Born and raised in Napa, California when beef, not grapes or wine, was Napa Valley’s #1 agricultural product — educated in Napa schools and the University of California, Davis.

Married into a 4th generation California ranching family and now lives in Northeastern California just outside Alturas.  Pete Carey and Carolyn run about 450 commercial and organic pairs and take in or purchase ~1000 yearlings on certified-organic mountain meadows each summer, where habitat is also provided for thousands of ducks and geese.  They also raise organic alfalfa hay for sale to dairies and other producers.

Other involvement:

• A Second Vice President of the California Cattlemen’s Association from 2005 – 2007
• Marketing Committee member, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
• The Past President of the Modoc County Cattlemen’s Association
• A founder and charter member of Western Ranchers Beef Cooperative, a member of the Board of Directors and currently serving as CEO
• A founding member of the Modoc County Land Use Committee … an advisory committee to the Modoc County Board of Supervisors for the coordinated management of the Federal lands within the county’s borders (some 70+% of land within the county) for the benefit of the county’s economy and the wise, beneficial use of the land
• Developed a program, presented (with California Department of Fish & Game) to California Rangeland Trust for environmental mitigation using easements on private ranchlands instead of outright purchase by the developer (eliminating transfer of ownership to state or federal agencies) — keeps the land in the productive use that made it desirable for acquisition in the first place; allows the rancher to keep ranching, provides a manager who is familiar with the land, and keeps the land in the county’s tax base, to name a few benefits to both the ranching and environmental communities … as well as the developer
• Owner of Born & Raised in the USA®, a USDA-approved label and verification system for the promotion, tracking, and labeling of US beef, pork, lamb, fish, game, and poultry all the way to consumers
• Member of the California Beef Council, representing northern California ranchers
• Member of the board of directors, American Stewards of Liberty (formerly Stewards of the Range)
• Member of the board of directors, RANGE Conservation Foundation
• Member of the board of directors, California Rangeland Trust