Little Springs Cattle Co. is purchasing an existing herd of cattle on their 2,500-acre farm to expand the production of regeneratively-raised beef.
Funded on 06/04/2022
Little Springs Cattle Co. is a holistically managed, pasture-raised beef farm located just 45 minutes outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Recently purchased by Paul Ellard in January of this year, Little Springs grazes over 450 head of cattle on 2,500-acres—the largest piece of contiguous land in Newton County. While the ownership has recently changed hands, this land has been home to cattle for decades and is protected from future urban development. Patrick Greene, a long-time friend of Paul’s, has been the farm manager on this land for nearly 12 years and helped to oversee its transition from conventional to regenerative practices back in 2016. Little Springs currently sells most of their beef through an on-site farm store, in addition to other locally produced products (vegetables, honey, poultry, and more) from neighboring farms.
Little Springs Cattle Co. will use a loan from Steward to expand their production of regeneratively-raised beef, purchasing the existing livestock already on the land from the farm’s previous owners. This herd of 430+ head of cattle consists of a mix of calf & heifer pairs, middle-aged pairs, bred cows, breeding bulls, and heavy feeders. Little Springs is putting up 20% of their own equity towards the purchase of this herd.
Until just five years ago, this 2,500-acre piece of land was conventionally farmed, using synthetic inputs and running the cattle through the fields with little focus on soil health. Since making the transition to regenerative agriculture, Little Springs Cattle Co. now focuses on improving their land, drawing carbon back into the soil, and using rotational grazing to rebuild soil quality. Today, their regenerative practices include:
Little Springs Cattle Co. is a regeneratively managed beef cattle operation facing the pressures of a largely consolidated US meat industry. This includes limited access to harvest and processing facilities as well as a limited (but growing!) market for regenerative beef. Little Springs has been working diligently to expand these markets and increase direct-to-consumer sales. However, these pressures inevitably result in the current inability to sell all of the cattle they raise through their farm store.
In order to maintain appropriate herd size, some calves and older, unproductive cows are sold through conventional livestock auctions. While not ideal, this situation is an unfortunate reality of our agricultural system and this revenue stream allows Little Springs to operate at scale, managing thousands of acres thoughtfully in a regenerative farming system. While not one of Steward’s typical small-scale ranching projects, we stand behind the impact that this operation is able to make on the land and for the people that benefit from their efforts.
I would like to thank each one of you that participated in our project, I am truly in shock at the overwhelming support you all showed! We have been receiving some much needed rain so the grass is green, the cows are fat, and our future is bright. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for believing in our business.
Sincerely
Paul Ellard
Cattle Purchase--$541,200: This includes purchasing the current herd on site (430+ head of cattle).
Total Budget: $541,200
This loan will be made to Little Springs Cattle Co, LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, which raises and sells pasture raised cattle to their local community.
This loan will be used to purchase the herd of cattle currently residing on the land.
The total loan amount is $541,200 which will assist Little Springs Cattle Co in growing and expanding their business.
This loan is set at a 7.5% interest rate, with a 60 month term, and fully amortized monthly payments beginning 6 months after funds are disbursed.
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