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Our Family Farms

Our Family Farms

Raising 100 head of cattle on leased pasture is just the first step in Our Family Farms' goal to make regeneratively raised beef viable on a commercial scale.

Summary
  • Location: Danville, VA
  • Products: Livestock
Our Team
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Frank Smith

Meet the Rancher

Frank’s journey towards agriculture started when he was six years old, watching his grandfather raise grain and sheep. When a group of farmers visited his elementary school, his mind was made up—he would be a farmer too. Years later, he worked on a friend’s cattle farm while searching for land of his own in western North Carolina. Unfortunately Asheville’s influence drove property values out of reach and local extension agents assured him there was no future in farming anyhow. 

Undeterred, Frank joined the Armed Forces as a mechanic, figuring the ability to understand and fix equipment would be an asset once he finally owned a farm of his own. After serving a tour of duty in Iraq, he returned to the states and resumed his mission to build a farm business. Frank found a neighboring farm in need of a manager and struck up a partnership that would lay the groundwork for his own operation: Our Family Farms, a name that gestures to the inclusive nature of Frank’s blended family. While he hopes his daughter grows out of her own fascination with bull riding, he couldn’t be happier that every member of the family is part of realizing his childhood dream. 

Regenerative & Sustainable Practices

Frank’s drive to innovate is displayed through his creative approach to holistic management and regenerative grazing techniques:

  • Experimenting with the addition of birdsfoot trefoil—a perennial legume that thrives in sub-optimal soil conditions—in grazing pastures provides renewable, high-protein forage and reduces the need for annual reseeding costs.
  • Cattle are rotated at least once a day to prevent overgrazing and improve animal nutrition by ensuring access to fresh pasture with nutrient-packed regrowth.
  • Last year, Frank only needed 30 days of supplementary hay. His highly productive pasture management dramatically reduces feed costs and the need for expensive tractors and equipment.
  • Purchasing cattle that are bred for grass-based production instead of feedlots builds a foundation of genetic stability that can prevent health issues down the road.
  • The fencing Frank uses for mob grazing is manufactured from recycled materials to reduce the material footprint.

Become a steward of the land

Join a growing community of sustainably-minded stewards reaping the rewards from responsible farming

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