About Your Farmers
Farming is in our blood.
John is a 5th generation farmer whose family moved to Garrard County out of Leslie County in the 1940s and have farmed there ever since. They raised burley tobacco until 2018 and a cow of operation. We've tried our hand at hemp and row crops but our passion has always been cattle.
Rachel was raised working with cattle and tobacco on her parents' and grandparents' farm and always had a passion for animals, especially the ones you get to bottle feed.
We met in high-school and married soon after. We always knew we wanted to keep the traditions and rich farming heritage alive for our children. We now homeschool and make learning and farming both regular parts of our day.
Our Operation
We run a combination of a cow/calf operation and a backgrounding operation. This means we don't raise the calves but purchase them from other cow/calf farmers allowing us to work with them in their second phase. The best calves are then selected to be finished out for our beef operation. Our cattle remain on pasture their entire lives and are supplemented with hay and grain in the winter and fed grain rations according to body weight to create the optimum muscle to fat marbling.
We have had an increase in questions about a 100% grass fed operation and are looking forward to adding this as an additional operation in 2025.
We are planning out the vitamin and mineral program necessary to meet the needs of our cattle as the grass changes throughout the seasons.
Our cattle are always hormone free and antibiotic free, with no unnecessary vaccines. Antibiotics are part of our program to ensure the animals' health, however these cattle are not selected to be part of our beef program and will be sold through the market and likely end up in grocery stores or fast food.
We personally enjoy the fruits of our labor with one of these calves put in our freezer each year. From the time each of our children had teeth, steak has been their favorite meal! Know that what we serve you is the exact same beef we feed our children.
We are farmers who genuinely care for our animals and the land. This is our livelihood and our passion, and we want to continue to pass it on to our children and their children better than we found it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our cattle are pasture raised. 90% of their diet is grass. The remaining 10% is grain. We say they are grass fed and grain finished.
Nope. Our cattle spend their entire lives out on pasture.
We seek to be caring stewards of our animals and we believe in doing things as naturally as we are able. We do this by using no added hormones or unnecessary antibiotics. In very rare and critical situations, our cattle may be given antibiotics, but that is only if that animal's health and well-being is at risk.
We’ve gotten this question a lot recently. We have not and will not be administering this to our cattle at any point.
Our farm is not organic. We do not spray our pastures with herbicides or pesticides but our grass/alfalfa bales, that we feed over winter, may be grown on fields that have been fertilized or sprayed in the past. To clarify, we do not spray our alfalfa directly - but the ground is not considered organic.
In the event that your beef gets delayed in transit or has any issues we have a 100% Shipping guarantee: Your beef arrives safe or we completely refund you or send you new product on us!
We ship everywhere in the United States, except Hawaii and Alaska.
Your order will arrive, delivered by UPS, in an Iron Roots Pastures box, safely packaged in heavy insulation. Your box will be packed with extra dry ice to ensure it stays frozen.
Check our website header for important shipping updates or email Rachel at dayfamily@ironrootspastures.com if you have any questions about your shipping date.
All bulk beef shipments will be individually scheduled. You'll receive an email from Rachel to confirm that timeframe works for you.
No, your box will be left at your door. It will be packed with plenty of dry ice, but we recommend opening it and putting your beef in the freezer as soon as possible.
You can track your package via UPS.com through the tracking number we send when your order ships.
Have Another Question?
Email Rachel at dayfamily@ironrootspastures.com