Ridge Shinn is the founder and CEO of Big Picture Beef and a leader in the shift away from feedlot beef to raising cattle on 100% grass and forages – no corn ever – using regenerative pasture and grazing management that sequesters carbon deep underground. Currently he is developing a large-scale supply of 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef in the Northeast U.S. This program will provide economic opportunities for existing small farmers in the region and safe, nutritionally superior Northeast beef for Northeast markets, all while improving soil fertility and water retention and combating climate change.
Ridge was founding director of the New England Livestock Alliance, co-founder of Hardwick Beef, and co-founder of Rotokawa Cattle Company. He has consulted all over the US, and in New Zealand, Uruguay, and Argentina on beef production and ecosystem restoration through grazing. His work has been recognized in Time Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, New York Times, Wine Spectator, and Smithsonian. He is also on the Advisory Board of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate.