Today we’d like to introduce you to John Cox.
Hi John, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Our story really began with a conviction about food. About 10–12 years ago, my wife and I started rethinking what we were eating and how it was raised. That shift led us to put a small garden in our backyard, which quickly turned into a desire to grow more of our own food and find land where we could raise it ourselves.
Around that time, we connected with David Kesten and his family, who were just getting David’s Pasture off the ground. The partnership made sense, and for the next nine years we worked closely alongside them, learning, growing, and playing a larger role in the farm.
Today, after nearly a decade of working together, our family is now the sole owner and manager of David’s Pasture LLC. We’re still driven by that same conviction we started with – raising real, honest food the right way for our community – and now our entire family, including our five kids, is part of carrying that mission forward.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Raising animals in real weather brings plenty of setbacks, from storms to extreme temperatures, and you don’t get to take a day off just because conditions are tough. On top of that, running a small business comes with its own learning curve, whether it’s managing cash flow, building systems, or juggling the daily demands of farm life with raising five kids.
One of the biggest challenges, though, is competing with large-scale, commercial agriculture. Those systems are heavily subsidized by taxpayer dollars, which makes it tough for a small, pasture-based, non-GMO farm to compete on price. It really does feel like David versus Goliath at times.
But even with all of that, we keep showing up. We’re committed to raising food the right way, being faithful to what we believe we’re called to do as a family, and serving our community with integrity and transparency.
As you know, we’re big fans of David’s Pasture. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
David’s Pasture is a small, family-run farm committed to raising food the way it’s meant to be raised – outdoors, on pasture, with care, integrity, and transparency. Our family of seven works together every day to provide beef, chicken, pork, and eggs for families across Missouri and the Midwest. Everything we do flows from one conviction, that real food raised right has the power to nourish people, restore land, and strengthen communities.
We specialize in pasture-based, non-GMO, regenerative farming. That means our animals live outside, move to fresh pasture, and are raised without shortcuts. We’re known for the quality and flavor of our meats, but also for the relationship our customers have with us. People know who is raising their food, and they know they can trust us.
What sets us apart is how personal our work is. This isn’t a large corporate farm, it’s our family, raising food for your family. We don’t hide our processes. We show you the land, the animals, the feed, the systems, the decisions. And we’re proud that we can stand by every product we sell because we raise it with intention.
Brand-wise, we’re most proud of being real, honest, and accessible. Nothing about what we do is factory-like. Our brand reflects who we are – a family doing our best to raise exceptional food and invite others into the story. We hope readers know that when they buy from David’s Pasture, they’re not just purchasing meat, they’re supporting a local family, improving the land, and choosing food they can trust.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’d say I naturally lean toward being a risk taker, for better or for worse. Farming the way we do requires it. When you raise animals on pasture and refuse to cut corners, you don’t have the same safety nets that commercial operations rely on. We don’t use the same immunizations or systems that qualify animals for certain types of insurance, so our cattle and other livestock simply aren’t insured the way corporate herds are. That means we take on a very real risk with every animal we raise.
On top of that, being a small-scale farm that’s trying to grow is its own kind of ongoing risk. Every season, we invest time, money, and energy into scaling David’s Pasture with the belief that our customer base will continue to grow and support the work we’re doing. There’s no guarantee, but we keep moving forward.
At the end of the day, I’m a pretty decisive risk taker who doesn’t mind an adventure. I don’t take risks just to take them, but if it aligns with our values and the mission of our farm, I’m willing to step out and trust the process. That mindset has shaped a lot of our story.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://davidspasture.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidspasture
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidspasture
