28 FLOURISH • FALL/WINTER 2014
Satisfied with the scene, Poncia swings
a leg over his four-wheeler and yells back
at me to "hold on" as we jerk forward
over the uneven terrain. Sweeping hand
gestures toward a distant pasture dotted
with dark, four-legged shapes indicate
his herd of Black Angus beef cattle is up
next on evening rounds. We bump along
the plateau, blazing a virgin trail through
waist-high wild oats, "taller this year than
in recent memory," he comments over the
roar of the motor.
We reach a fence line and follow it
downhill toward the cows who observe
our approach with both mild interest and
an utter lack of concern. "Brood stock with
young calves," he calls over his shoulder.
As we get closer, the herd actually perks
up and begins to move eagerly toward
the vehicle. "They think they're moving
to fresh pasture," Loren laughs, noting the
animals associate his ATV with regular ro-
tations to new forage.
Poncia cuts the motor and jumps off,
striding into the fray without hesitation.
I hang back, curious to see the reaction.
There is none. He lowers himself into the
grass and takes out his iPhone to snap a
few quick photos for Instagram as sev-
eral curious calves trot up to see what
he's doing. They surround him in short
order—standing with outstretched noses
just beyond reach—until he's virtually
obscured by their bodies. When he rises
at last they slowly part and allow him to
move through.
Returning to the four-wheeler, he off-
handedly grabs a fistful of tall summer
grass that's amazingly lush despite Cali-
fornia's current drought. A broad smile
crosses his face as he studies the forage.
"The cows just love this stuff," he notes ex-
tending his hand to show me how they've
eaten only the prime tips of each shoot.
His cattle are indeed growing fat for the
coming harvest.
This abundance of natural forage is no
accident. It takes a keen knowledge of best
Loren and Lisa Poncia with daughters Avery
(5) and Julianna (2).
