Dear Friends, Customers and Interested People,

We at Ridgefield Farm are pleased to once again offer you cattle that will make you more money. Those of you who know us know that we have chosen to secure our future utilizing Braunvieh Cattle; one of the oldest breeds of cattle in the world. They are heavily muscled, moderate framed cattle with excellent dispositions, and are among the most environmentally adaptable breeds on the planet. The mama cows are among the best of all beef breeds according to studies done at the USDA Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) and produce calves that wean heavy and will gain efficiently in the feedyard and grade and yield on the rail. We breed and develop our cattle for performance and longevity. With our progeny purchase program, The Ridgefield Braunvieh Bull Deal, we live and die by the results of the cattle that we produce. Our goal is to sell bulls that produce calves that grow vigorously and efficiently. The ideal f eeder calf should reach a finish ed weight of between 1,300-1,400 pounds by 15 months of age, yielding a carcass that is a yield grade two or better, quality grade of choice, getting there on less than 5.5 pounds of feed per pound of gain. With corn prices fluctuating between $3.00 and $4.25 per bushel, t he profit drivers in the cattle business are now, more than ever; feed efficiency, followed by carcass weight and yield grade. This year cattle purchased under our progeny purchase program placed fourth, seventh and twenty third in the Kansas Empire Days Carcass Contest, the most prestigous carcass contest in the country in which feedyards select the animals for entry.

Many positive things have happened at Ridgefield Farm since our sale last year, and one sad thing. The hardest working, most dedicated mother that a child could ever have, ascended in June of this year, after a very short illness, at the age of 89. The child of immigrant parents, Mom, together with our father, instilled in us children the value of an education and hard work. “If You Can’t Get It Done During The Daylight; Throw On A Night Shift” and… “The Short Way To Spell Success is WORK” and…”If You Don’t Give Up, There Will Be Enough Others Give Up To Make Room For You To Succeed”.

In December of 2006, Mary Beth and I closed on the purchase of most of the farm from my siblings and their children; none of whom were actively engaged in the farming enterprise. This land is dear to all of us and we did not want to ever see it subdivided into lots and developed, as has happened to practically all of the non-Forest Service land surrounding us . With this long term vision in mind; we donated a conservation easement to The Land Trust For The Little Tennessee on a total of 86 7 acres, including a 186 acre forested mountain parcel still jointly owned with the other family members. Our s ons Bud (twenty years old and a junior at the University of Wyoming) and Whit (a senior in high school) have both spent much of their childhood on and around the farm and worked on it during their summers. They have bonded with the land over the years and both boys anticipate carrying on with the farm into the future. We still have complete title to the land, however, the development rights on about 80% of the property have been forever removed insuring that the property will forever remain as a sustainable, natural resource based agricultural enterprise. Talk about focusing one’s attention on the quality and profitability of their cattle business; extinguishing the easy money that would have been available from development will do it. But, we are at peace with the decision and now the land will always be there for Bud and Whit and their children, and their children’s children and our surrounding neighbors to enjoy.

Another really positive thing that occurred in the last year was having John Hart join us as farm manager . John came to us with a strong knowledge of cattle and farming , an ability to work with others , and a strong work ethic; all of the ingredients necessary to help keep us moving ahead. Another addition to our team , James Conley, came to us by way of NC State last fall. James graduated with a degree in Animal Science and Ag Business. He needed a couple of years of post graduate experience prior to going for his masters degree, and knowing what we knew about him, we found an opening for him.

We are extremely pleased to have John and James join our established and highly regarded farm employees, Kevin Laney and his mom, Ramona, and Mary Wright, my assistant, who keeps up with the bills and taxes, cattle records, telephone calls and customer correspondence . We feel blessed to have such a great team with which to help us pursue our goal of excellence and profitability in land management and the cattle business.

We hope that you either come visit us personally or visit our website to view the cattle that we are offering in our sale. We think that you will be extremely pleased with what you see and we believe that they will contribute substantially to your profitability.