Before there was County Line Meats, there was Noecker Farms.
Mike and I are the 5th Generation to be a part of Noecker Farms. Mike became a partner with my dad, Ray, in the operation around 2006.
Noecker Farm raises Angus beef cattle and grows row crops like corn, soybeans, wheat, and forage crops like alfalfa, triticale, barley and sorghum. Most of these crops go toward feeding the cattle.
The cattle operation is set-up so that we have the cattle for their full lifecycle:
- Baby calves are born and spend their life on our farm.
- The majority of our mama cows were born and raised on our farm.
- We select bulls that have traits that will marble well and produce tender beef.
- The majority of what our cattle eat is grown on our farm.
We run about 215 cows. All of the offspring are raised for beef production, except for any females that we keep as replacement heifers.
Prior to starting County Line Meats, the model at Noecker Farms was to sell the majority of the cattle for beef to a packer. We would sell a semi-trailer load of 32-36 head at a time. We would sell a few each year for freezer beef, but mostly just to family and friends.
Then we had a pandemic and it all changed…