Eat Better Beef! The worst beef I have ever eaten was 100% grass fed and finished. And the best beef I have ever put a knife into was also 100% grass-fed and finished. My wife and I call that ribeye the “crying steak” because it brought tears to my eyes as we ate the succulent, marbled slab.

Well it only took 47 years, but somehow Lou Ann and I both stumbled into fulfillment. The 21st century mantra to “find one’s passion” may be a little strong. But somehow our interests, curiosity, love of the outdoors and mountains led us to where and who we are now. Farmers. Graziers. Producers of clean food. Food that springs from the mountain soil and grasses- with a lot of help from the sun. 401Cow- and other Self Inflicted Tales of Farming  

Buying clean, local, pastured meats and local farm products from the top of Virginia needs to easier. We have learned this over the last five years, as our farm has grown and shaped itself into a viable, fertile production model. But let’s face it, Highland County, for all its stunning beauty and assets is extremely remote. Feeling more at times like a western state, 3 large mountain ranges separate us from the “lowlands” of the Shenandoah Valley. And then we have to cross the Blue Ridge to drop down into the populous areas of Virginia. Not exactly the farm next door!