Happy Birthday ~ 106 Years Young
In existence for 106 years , Serafino and Celeste Settrini purchased the Settrini Ranch on January 5, 1915. The couple began their new life together in the Salinas Gabilan Foothills starting their adventure in the dairy business on Rancho Natividad. The dairy business was one that great grandpa Serafino knew well as he worked throughout Switzerland manufacturing cheese for some of the Swiss dairies. It was only natural that Serafino start a dairy in Salinas. As time went on they had a family which included three boys and a daughter to complete their family, one of them my Grandpa Gus Sr.
The 3 Settrini brothers decided that they wanted to get away from the dairy and into the beef business so they sold the dairy cows and purchased some Herefords to start their herd. Over 3,000 acres of grazing land covered their new property. An advertisement from Salinas Dressed Beef Company sums it up best, “ The Settrini Ranch proudly carries the SIS brand on its fine Hereford cattle that are shipped each year from the Salinas Dressed Beef Company. Modern ranch houses, the orderly arrangement and rich grazing land of the ranch is one of the show places of the area.”
The Settrini Brothers became well known in the Salinas area for being one of the finest producers of Hereford beef throughout the county. Two of the brothers, Walter and Gus both married and had families that were raised on the homestead. Walter had two girls and Gus had a boy Gus Jr ( my dad ) and a girl.
The show ring was a popular spot for young Gus Jr. He showed his steers at numerous county fairs winning many champions and showmanship awards. His involvement in the FFA and livestock judging eventually led him to California Polytechnic State University , San Luis Obispo, where he was on the winning livestock judging team. The love for beef cattle was second to none and in 1960 Gus Jr took over the ranch.
Gus married his sweetheart who he met at the county fair, Anita ( my mom ) The two worked side by side building the beef herd as well as farming alfalfa, small white beans and barley. They later tested their farming skills with lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower. In time they had two children, my brother and I . About 30 years ago Gus decided to give up all the farming and strictly focus his efforts on the cow herd. He gave up the farming and leased the ground out to strawberry growers.
Years of involvement in the Cattlemen and Cattlewomen’s associations, 4-H and school board kept Gus and Anita on their toes always going the extra mile for their kids and enjoying every minute of it.
In 2013 Gus was killed in an accident on the ranch leaving Anita and the two kids to figure it all out. We did and today my brother John and I run our commercial Red Angus cow/calf operation. Mom handles the book work and keeps us in line. John is married with a daughter and lives on the ranch and Mom and I reside in the old farmhouse that was once my Great Grandparents.
Our history in the Salinas Valley is rich, we are proud of the legacy that those before us created so that we are able to do what they did……… provide a beef product we can be proud of.
Young Gus J with his Hereford calves