THE PEOPLE
N bar A Ranch is owned and managed by husband and wife Nick and Ashley Pairitz. They met as students at Purdue University and married in 2007. Throughout their studies and since graduating, they have worked in animal health & agriculture. After developing a love for raising beef cattle through their work on ranches, with beef producers and in herd health, they started their own herd in Southwest Montana with two black angus heifer bottle calves on a half acre lot. They grew from there to a herd of 10 black angus, knowing that raising grassfed, antibiotic/artificial growth hormone free beef was the right management style for them and their animals. Developing a calm demeanor among their herd was of high importance due to the frequent transporting, handling and single strand grazing they practiced. After attending low stress cattle handling classes they began utilizing what they learned and before long, decided it was the only way they wanted to handle their animals. For permanent identification purposes, the Pairitz' applied for a Montana state registered cattle brand for their small herd, choosing to register a freeze brand due to the less painful process of freeze branding vs. hot iron branding. That brand was "N-A" (spoken as "N bar A") and was applied on the right hip of their cattle. This is the story of their ranch name...a way to rememeber Montana where they first began raising their own cattle. While grateful for the opportunities they had through leasing grazing land and hay ground in Montana, they decided to relocate in order to own and therefore more thoroughly manage the land their cattle grazed. When looking at different states suitable to their needs for land, livelihood and quality of life, they found Maine had everything they wanted. They moved across the country and started all over again, except this time with more knowledge and experience and before long, formed N bar A Ranch. They traveled throughout New England until finding the right grassfed black Angus cattle to begin a new herd. Most of Nick and Ashley's time is spent working with the cattle, on the property or in the garden, just how they like it! But in their spare time they enjoy many outdoor activities including skiing, tennis, hiking, & fishing. Their favorite thing is just relaxing around the bonfire together or with friends and family, looking out at the herd peacefully grazing. - Over 15 years experience working in agriculture -Maine Beef Producer's Association - Members -Beef Quality Assurance Certification -BS in Soil & Crop Management (Nick) -Certified Crop Adviser -AS & BS in Veterinary Nursing (Ashley) -Licensed Veterinary Technician-Maine -Member of MOFGA |