Harral Livestock Company – Fort Stockton, TX

Harral Livestock Company has been in operation for over 173 years. Situated near Fort Stockton, Texas, the enterprise began in 1840 and has been taken over by each successive generation in the Harral family ever since. Today, the Harrals proudly manage the family business just as their ancestors did back in the 19th Century, producing a quality, wholesome product, and employing reliable, sustainable business practices.

John’s Farm – Fairview, OK

John and Kris Gosney both inherited Oklahoma centennial farms from their families who came to the state in the 1893 Oklahoma Land Rush. They like to say that their “roots go deep into the soil of Oklahoma,” where they raise between 250 and 300 head of AWA-certified, and OKDFF/USDA organic certified Angus cross cattle on 3,000 acres of pasture in northwest Oklahoma on John’s Farm.

Cold Creek Ranch – Winkelman, AZ

Cold Creek Ranch is a 12,000-acre operation split between the western side of the Lower San Pedro River Valley and the Mogollon Rim along the New Mexico border. As an AWA source farm for beef cattle, Cold Creek Ranch is approved to raise and sell cattle to other AWA-certified farms.

Gila Chicken – Gila, NM

When JJ and Teleah Dabbs moved from Denver to southern New Mexico in 2006, they were looking for a rural community where they could raise their five children (Jerik, Josephine, Trenton, Torin, and Jimi) and land where they could produce their own food. Although JJ grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania and studied agronomy, it would be 20 years before he would put this knowledge into practice again when the Dabbs moved from the city to a community of just over 700 people in Gila, New Mexico.

A + S – Moulton, TX

In 2008, and with no agricultural background, Amy Davis-Jones and Shaun Jones left their urban lives in Houston, Texas to farm 20 acres in Fayette County – land that had been farmed by five generations of Amy’s family. Over the years, their interest in sustainable food production had developed as they visited various farmers’ markets, spoke to farmers, attended conferences, and read books on the topic. Eventually, the appeal of an agrarian life brought them to the farm, where they lived in a canvas tent with no electricity or running water for the first 15 months. They decided to call the farm A + S.

Double R Farms, LLC – Asher, OK

In 2006, after living for their careers in various parts of the country, Rory and Patrice Whittle chose to return to Rory’s home state and begin new lives as ranchers in central Oklahoma. While their previous jobs didn’t give them the knowledge they would need for their new venture (Rory managed a bakery and Patrice traveled the country running software trainings), they worked extremely hard and did their homework. While researching the production methods that they would eventually employ at Double R Farms, LLC, it became clear that pasture-based farming would produce the quality of food that they want to consume – and that the public wanted, too.

Mother Nature Grass Fed Beef – Walburg, TX

Tom Bates and Dr. Jana Schrier became cattle ranchers almost by accident. When a neighbor desperately needed hay from the couple’s farm in 2006, they were given four show-quality Beefmaster cattle in payment. Before they knew it, they had become grassfed beef producers.

While Tom had a lot of previous experience working cattle the “old cowboy way,” Mother Nature Grass Fed Beef cattle are raised with a totally different approach, based on stress-reduction and positive animal health. Tom explains that using high-welfare, low-stress management techniques makes working with their animals a pleasure and has a positive impact on the general health of the cattle. “Everything before was work,” says Tom. “It’s not work if you treat them right.” Jana and Tom’s cattle come right up to them—they don’t require the type of hassling that causes them stress, and are far healthier for it.

Eagle Catcher Farm & Ranch – Harlingen, TX

Garner and Nancy Klein established Eagle Catcher Farm and Ranch in Southern Texas’s Rio Grande Valley in 2008. The small farm where Garner grew up had raised cattle, but it wasn’t until he had retired as a physician in Harlingen for 40 years that he and his wife began raising cattle for themselves. Garner’s experience advising his patients on dietary matters inspired him to raise healthier beef that is lower in saturated fats and hasn’t been exposed to antibiotics, growth hormones or pesticides.

South Texas Heritage Pork – Floresville, TX

Kelley and Mark Escobedo of South Texas Heritage Pork raise hogs on 120 acres in South Texas. They began raising pigs in 2008 with the desire to provide better food for their family. Kelley and Mark purchased a pig that produced some of the best pork they had ever tasted and provided the peace of mind of knowing exactly what they were eating because they had complete control over what their animals were fed.

Shepherd’s Cross Incorporated – Claremore, OK

Peter and Dr. Diane Dickinson bought their farm in Claremore, Oklahoma in 1990 and although they were both from horse and cattle ranches, soon began raising sheep at Shepherd’s Cross Incorporated. Diane was familiar with sheep in her work as a veterinarian, but they quickly learned that the show sheep that they began with were not what they wanted. Now Shephard’s Cross sheep are a cross between Jacob and Suffolk breeds, which they call a Jacob Cross—combining the superior wool and ability to live on the land of the Jacob sheep and the Suffolk’s excellent meat production.