Canyon Meadows Ranch in Utah: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Canyon Meadows Ranch is the grass-fed beef arm of the Myrin family's cow-calf operation in Duchesne County near Altamont, Utah, where the family has ranched since 1945. The ranch covers about 35,000 acres of private land and federal grazing permits, and it won the 2022 Utah Leopold Conservation Award. The Myrins also hold a Taste of Utah award from the Utah Restaurant Association, which shows that conservation work and direct beef marketing can reinforce each other.
| Location | Altamont, Duchesne County, Utah |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1945 (Myrin family); Canyon Meadows Ranch beef business formed in 2009 |
| Sectors | cow-calf; grass-fed beef; hay; riparian restoration |
| Scale | About 35,000 acres including private land and federal grazing permits |
| Why it is elite | 2022 Utah Leopold Conservation Award; Taste of Utah Award (2022) |
| Ownership | Myrin family, now with the fourth generation involved |
| Official website | Canyon Meadows Ranch beef website |
History of Canyon Meadows Ranch (Myrin Ranch)
Folke Myrin, who was born into a farming family in Sweden, bought land in Utah after serving in the U.S. Army in World War II and began a sheep and cattle operation in 1945. His son Alarik and Alarik's wife Beth took over and raised seven children, and three of them now work the ranch with the fourth generation.
The family formed Canyon Meadows Ranch in 2009 to market grass-fed beef at retail. Alarik Myrin has also served 18 years in the Utah Legislature and held leadership roles with the Utah and National Cattlemen's Associations, which gives the ranch an unusual voice in state agricultural policy. The ranch partners with Utah State University to employ agriculture and range students.
What Canyon Meadows Ranch (Myrin Ranch) Grows and Raises
The cow-calf herd grazes forests and rangeland, with cattle moving to the high country from June to October, and some calves are kept as yearlings for the grass-fed program. The family uses intensive rotational grazing, moving cattle to new pasture every day or two with portable fencing and water troughs. The beef is raised without growth hormones or unnecessary antibiotics.
The ranch irrigates hay fields with pressurized sprinklers and stockpiles hay for winter. It replaced barbed wire with wildlife-friendly electric rope fencing in places and has worked with NRCS on the Lake Fork River, planting trees, restoring streambanks and improving flood irrigation. The ranch is home to mule deer, elk, beaver, sage grouse, turkey and waterfowl. Drought forced the family to reduce the herd in a recent year, a reminder that stocking rates must follow forage.
How Canyon Meadows Ranch (Myrin Ranch) Makes Money
Cow-calf production
Selling calves is the traditional engine of the ranch, supported by hay and by grazing on private ground and federal permits. This base supplies the animals that feed the beef program.
Grass-fed beef direct sales
Canyon Meadows Ranch sells grass-fed, pasture-raised beef to restaurants, farmers markets, stores and home delivery along the Wasatch Front and in Park City. Home delivery expanded during the pandemic. Deborah Myrin-Bertagnolli leads beef marketing and sales.
Partnerships and education
The ranch works with Utah State University to employ range and agriculture students and participates in conservation cost-share work with NRCS. These ties build a labor pipeline and help finance riparian improvements.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Canyon Meadows Ranch (Myrin Ranch)
Keep the commodity base and add a brand on top of it. The Myrins did not abandon cow-calf production; they formed a separate beef business in 2009 and fed it from the same grass. That limits risk while capturing retail margin on a share of the calves.
Let stewardship be part of the story. Rotational grazing, riparian work and wildlife-friendly fencing are practical range management, and they also give restaurant and retail buyers a credible reason to pay for Utah grass-fed beef. Document the work, enter awards, and use them in your marketing.
There is something wonderfully Utah about a family that runs cattle in the high country, sends a patriarch to the legislature for 18 years and still moves portable fence every day. At farm.FM we write farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, and we promise to keep our gentle teasing aimed at the universal fence-moving experience, not at the Myrins. Anyone who has chased a water trough uphill will understand the punchline.
farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.
How to Contact Canyon Meadows Ranch (Myrin Ranch)
Website: https://cmrbeef.com/
Only the website is published in the sources we reviewed; no street address, phone or email was verified. Use the site to order beef or ask about deliveries and confirm details before traveling.
Canyon Meadows Ranch (Myrin Ranch) Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Canyon Meadows Ranch beef - Official site for the ranch's grass-fed beef
- Myrin Ranch Leopold award - Drovers report on the 2022 Utah Leopold Conservation Award
- Utah Stories profile - Independent feature on the Myrin family and its beef
- Utah Department of Agriculture and Food - State agency with grazing, water and marketing programs
- USU Extension - Utah's land-grant extension service with range and livestock help
Canyon Meadows Ranch (Myrin Ranch) FAQ
Who owns Canyon Meadows Ranch?
The Myrin family, which has ranched in Duchesne County since 1945. The Canyon Meadows Ranch beef business was formed in 2009.
What awards has the ranch won?
It received the 2022 Utah Leopold Conservation Award and a Taste of Utah Award from the Utah Restaurant Association in 2022.
Where can I buy the beef?
The family sells grass-fed beef to restaurants, farmers markets, stores and home delivery along the Wasatch Front and in Park City; check the ranch website for current options.
How big is the ranch?
Published coverage describes about 35,000 acres, including private land and federal grazing permits.
Canyon Meadows Ranch proves that a working cow-calf family can build a respected local brand without giving up its range stewardship. Explore more operations in our guide to Utah farms.