When Ethan and I (Julie) started dating in high school, we knew pretty early on in the relationship that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. We also knew we wanted to farm. Little background information: I (Julie) was raised in Clarksburg on my family's apple farm. Our family built a fruit stand called “The Farmer’s Pantry”. This is the place that introduced the passion that I have for teaching the public about where their food comes from! Ethan was raised in Rocklyn on his family’s mixed farm. They raised beef cattle and sheep and Ethan also had a market garden that he would sell his veggies at local markets. Fast forward to getting married in July of 2017 (18 & 19 years of age...when you know, you know!) Right away, we started taking some big steps towards making our dream of farming happen. After we both graduated college in Spring of 2019 we both worked full time, while farming on the side with the few cows we owned. At this time, our freezer beef business was something we really wanted to focus on and expand our customer base. The timing worked in our favor because when COVID hit, our businesses really launched! The excitement continued in Spring of 2019, a local farmer, Wayne called us with an enticing deal that we could not pass up. Wayne was ready to sell his cow herd. He gave us the opportunity to buy his cows, a John Deere 5425 tractor and some other equipment. He gave us a loan and spread it over 5 years. Along with this opportunity, we also gained some rental land. To this day we are extremely grateful to Wayne and the opportunity and kindness he shared. We would not be half the operation we are today, without his help.

Now 5 years later...We are in 2024! Our cow herd has grown and so has our cropping and pasture land...and so has our family! We also still to this day, don’t own any land and rent everything. We work hard every day to serve our livestock and feed the community and our family around us.