How We're Building a Farm That Feeds Generations
Between 2017 and 2022, America lost 141,733 farms. I refuse to let ours be next.
Sitting at our Ranching for Profit Executive Link meeting here at Horstmann Cattle Company in Missouri, we kicked things off like we always do - reading our farm's vision out loud. And after 20 years of dirt under my fingernails, those words still fire me up like a rooster at sunrise.
"Creating a legacy for generations to come on how to raise and grow delicious, nutritionally dense food that's better for people and the planet."
Simple words. Revolutionary impact.
For those who don't know, Executive Link is basically a mastermind group for farmers who've graduated from Ranching for Profit School. Think of it like a farmer's support group meets business bootcamp - we help each other make smarter decisions, share what's working (and what's not), and keep each other honest about our goals. It's like having a team of coaches who actually understand what it's like to have mud on their boots and bills to pay.
Here's the thing: Andrea and I didn't start this journey to be self-employed. We started it to build something bigger than ourselves - a legacy that'll keep regenerating long after we're gone. And sitting here with other EL members like August Horstmann who started with the same crazy dream of healing land while making a living? It's proof that when farmers support each other, mountains move.
Our vision for Falling Sky Farm isn't just about raising the best dang pastured meat in Arkansas. It's about creating systems so solid that the farm can run for weeks without us. Open-book finances. Profit sharing with employees who think like owners. Smart technology that eliminates the crappy jobs. A place where the next generation actually WANTS to farm.
You know what excites me most?
We're building something that'll outlast us. Whether Sam and Eliza choose to farm or not, we're creating a model that proves farming can be profitable, sustainable, and fulfilling. Every young person who visits our farm, every new farmer we mentor, every customer's kid who sees where their food comes from - they're all seeds of change we're planting for the future.
Twenty years ago, people said we were crazy to think farming could be profitable AND regenerative. Here at EL, we're all still learning, still tweaking our systems, but every year we get a little closer to proving them wrong - building farms that can heal the land AND pay the bills.
After two decades, I can finally see it: a farming future where quality trumps quantity, where farmers thrive instead of survive, where the land gets healthier every year.
That's a legacy worth leaving.
Your farmer (building tomorrow's food system today),
Cody
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