Dry Lakes Ranch Beef, nestled in the heart of Parowan’s fertile valley, is proving that a small ranch can make a big impact. With just a handful of dedicated employees, this local, family-run operation sets the bar high. 

​

And the accolades speak for themselves. Dry Lakes Ranch Beef has won gold for place to buy meat in the Best of Southern Utah contest three years running, plus a silver in 2022. But to owner Kacie Carballo and her team, success isn’t only defined by awards; it’s also measured in trust, taste and the deep roots they’re helping cultivate in the community. 

Southern Utahns love Dry Lakes Ranch Beef because it’s a little taste of the place they call home, Carballo said. However, the shop has become a destination among not only locals but also customers who travel several hours from neighboring states for a bite of the region’s finest beef.

​

“Fresh meat is special in its own right, but the fact that they can walk up to our counter and have a conversation with the people who raise the meat, look at the cuts and pick out exactly what they want, it’s just something that you can’t find anywhere else.”

...We raise beef cattle, and also farm about 300 acres. We aim to provide you with high quality, fresh, and local beef utilizing both native grasses and forages, as well as the nutrient rich crops we grow ourselves. We believe we have a few secrets to growing the most amazing beef and we think you'll be a believer too once you taste it.

​

We love the Lord, our heritage, family, the animals and land we care for, and good food. You've now got a friend in the meat business, as well as the farming and ranching business!

...Reyes Carballo’s remarkable life journey, which started out as a barefoot boy chasing pigs on his family farm in Chihuahua, Mexico and included a short stint as a horseracing jockey, brought him to Southern Utah almost by accident. According to the biographical summary that accompanied his award, Reyes had been headed to Denver but ended up in Parowan after getting stuck in a snowstorm.

​

“With only $40 in his back pocket and the clothes on his back, he ended up starting a life here, in the place we now proudly call home,” the bio states, adding that Reyes Carballo started out as a farm laborer for a sheepman, and then worked for others who played a pivotal role in his success, including Sen. Dennis Stowell and eventually cattleman Hal Mitchell.

...The competition brought together ranchers from major beef-producing states such as Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and more. Ranchers entered a selection of four cuts of beef, which were prepared by a professional chef in a double-blind taste test. The panel of celebrity judges scored the premium-quality beef on smell, texture and taste. 

Kacie Carballo and her mother, Kay Benson, who run the meat shop together, carefully selected the cuts that would represent their operation best. They also let their youngest employee join in on the excitement; granddaughter Aria Carballo, who is just 8 years old, helped package and deliver the product to the competition in Riverton, Wyoming, visiting Yellowstone National Park on the way. 

​

Read More

PAROWAN, Iron County – While cruising down I-15 on the way to southern Utah, it can be easy to rush past the town of Parowan as you anticipate a rest stop in Cedar City or prepare to enjoy the beautiful national and state parks the area has to offer. Beyond being the County Seat for Iron County, it’s also home to one of the newer and award-winning meat shops in the region. But failing to stop will have you miss out on one of the best-tasting steaks around... Read More

PAROWAN — Cattle rancher Reyes Carballo was recently selected by the Iron County Commission as Iron County’s nominee for “The Day of the American Cowboy.”

Carballo received the award the evening of July 22 during Ogden’s Pioneer Days celebration, joining his wife Kacie Carballo for a rare day away from work as they and other family members made the trip up north to enjoy the rodeo and related festivities... Read More

For meat connoisseurs, there’s no mistaking the taste difference between thoughtfully raised, high-quality local beef, and meat from a grocery store that’s produced en masse. Offering a customer experience akin to the small-town butcher shops of yesteryear, Dry Lakes Ranch Beef delivers only the best meat directly from their land to your kitchen.

​

“It’s an old-fashioned way of doing things,” owner Kacie Carballo said. “I think a lot of people want to get back to that because it helps you be more connected to your food, which is better for our bodies and better for our community.”

... Read More

He was a racehorse jockey fed up with the meager diet and hungry for something more.

On the way to Denver, looking for a new life, a snowstorm stranded him in Parowan, Utah.

That’s been decades ago and now he is a successful rancher in southern Utah’s Iron County despite the early skepticism of some neighbors, the strange looks, the whispers and the suspicion. He wasn’t their kind, after all... Read More

Parowan, UT – Ready to meet a local business that is a truly unique "animal" among our incredible local shops? Because Dry Lakes Ranch Beef is a one-of-a-kind stop in downtown Parowan that we know you'll love! 

Join our team as we learn more about downtown Parowan's woman-owned and operated family-ranch-turned-meat shop. Find their product at local restaurants, take home a tallow soap, and give them a follow for some great humor and fun posts... Read More

Dry Lakes Ranch in Iron County has hardly changed since it was first established in the 1890s. The original homesteader’s family continues to run a cattle and sheep ranch, using sustainable management practices to control erosion, restore vegetation, and maintain livestock at levels suitable for healthy habitat. The land boasts aspen and Douglas fir forests, meadows, creeks, and wetlands—rich habitat for a variety of birds and other wildlife. The ranch is also adjacent to the Cedar Breaks National Scenic Byway that runs through Cedar Breaks National Monument and Dixie National Forest... Read More

CEDAR CITY — Parowan’s Dry Lakes Ranch recently placed fourth overall in a prestigious beef-tasting competition held in Wyoming.

In double-blind taste tests conducted Saturday at the Rendezvous City Beef Roundup held at Central Wyoming College in Riverton, a panel of judges scored Dry Lakes’ meat among the top four in the open division of the “Best in the West” division, which included entries from top beef producers in 12 Western states... Read More

“A spark got under the wire,” Reyes Carballo said. “It was like a firework.”

The men happened to be driving a truck equipped with a tank for delivering drinking water to cows. After calling 911 and summoning other assistance, they immediately began filling 5-gallon buckets with water to put on the fire.

Kacie Carballo’s father, Kendall Benson, a former U.S. Forest Service firefighter, arrived shortly to help out, as did his son Jake Benson, along with a few other friends and neighbors.

“All of those men did a great job and helped to keep it from spreading south towards town, as well as mitigating the loss and damage to our valuable pump,” Kacie Carballo said, adding that those fighting the fire were blessed to have the water that they had available in the truck.

​

“The firefighters did a great job to put out the rest of it,” Reyes Carballo added... Read More

FROM IRON COUNTY COMMISSION — Reyes Carballo was recently selected by the Iron County Commissioners as Iron County's Nominee for The Day of the Cowboy.

​

Grit is one of the characteristics that exemplifies rancher and cattleman, Reyes Carballo, of Parowan, Utah. And, his grit didn’t come easy. As a young boy Reyes grew up chasing the pigs that enjoyed foraging around their farm, but he was often barefoot. He learned to rope early because his rope was his only play toy. During the school year he would ride to town with his mother and siblings in a wagon pulled by a mule... Read More

For the past 12 months, there have been moments where life felt normal again. It was almost as if there wasn’t a worldwide pandemic going on at time. 

So in 2021, the talented photojournalists from the Deseret News got to return to what they love so much, documenting the world up close and personal through their cameras, capturing life as we know it today. 

​

Yes, they photographed the struggles of COVID-19, but throughout the year they also treated our readers to some very memorable moments filled with light, love and life.

Here are 30 of the best images of the year taken by our staff photographers.

... See Photos

“So many of those who are continuing to work during this pandemic are going unnoticed. But, I’d like them to know that I see them, and I pray for them,” said Kacie Carballo. “I am grateful for their fortitude and strength in a time when so many of us have none.”

​

He was unaware he'd be the recipient of proceeds from the steer sale and was even more surprised of how the $21,000 was generated.

Once Christensen donated the award-winning steer back, the following bidders followed her lead with Milt's Stage Shop buying it for $3,800 and then donating it back. The following bids followed:

• $4,200.00- Reyes & Kacie Carballo: steer donated back for resale

• $3,100.00- Mel Clark: steer donated back for resale

• $3,200.00- Michael Yardley Farms: steer donated back for resale

• $2,400.00- Bret Whittier: steer donated back for resale

• $2,300.00- Carter Cattle Company: steer donated back for resale

• $2,000.00 Hinton Burdick CPA: steer sent to butcher, processing fees and meat will be donated to Iron County Care and Share.