our story
SkyRose Ranch is a 25,000 acre cattle ranch in Central California. While we are ranchers, we are also land stewards, wildlife managers, and supporters of ministry for some of our most valued and honored citizens.
We invite you to learn more about us and hope that you come to visit.
HISTORY
The San Miguel area has a long history going back to the Native American Salinas people. Since at least the mid-1800’s, multiple families have owned the land now known as SkyRose Ranch, which was historically a farm and ranch operation. Previous operations included dryland farmed barley and cow/calf and stocker/steer operations.
Under current ownership, the ranch is now 25,000 acres with a focus on land stewardship, wildlife habitat enhancement, and providing a home for a valued ministry.
OWNERSHIP
In 2009, Wayne Hughes, Jr. purchased the Deer Valley Ranch from the California Rangeland Trust (CRT) and soon changed its name to SkyRose Ranch (SRR) in honor of his two children.
At that time, SRR consisted of just over 10,000 acres. Today, SRR encompasses approximately 25,000 contiguous acres of grass and oak woodlands. Over 90% of the lands are protected through CRT easements.
what
we
do
The owner’s desire has always been to create a working cattle ranch where the land is the most important aspect. The three goals to honor the land and its wildlife were to prohibit overgrazing, restore the pastures, and to expand the available water sources. Since 2009, SkyRose Ranch has added over 70 water sources, not only for cattle but for wildlife as well. Wherever there is a cattle trough, there’s wildlife guzzler tucked into cover not more than 200 feet away, providing fresh water for our wildlife. As a result SkyRose Ranch has some of the most diverse and prolific biological diversity in Central California. The ranch is home to Blacktail Deer, Tule Elk, Mountain Lion, wild boar, coyote, badger, and the occasional Black Bear. The ranch also hosts a diverse bird population including Bald and Golden Eagles, Red Tail/Cooper’s/Swain’s Hawks, Barn and Burrowing Owls, and wild turkey.
SkyRose Ranch runs a cow/calf operation of 450 head from year to year and sells into the commercial market as well as the public market.
In addition to ranching, we offer guided hunting experiences for deer, elk, and wild boar.
A core belief of Mr. Hughes is helping others through ministry opportunities. Mr. Hughes is the founder of Serving USA and a supporter of The Mighty Oaks Foundation, along with other charitable organizations. SkyRose Ranch is proud to support the Mighty Oaks Foundation by hosting retreats that minister to combat veterans, law enforcement officers, and their families.
We hope you’ll find out more about these on our Ministry page.