A Little History -
Dave and I started M4-D Ranch Grass-Finished Beef in 2002. We wanted a healthier alternative to our supermarket beef for our family. We wanted beef from a supplier that we could get to know and could trust what the cattle had been fed. Having no luck finding such a supplier in our area, we decided to raise our own beef to meet our family needs. It did not take long for friends and family to want our beef for their table ~ and we have been blessed through word of mouth advertising from friends, family and loyal customers ever since. Our business has grown every year. To our beef offerings we added pastured lamb in 2005 and pastured pork in 2008.
We did not jump in without any pre-planning, however. Dave had spent several years researching cattle breeds that were excellent for the family homestead. We already had plans to own cows someday on our own farm and knew which breeds were best suited for our needs. All it took was a little research to get our breeding stock purchased, find pasture land to lease and the rest is history in the making!
We raise British breeds of cattle that are known to marble well on grass-only. These are Belted Galloways, red and black Angus, Herefords, Red Polls and Murray Greys. The belted cattle in particular are unique because they have a dual hair coat in the winter, much like cashmere goats. Instead of having to put on backfat to stay warm during a cold winter, they can continue to put fat in their muscle which provides for well marbled meat.
Today we have a herd size of 43 animals and are expecting a total of 14 calves this year. Our cattle live in Fayette County, TN on 80 acres of mixed-grass pasture with clean water and lots of room for sunshine, exercise and play. We supplement their grass diet with minerals and kelp to keep them happy and healthy.
Dave and I have 3 little girls ~ Kelsie is 9, Morgan is 6 and Rebekah is 2 and a half (pictures below). We are a home-school family and our cows provide hours of home-school lessons and lots of entertainment! Each of our daughters proudly claim ownership to cows of their own and they all participate in naming the baby calves each year. Yes, all of our cows have names!
In addition to our ranch and home-school duties, Dave is an independent financial planner and a Sergeant First Class in the Army Reserves. He was called to Active Duty in January 2006 and served as a Calvary Scout Instructor at Fort Knox, Kentucky until August 2007. With the exceptional help of our excellent ranch manager, Mr. Scrap (I call him our Cow Whisperer - he can make any cow do anything you need it to!) we have seen our herd continue to grow and thrive during Dave's absence and we met all of our beef processings while he was gone!
We are Certified Tennessee Master Beef Producers by the University of Tennessee Department of Agriculture and Certified Tennessee Beef Quality Assurance Producers.
Thank you for taking a few moments to learn more about the history of our ranch! Oh, and just in case you were wondering - M4-D stands for Meat 4 Dinner!
Our girls ~ Christmas 2007 ~ Ages 8, 5 and 2
August 2007 waiting for Dad's return!