Our Story
Our Roots
We’re Nate and Trish, the family behind Mellow Marmot Ranch. Both of our families come from long lines of poverty, built on hard work, sacrifice, and doing whatever it took to provide for the next generation. Trish’s grandparents followed seasonal farm work across Oregon and California, raising animals and growing food to help support their family. Nate grew up working on his family’s farm in Colorado, spending long summers bucking hay and doing the kind of manual labor that teaches grit, discipline, and respect for the land from an early age. Two generations later, having the opportunity to own and work land of our own in Central Oregon is incredibly meaningful to us.
Why We Choose This Work
Before building Mellow Marmot Ranch, our lives took us down a lot of different roads that eventually led us back to the land. Trish grew up in Oakridge, Oregon—a small timber town surrounded by national forest. She joined the military at 17 and later spent time working as a wildland firefighter and fire lookout. Nate grew up in Colorado, where he became a two-time state wrestling champion, earning a college wrestling scholarship before later serving in the military. Although our paths overlapped in ways we didn’t realize at the time—including both being deployed to Afghanistan around the same time—we didn’t actually meet until we were both out of the military, eventually crossing paths in Bend. Those experiences shaped our work ethic and the kind of life we wanted to build: one centered around open land, meaningful work, and raising our daughter close to the rhythms of the seasons. Ranch life isn’t always easy, but we believe there’s value in building something tangible with our hands.
Building the Ranch
The high desert shapes everything we do at Mellow Marmot Ranch. From long winters and dry summers to irrigation, pasture management, and learning the rhythms of the seasons, ranching in Central Oregon requires resilience, adaptability, and patience. We’re building the ranch intentionally—centered around premium beef, seasonal flowers, and livestock rooted in practical ranching and strong genetics. Some parts of the vision are already established, while others are still taking shape as we continue learning, improving, and growing one season at a time.