 The Niman Ranch network has grown to include over 720 independent farmers and ranchers in the US.Founded in 1969 by rancher William Ellis "Bill" Niman, who has since left the company, a hippie and elementary school teacher, moved from Minnesota to the small coastal town of Bolinas, California.There he purchased a ranch for $18,000 to begin a part-time pig, goat, and chicken farming operation.