Our Story
In 1965, Eugene and Mary Rother purchased a small dairy farm on the outskirts of Prescott, WI; on the Great River Road. Together, with their five children, Big Acres was born. Fast forward to 1998, daughter Nancy Beeler and Bill Holst purchased the farm after the dairy cows had been sold off. Today, Eugene’s love of farming lives on through his grandson and great grandsons.
No longer a dairy farm, Big Acres, Inc is home to an all-natural high-prime/C.A.B Black Angus beef herd. We geared toward this way of raising cattle back in 2012, when Nancy’s son, Jake, and his fiance, Natasha, decided farming was their future. Over the years, the four of us built a herd of stress-free Black Angus cow/calf herd. We have two groups of cattle, a spring herd that starts calving in January through March, and a fall herd that calves through August and September.
Before we became an all-natural Black Angus herd, we raised a mix group of beef cattle. However, the stock market crash in 2008 saw us selling the majority of the cattle to make cash flow. The only way we were going back into the cattle business was if there was a way to make more with our cattle. A.K.A lots of homework and prayer! In 2012, our paths crossed with Brand Angus at a hay auction in Zumbrota MN, who lead us to an all-natural Black Angus buyer, Niman Ranch. Niman Ranch is an all natural meat supplier. A lot of their angus meats are sold to cruise lines, high end restaurants, whole foods and many other businesses. We would highly recommend checking them out on the web. Over the years, our numbers grew, as did a friendship with Niman Ranch and Brand Angus with the purchasing of their bulls.
We are now a 600 cow/calf operation. Treated with great respect and care, our cattle are low stress. We do not use hormone growth, implants, medicated feeds or antibiotics (unless necessary) to save the life of the animal. We feed with a TMR; a big blender that mixes all the feed so when an animal takes its bite, all nutrients/minerals/proteins are present. This method largely benefits to the health of the herd.
So why are we starting to sell direct, you might ask?
As business owners, we have learned to be prepared for the unpredictable curve-balls the future throws. The most important lesson we have learned through this Covid era is this; store shelves may empty, prices may inflate, or desperation stocks our shelves with unregulated meat from overseas. These situations brought people to our door, but we were not set up for direct sales. In response, we shifted gears, gained knowledge, and now here we are! Why should you buy from us? Our saying is, “From the womb to the tomb,” which means we know each animal’s history, meat grades and whether or not we need to run fast when we treat the newborn calf! Our meat is also USDA approved.
The greatest benefit from buying direct is the satisfaction we hear from our customers, and the friendships we have made. It truly makes the hard times better, and our good times blessed.
We greatly appreciate you for choosing Big Acres Meats to feed your family, make memories, and fill your freezers!
On behalf of Big Acres Meats, thank you for your time, business, and support to keep our farm growing forward for our future generations!