, Jenn was raised in Durango, a product of the Durango School District and graduate of CSU where she has her degree in Interior Design and Construction Management. Following her passion for horticulture, she and Joe started The Gardens at James Ranch 20 years ago. A self-taught regenerative farmer, Jenn has tried to grow almost every vegetable and flower imaginable in the effort to find those that do the best in the local climate. In the off-season, Jenn is working on an epic historical fiction novel that gives her immense pleasure.

Joe and Jenn have been married for 31 years and are the proud parents of two powerful, ambitious and intelligent young women.

Jenn is writing a book, please check it out by clicking here.

Gunther Ott

I grew up on the James Ranch. Homeschooling through my 7th grade year allowed me to have a deep connection to and appreciation of the land, the domestic animals, and the abundant wildlife. After high school, I took an internship with a ranch in Harlowton, Montana affiliated with the Savory Institute, and managed their herd of 4,000 yearlings for the summer. Upon completion of my internship in Montana, I had the urge to travel abroad and found a yearlong apprenticeship in Ranschbach, Germany on an regenerative vineyard. On my return to the States, I rekindled my passion for Biathlon and joined the Army National Guard to race on their team. I spent a year on the national team training in Vermont and took first in the National Guard's Western Regionals in Alaska. I love skiing and biathlon but at that point, I realized that my love for animals was pulling me back to my family's ranch and I also wanted to enroll in college. I was hired by my family to be the irrigator for the James Ranch and I took over the Whey Good Pork business from my Uncle Dan.