Since the age of homesteading, Colorado ranchers have strategically utilized cattle grazing to help mitigate fire risk, break up soil and fertilize land. Today, community developers at Sterling Ranch — located in unincorporated Douglas County — are finding success using this same strategy while also providing residents with an authentic sense of Western heritage.
Gary Debus, general manager of the Sterling Ranch Community Authority Board, praises the community’s successful implementation of its Prairie Management Plan — of which cattle grazing has been a key aspect.
“The plan established many of the principles for living in nature, such that we don’t disturb the native areas and the gulches. It’s kind of a holistic approach to prairie management – we’re pretty proud of that,” said Debus.
In October, 150 cattle arrived at Sterling Ranch — their home for the winter. Debus said that a mature cow can eat 25 to 30 pounds of dry matter a day, meaning that this herd has been eating up to 4,500 pounds daily — a significant impact on the area’s fuel load, or amount of available combustible material.
“We represent a gap in Douglas County’s urban wildfire plan because we aren’t considered a high-risk wildfire area, while the areas around us are,” said Debus.
He added that this type of responsible prairie stewardship is one of many benefits built into the Sterling Ranch community.
Outside of just prairie management, Debus said that hosting cattle herds near the neighborhood has provided residents with a sense of joy, comfort and legacy.
“People just love seeing the cows and hearing them moo in the evenings. It’s just kind of a soothing, comforting thing, and a sense of being part of the West in Colorado,” said Debus.

In March and April, the community welcomed 150 newborn calves, adding further to the neighborhood’s charm. Debus says they are playful, curious and sometimes mischievous. Occasionally, a calf will slip under the barbed-wire fences, but, in Debus’ words, “they learn very quickly that these pokey fences are not to be messed with.”
Milkshake, a 2-year-old cow designated as the Sterling Ranch’s mascot, is one of the new mothers. She and her bull calf, Oreo — along with a few friends of theirs — graze in a field closer to houses than the rest of the group. Earlier this year, neighbors joined a “baby pool” to try and guess when Milkshake would have her baby, and, appropriately, the winner was awarded a gift card to Shake Shack.
“We don’t just call her a celebrity — she’s a celebri-cow,” said Debus. “There are a lot of neighbors that maybe don’t know who I am, but they know who Milkshake is.”
Most of the herd will soon be returned to its summer home, but Milkshake, as a community fixture, gets to stay in the neighborhood.
Each fall, Sterling Ranch puts on a cattle drive event, further honoring its seasonal neighbors. Thousands of people attend the event, during which cattle are navigated through the neighborhood to their winter pasture. Barbecues, roping lessons and petting zoos are all part of the fun.