Our first introduction to the cows was in the safety of John’s truck. I asked John on our way to the farm if I could pet a cow, but I didn’t think I would actually get close enough to one of the cows to pet it. I was wrong. The moment we pulled into the pasture and turned the engine off, all the cows flocked to the truck. They formed a circle around the vehicle, and continued to inch in closer to us, very slowly, all while mooing what I’m guessing in cow language was “who are these people driving over our lunch?!” John told me if I put my hand out the window and didn’t move a muscle one of them might lick me. I got a few sniffs, but apparently they didn’t like the way I smelled, because at first sniff they would quickly back away from me. John then gave me a handful of grasses to see if one would be brave enough to eat from my hand; it took a good ten minutes or so before one was brave enough to take a bite.

We quietly sat in the car while one cow licked the hood of John’s truck, another nibbled at his bumper, and a few others nudged the truck enough to make it rock back and forth a bit. This was quite the experience. Finally, John asked us if we wanted to play “pied piper.” You guessed it, we were going to move the cattle to a new pasture! John called to his cows out the window, and we slowly drove to the neighboring pasture while the group of cows ran behind us. They knew we were leading them to more food! When we got into the new pasture John told us we were going to get out of the truck this time and hang out with the cows. Anyone who doesn’t know me very well should know that I am not very brave. I don’t like roller coasters, scary movies, haunted houses, or anything else that is “thrilling.” Growing up I also never advanced in gymnastics, horse back riding, or soccer. Why? Because I was scared I would break my neck in gymnastics, I was scared I would fall off a horse, and I was scared the soccer ball would hit me in the face. So you can imagine I wasn’t too keen on the idea of standing in the middle of a large group of giant cows. Of course I couldn’t let John or Bill see my fear, so I trailed along anyway.

When we were out in the pasture with the cows we had a similar experience to when we stayed in the truck. The cows surrounded us on all sides, mooing, sniffing, and staring at us with great curiosity. They were extremely gentle–their demeanor was just more proof that they are raised with extreme care and compassion. It was really inspiring spending the day with John. He reminded me a lot of my grandpa, Buz, not in that he was old enough to be my grandfather (because he’s clearly not), but in his passion for what he knows is right. My grandfather was treating patients alternatively through nutrition and supplementation his entire cureer (and still is)–many other doctors thought he was crazy, and I’m sure plenty still do. That is what I saw in John. An absolutely brilliant man, working so hard to make a difference because he knows that is what is best, despite the negativity he has been faced with from others around him.

After our up close and personal encounter with John’s cattle, he took us to meet another founding farmer, Kenneth Suter. The best way we can describe Kenneth is the mad scientist cattle farmer. He showed us around his land in his rigged up Geo Tracker. We drove over electric fences and barbed wire, built fences, and pulled giant metal shade structures all with his little 4×4. Kenneth was hilarious, and just as kind and generous as he is funny. After we toured his land, and made it back in one piece (there were a few close calls), it was time to make dinner.  With his bare hands, Kenneth built a beautiful cabin on his property next to a lovely little pond. This place is an absolute masterpiece, though it does not have running water, or electricity. We were greeted at the cabin by Kenneth’s wife, John, and a ton of fresh fruit, veggies, and US Wellness Meat’s steaks and chicken! We offered to cook dinner for the entire US Wellness group. It was the least we could do to show them our appreciation. We made a big salad, cooked veggies over an open fire, grilled chicken breasts with lemon and garlic under the skin, and grilled our favorite skirts steaks just simply with salt (That is all they need!) Dinner was lovely, and we were quite proud that we made it work with only natural lighting from outside, two grills, and an open fire. Kenneth even managed to heat water over the fire for us to wash our hands throughout the cooking process! We hope one day we can cook again for everyone in a real kitchen and really impress them!

The next morning we checked out of our hotel, and were greeted by John’s lovely daughter, Jennifer. Jen offered to take us fishing on one of their lakes for an hour before breakfast. Words can’t describe the beauty we saw that morning. The water was calm, the sun was shining, and the cows were grazing on the land around us. The three of us sat on her boat talking, laughing, and hoping to catch a few fish. I got a few bites, Jen caught a fish, and Bill finally caught a fish after catching several large sticks. I had a bit of trouble casting my line–if it was lucky enough to make it off the pole then chances were it landed in a tree, but all in all it was a pretty successful fishing adventure. After fishing, we met up with the rest of the USWM crew and drove across the river to Quincy, Illinois. There we were treated to breakfast at a restaurant called Thyme Square, which supports local farms, one of which is US Wellness Meats! We had a delicious breakfast, and got to spend the last hour of our trip talking with all the wonderful ladies of US Wellness Meats. We were sent home with lots of hugs, and requests to come visit again.

In this video, John shows us around his farm, and talks about the science behind grass-fed beef.

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