Even though hay was profitable, I was beginning to become discouraged by the economic viability of the agricultural industry. We were operating under a philosophy which required the use of synthetic fertilizers and herbicides each year. As we followed this process, we came to realize that it was not enriching our soil but actually worked against the natural process of regeneration. We started to look at what others were doing to move away from synthetic fertilizers and concentrate on creating healthier soil that would require less and less of these additives.

In 2020, we attended a school entitled “Ranching For Profit” put on by Ranching Management Consultants (RMC). There we learned to be more intentional regarding our financial decisions. We also learned of new practices to manage the land that we are entrusted with. Since 2021 we have participated in a Ranching Board through RMC that includes five other ranches across the nation. There we discuss the challenges we face in our individual situations and stretch each other’s thinking in solving these challenges. Aside from our commercial sale of beef, we have always raised a few steers for ourselves and others.

Over time I have learned about the health benefits of grass finished beef vs. grain finished. So we have transitioned out of grain finishing and have been very pleased with the outcome. We are excited to be able to share our meat with more people!

In the past few years, we've developed a passion for regenerative practices and have begun to transition from a conventional ranch using one size fits all practices to a custom approach using planned grazing and minimal herbicides with the goal of eliminating them completely. This is the first year we didn't use chemical fertilizer. We are wanting to build up our organic life in the soil.

We only use antibiotics on an individual basis if it is needed to save a life. Those cows will not go through our meat market. We no longer use pour-ons or other pesticides and are implementing several alternative to control flies. We do not use hormones.

We believe the health of our land directly correlates to the health of our animals. We strive to continue learning how to work with nature, instead of against it.