With foundations in all aspects of the beef industry, both sides of our families settled in the mid- to late-1800s in the Northeast Kansas area.

In 1892, Gene’s great-grandfather and his brother, butchers by trade from Ireland, began a meat market at James and Central in Kansas City, Kansas. Barrett & Barrett Butchers operated through the early 1900s when the next generation, three sons, stepped into the family business. The shop’s name changed to the Barrett Meat Co., and finally as the Barrett Meat Market in the early 50’s.

Further upriver, following the Kansas River, part of Anna’s family settled in the Kaw Valley in 1865, bringing their trade of stone masonry and farming to this area. The incredibly rich valley soil was perfect for row crops and the ever-plentiful gardens the families produced, while the nearby limestone allowed them to build many homes and barn foundations as they worked to establish their families and farms.

Spread among the other great– great-grandparents on both sides were dairy and beef operations and small grocers with an emphasis on meat markets, throughout far NE Kansas and Western Missouri.

All of the generations set their American foundation in agriculture. And, over 150 years later, the 6th generation continues this foundation along the banks of Prairie Creek.

Our cattle operation is divided between two Northeast Kansas counties that sit in the convergence of the Flint Hills and the Glaciated regions of Kansas. Even though close in proximity, the sites differ widely from rich fertile soil to native grasses in rocky outcroppings.

Today, our operational goal is to utilize more grass on fewer acres by reclaiming pastureland from overgrown wooded areas. When our families settled in Northeast Kansas, the land was prairie-based, with hardwood trees along the creeks and rivers. Tilling of the ground, followed by lack of brush management, allowed invasive trees to overtake the landscape. As we work to reclaim the lost grassland, acreage that was sitting idle is now sustaining cattle through rotational grazing methods.