Hidden Gems: Meet Elizabeth Gibson of 1840 Cattle Co., LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Gibson.

Hi Elizabeth, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was fortunate enough to marry into an amazing family who have been in the Buchanan/Clinton County area since the early 1800s, which is where our name comes from, as we can date back to having cattle in the area since 1840! I was not raised with cattle, so it was a new ball game marrying into a cow/calf and row-crop operation. I fell in love with the cattle side of things, especially watching all the spring babies run around on fresh green grass, and I knew I wanted to help diversify the farm a little bit more than my in-laws and husband already had. They had always kept a steer or two back to process to fill the freezers, which was awesome to have great quality meat a few steps away and not have to worry about going to the store! Plus, with it being raised on our farm, I didn’t have to worry about what was put into the cattle growing up (growth hormones, etc.), where they originally came from, and any other additives that may have been added before purchase. So, in 2020 I asked if we could hold a few more steers back and see if anyone we knew would like to purchase a whole or half; they went fast! More people started reaching out about wanting to purchase beef. Then the questions came: I don’t have the freezer space, we don’t need a whole/half, or we don’t have the initial upfront cost of buying a whole or half, so can we buy a few pounds of burger, steaks, etc., but with regulations, it was just not possible. This sparked the idea of still providing wholes and halves and having individual retail cuts available for people to buy locally raised, hormone-free, and USDA-inspected.

I let the spark sit for a while as we didn’t have a great place to set up shop, so to speak; plus, I was still looking for which meat lockers/butcher shops were locally processed USDA certified, what county regulations I would need to follow, etc. Each year I asked to hold back a few more steers – going from just keeping an extra 3 to 8 in 2021. In 2022 Jeff (my husband) and I had the opportunity to purchase a farm that used to be an old dairy, with the dairy barn/milk parlor still standing. So, come January of this year; I was still going back and forth with all the pros/cons/difficulties that arise when branching out and going “big.” Jeff, who had been 100% supportive of the idea from the start, gave me two options, and here I am! We started the remodel of the front milk parlor, got the butcher dates lined up, agreed to buy the cattle from our family farm, insurance, regulations, etc., all lined up, and here we are! I have jumped us from keeping 8 back from the 2021 calf crop to 30+ from the 2022 calf crop back for the shop. We opened the first weekend of April and haven’t looked back! Our long-term goal is to sustainably grow our current cow/calf operation and sell every calf produced on our farm directly to the consumer.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
More of a bumpy, windy road! I knew the basics of what regulations, filings, etc. I would need it, but once I got into getting everything set up, filed, approved/cleared, I kept finding one more thing I needed to do before we could open. There was a lot of paperwork and wait times; through the process, I joked I should open a business that helps new businesses get started with the framework of who, when, what, and how to contact all the agencies you need to coordinate with. As well, for the supply side of things, it’s been a huge learning curve, especially with being new to the retail side of things. Before, it was easy. You knew exactly how many wholes and halves you had, and as they were spoken for, you took them off the count. Still, with the retail side of things, I don’t want to sell out early in the process, so finding that balance as we grow and our business gains more traction will be a challenge, I believe, with the quality we strive to provide. We don’t use growth hormones on our steers – meaning we put on the weight naturally thru pasture and grain finishing, so there isn’t a way to “speed” up production without what I feel is sacrificing quality. So, the logistics of estimating how many will be ready, when, etc., has been a learning curve already and will probably be one that we battle for the next few years or so, realistically.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about 1840 Cattle Co., LLC?
1840 Cattle Co., LLC is a woman-owned and run business, though when I talk about it, I always end up saying “we” or “us” as the cattle I buy to sell to the end consumer comes from our family farms – my in-laws Jim and Donna Gibson and then my husband, Jeff, myself, and our littles. Our cow herds (two of them – one belonging to Jim and Donna and the other belonging to Jeff and me) are all born and raised on our family’s century farms and a few rented acres of pasture. Jeff has taken over feeding out the cattle with a mixture of pasture and a corn ration, and when they are ready to head to the butcher, 1840 Cattle Co purchases them.

The biggest takeaway that I want your readers to know about 1840 Cattle Co is that all of the meat (Blank Angus Cattle) I sell is born and raised on our farms – we do not buy it from feedlots, sale barns, and neighbors – we know exactly how the calf was raised, and we never use growth hormones, nor will we. I am also a tremendous “support local” person; I knew when the shop’s vision was coming together I wanted to help support other local businesses in the area and get their names out there! So I have my “Local Section,” which has a great selection of locally made goods ranging from hand-poured candles, goat milk soap, goat milk lotion, and honey! I also have a selection of 1840 Cattle Co Seasonings to pair with our meat and a few other hot sauces/BBQs/seasonings from family-owned businesses in different parts of the US.

I currently have a full-time “city” job and have two little (2.5 years & 15 months), so I hold non-traditional hours, but I am always available by appointment and try to make sure that I can make it work to meet a customer at our shop!

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
A positive attitude! Success doesn’t come overnight, nor does building a quality brand that people can trust. We have the beginning of that foundation laid with our repeat local customers. We strive to continue building and spreading it out into the larger surrounding communities while staying true to our roots that our family laid back in 1840.

Pricing:

• Prices are subject to change due to the cattle market
• Our Facebook page is always up to date on prices and availability

Contact Info:

• Website: Coming Soon
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1840cattleco/
• Other: 816-326-2444

Image Credits
Carrie Watson Collective, Elizabeth Gibson