Our Family
At Cotter Key Farms, improving the land and caring for our animals isn't just our livelihood; it's the foundation of everything that we do. You could even say it's in our blood. We are blessed to follow in the footsteps of a very long line of progressive ranchers with close ties to the land.
Generations of Farming
Like those who came before us, we do what we love, and we love what we do. Our dedication to providing healthy living pastures for our animals to graze is what makes each day feel like a new adventure. Over the years, we've learned to never miss out on an opportunity to learn and grow to better our farms.
Our heritage and the teachings of our forefathers have shaped us into the business we are today, and we're grateful for that. Today, we're proud to be among the 2% of the US population in agriculture. We are filled with hope by the future generations that will continue our mission. There's no doubt that we have big shoes to fill. We are your source for local meat.
Strengthened by faith, we strive daily with the belief that we will one day face the generations that came before us. Our hope is that we will stand tall and be proud of the difference we have made. We love our family farm and home. We will know that we did the most we could with the land and resources conferred upon us and have worked to prepare future generations.
Our Animals
Over the years, we've been asked time after time why we care so much about our livestock's well-being and quality of life. Well, we make our living from our livestock. We love them, and it's our job to worry about them and look out for them. In addition to our conservation efforts to benefit the world around us, we demonstrate our devotion to our land by creating prosperous environments for our animals.
Our ladies have been a part of our family for five generations. We have a closed herd and have been developing the highest quality genetics in our cows since 1887. When we decide to build upon these genetics, we remain rigorous in the testing and selecting bulls that join our herd. At the crack of dawn every morning, we're up to make sure they have everything they need to stay healthy, well-fed, and stress-free. We have dedicated our lives to producing the very best local grass fed beef possible, and we believe that it starts with the health and well-being of our ladies.
Browse Grass Fed BeefWe have a special fondness for pigs around here, ever since my parents received their first sow, Miss Suzy, as a wedding gift. She ran about with our dogs and even spent most of her life sleeping next to them on the front porch. We allow our pigs to move in a rotational grazing system that improves the land and keeps them active and healthy. Our porkers get to move about 7,000 acres in two-acre increments depending on the needs of the pigs and the pasture. This keeps our pigs in optimum health while cleaning up troubled areas naturally. We think our healthy, stress free pigs make some of the best pastured pork in Texas.
Browse Pastured PorkOur sheep program is in its infancy, and we admit sheep proved to be a challenging adjustment to our rotational grazing system. To keep it simple, they think and behave completely differently than cattle. We turned to several friends who come from long lines of shepherds for their advice and common sense education to best care for our lambs. After having the ewes for some time, we have grown used to one another and know what to expect. Looking for a way to support local farmers and find an alternative to Costco lamb?
Browse Grass Fed LambSomething we love about goats is their fun personalities and natural zest for life. Our youngest daughter Abby received several goats as a Christmas gift many years ago, becoming the first set of goats to join our ever-expanding grazing system. Suffice it to say, our goats do not believe that they should be contained and have taken it upon themselves to move freely about our ranch. We believe that our grass fed, pastured raised goats' nomadic ways add additional flavors to their meat.
Browse Nomadic Pasture GoatsOur ducks and chickens are fun animals that never fail to put a smile on our faces! We find complete contentment observing them throughout the day. They have so many amazing attributes, including their efforts to keep the bugs in check around the ranch and livestock. We believe that once you enjoy true free-range duck eggs or chicken eggs, you will find it hard to settle for grocery store eggs ever again!
Browse Free Range Chicken & Duck Eggs