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.

Madroño Ranch: A Center for Writing, Art, and the Environment in Medina, Texas is both a ranch with Animal Welfare Approved bison and laying hens and a residency for environmental artists and writers. Martin Kohout and Heather Catto Kohout decided in 2005 that raising bison in a high-welfare system was the best use of the 1,500 acres their family had owned for almost 20 years in Texas Hill Country.

When Linda Perez returned home in 1994 after living in Africa for many years, she found the landscape of South Texas surprisingly similar to that of Zambia, where she had been an educator and public health worker. While her family, based in the San Antonio area, are not farmers, she had always wanted a ranch and while in Africa, taught high school level agricultural science to African children. Also surprising was the way that her health background helped her be a better rancher; she better understood the welfare benefits of later mating and weaning, which has helped her to raise healthy, well-tempered animals.

Farming and ranching has been a way of life for seven generations of the Koch family. The latest operations of the Koch Ranches, located in Medina and Frio Counties, Texas is currently run by brothers Anthony and Charles, as well as Anthony’s son, Bret, and his daughter, Cheryl. Anthony is proud to share that the seventh generation of Koch family, his grandchildren, are actively learning how the ranch works.

Settled on the beautiful high mesa county of Central New Mexico, Ranney Ranch is home to beautiful Angus cattle. Owners George, Edward, and Nancy Ranney are committed to the most humane handling techniques, sustainable land use management, and grazing practices.

Cody and Rachelle Darby raise Animal Welfare Approved beef cattle on Darby Farms in Gilmer, TX. Their mission is to provide wholesome, organic, tender, and flavorful beef for a more sustainable, healthy community. Along with the help of their two daughters, Brynn and Josey, Cody and Rachelle manage about two hundred cows, all bred to registered Black Angus. They believe in the goodness of old traditions and practices- that is, simply providing a natural product to the public directly from the farm for the benefit of all.

Fohn and Jana Bendele raise Animal Welfare Approved beef cattle on their farm, Grass Field Beef, in Hondo, TX. The slogan at Grass Field’s is “Better for you, better for the animals, better for the planet.” Fohn and Jana believe that beef raised on pasture is not only healthier for the animals, but also for the consumer and the environment. For contact information and inquiries, visit Fohn and Jana’s website www.grassfieldbeef.com. Fohn and Jana are proud to supply their AWA grassfed products to their local San Antonio area.

Nancy Coonridge raises Animal Welfare Approved dairy goats on her farm- Coonridge Organic Goat Cheese Dairy- in Pie Town, NM. Nancy has been raising dairy goats for over 40 years. She believes in sustainable, ethical animal husbandry in order to create cheese that doesn’t come at the expense of the environment, her goat’s health, or human health. In everything she does- from using solar panels to source electricity for everyday household chores, to ensuring the utmost quality of life and safety of her goats– Nancy strives to operate the farm in a way that is harmonious with the natural world that supports us. Nancy recently received the New Mexico Farmer of the Year Award for her efforts in good animal husbandry and sustainability.

Luis and Myriam Frick raise Animal Welfare Approved beef cattle on Mustang Creek Farm in Bogata, TX. Their grassfed beef are raised on pastures and never given any supplements which are unnatural to ruminant animals. Luis and Myriam believe in the environmental, animal, and human health benefits of grassfed beef. Grassfed beef is higher in many essential nutrients- such as Omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), antioxidants, and vitamin E- which contribute to overall human health benefits; allows the cow to engage in normal ruminant behavior; and requires far fewer high energy, fossil fuel dependent inputs that contribute to climate change and land degradation.

Sam and Margaret Jones raise Angus beef cattle at Bar J Grassfed Beef, Inc. in Coupland, Texas.