Deed Fink

Cattle Rancher

Twisp, WA

September 4th, 2025

The Methow Valley was thick with smoke on Thursday September 4th, and we all sat on the floor waiting for Deed Fink to walk in. His truck pulled up, and into the room he came wearing green and brown cowboy boots covered by the bell of his jeans, an old Seahawks T-Shirt, and a grin on his face.

Deed grew up in Twisp, WA with a cattle ranching family and has since continued. Cattle ranching is an income, a livelihood and who Deed is. Herding and grazing cattle, with its many challenges, is also a great way for Deed to connect with fellow ranchers, making it an opportunity for social outreach and strong community.

During our meeting, Deed spoke to the current issues that he and other ranchers experience. Deed speaks about Grey Wolves in the Methow providing some benefits to the ecosystem, but the wolves have impacted Deed and his peers in the valley. He reports an increased cattle death toll and stress on his livestock as well. With this issue he shed light onto the lack of government attention and support, and also graciously shared some of these harder and more emotional aspects of ranching that can often be overlooked.

Deed Fink was a pleasure to meet with and brought a fascinating first–hand account of a valued type of land stewarding and management. He was a joy to be around with a great sense of humor. Thank you Deed!

by Rose Peterson