About Us
Our Farm ‘Founding’ Adventure
The idea of moving to our own farm in rural Chatham County, North Carolina, to live and raise cattle was, to our families and friends, unexpected to say the least. Where we saw possibilities, they saw land that had for years been allowed to return to nature, with no improvements or infrastructure. Bruce had practiced law with a national firm, which required frequent travel, and Marjorie had a career in the corporate world. And while she, at least, grew up on a small farm in the Midwest (from which she fled to the big city as a young woman), Bruce had no farming/ranching experience.
What we both had, however, was a desire to leave the demands of the corporate world, the travel and suburbia behind, buy a few acres where we could plant a garden and a few fruit trees and be 'sort of' self-sufficient in our retirement. After a few years of searching, and expanding our notion of “a few acres”, we found the perfect piece of property. Now, what to do with 125 acres of overgrown pastures and pine plantation?
On Bruce's bucket list was a childhood dream of going to an actual working ranch and spending all day working cattle from horseback. Marge bought in and found such an opportunity in Wyoming. And so, after relearning how to ride, off we went and spent a wonderful change in lifestyle from our normal lives to one in the saddle all day, moving cattle down from the high grazing lands to the ranchers' corrals. We returned home knowing what we wanted to raise on our farm — cattle.
But which breed? After much research, we settled on Pineywoods. They're an endangered, yet hardy, landrace breed with an important and colorful history. They were the right size, capable of defending themselves from predators, known for easy calving, and would be a perfect fit for the silvopasture land management strategy we envisioned. We would not only grow our own vegetables, pears and apples, but we'd also raise lean, grassfed, great-tasting beef to put on our table. We would help to promote and conserve an endangered breed and practice responsible land management. The idea our family and friends could not yet envision was taking shape.
Pineywoods Cattle - An Amazing Breed
The Pineywoods breed is one of the oldest, multipurpose landrace breeds of cattle in the United States, descending from Spanish cattle brought via the Caribbean Islands to the Gulf Coast of the Americas beginning in the early 1500s. After the Spanish colonization effort in North America failed, the existing herds of Pineywoods went feral for approximately 400 years, contributing to their rugged nature and adaptability to harsh conditions. They are efficient grazers and eat just about anything that grows in the region — grass, of course, but they also browse on brush and tree leaves and twigs — rough vegetation that most cattle will not touch. They have adapted to resist insects and common diseases. They are an important genetic resource. Both cows and bulls are horned and come in a variety of colors including black, red, white and yellow. Our cattle are gentle with a calm temperament, but they are not pets. They respect our space; we respect theirs.
For additional information on the Pineywoods history, check out The Livestock Conservancy and the PCRBA (Pineywoods Cattle Registry and Breeders Association).
