Know your Farmer…Know your Food

Our Story -

This is the story of how KC Cuts Meats and More went from a few sides of beef sold to family and friends to a full-scale, pasture-based farm operation on 50+ acres of family land - complete with heifers that refuse to leave, a dad who thinks we're doing it all wrong, a love story that started in a transport truck, and three daughters who remind us every single day why family comes first.

Contents

• The sales yard moment that started it all

• Growing up on a feedlot farm and choosing a different path

• Inheriting the family farm and coming full circle

• Our blended family

• Madison: Why we need to be home

• The "keep pen" problem (and why we're okay with it)

• What's next: Building for the future

The Moment Everything Changed

Rob and I were standing at the local sales yard when he turned to me and said, "You really are in your element here. Why don't we raise more cattle?"

I knew right then I loved him a little more. Because this? Raising cattle on pasture, watching them graze and run and just be cows? This is something I've always wanted.

We'd met almost 10 years ago - both of us driving full transport trucks, of all things. Rob came from a family that did chicken farming and cash crops. I'd been on a farm my whole life, always had cattle, and sold a few sides of beef to family and friends. But that moment at the sales yard was when the dream got real.

After many late-night talks and crunching numbers that made our heads hurt, we decided to expand the herd. And here we are.

Growing Up on a Feedlot Farm

My dad always had feedlot cattle. Looking back now, I understand why it's done that way - it's efficient, it's profitable, it's how most beef is raised. But it's NOT the way I want to do it.

I want a more natural way of raising them. I want cattle to get to be cows - to live outside on pasture, to run and graze, to have low-stress lives. In honesty, they have one bad day: loaded once and taken to the butcher. The rest of their life is spent doing what cattle are supposed to do. (Although when the feeder is empty, they act like it's the end of the world. Drama queens, every one of them.)

Dad still lives on the farm with us - we divided up the farmhouse by adding a wall. He's often annoyed at the way we do things because his goal was to get them in, fatten them as quick as possible, and get them out. We're... slower. More intentional. We're raising them the way I always wished they could be raised.

Coming Home to the Family Farm

In 2025, we took a big leap. I inherited my family farm, and my mom was moved to an old age home. Dad was alone on the farm, and we couldn't keep expanding on our 4-acre property. So it just made sense to move the operation to the family land.

We went from 4 acres to 50+ acres. It's the same land I grew up on, but now we're raising cattle in a completely different way than my dad did. It's a full-circle moment - honoring the legacy while doing it our way.

Rob and I work the farm together every day. We move pastures, put out bales, clean pens, and break frozen water bowls in the dead of winter. We also run a dump truck most days - Rob drives it, and I occasionally take over when he needs a day to focus on farm work. It's a juggling act, but we make it work.

Our Blended Family

We've got a blended family: I have one daughter, Madison, and Rob has two girls, Livia and Lerika. Poor Rob - there's a lot of estrogen in this house.

Livia is in college full time, working hard toward her degree and refusing to settle for anything less than what she's capable of. Lerika just got married and is balancing school part time while working - making sacrifices to see her studies through instead of taking the easy route.

We couldn't be prouder of them. They're building their futures with dedication and grit, choosing the harder path because they know it leads somewhere better. They're independent, driven, and out there making it happen.

Madison's journey looks different. She's autistic, and she's truly a miracle - she has survived cancer not once, but twice. All three girls are equally important to us, but Madison's needs are different. She will always need a parent home, and that's shaped how we've built this farm.

Madison: Why We Need to Be Home

After having my life completely flipped upside down more than once with the devastating news that my daughter had cancer, I feel like every moment with her is a blessing. Those experiences changed everything for me - they clarified what matters and what doesn't.

This farm? It's not just a business. It's how I can be home with Madison. It's how Rob and I can both be here to care for her, keep her safe, and support her as she grows into adulthood.

Madison will be 21 soon and will no longer be in school. She needs purpose, goals, and structure in her life - and she needs a parent home. Rob is her stepdad, but he's very involved in her life and committed to her care. Madison will always need help, but she's capable of so much more than people might expect.

She loves looking after her quail. Every single day - rain, snow, even when she doesn't feel well - she goes out and cares for them. She feeds them, waters them, and collects eggs, all from the outside of the cages so she never has to go in. She NEVER has to be asked to do her chores. She just does them.

We're working on setting up egg-laying hens for her next. She's afraid of the flapping they do with their wings, so we're figuring out how she can care for them without going into the pen - just like with her quail. Watching her take ownership of her responsibilities and find joy in caring for animals? That's everything.

Madison is a lifetime commitment, and one I couldn't be happier to have. But she's also why this farm needs to succeed. When you support KC Cuts, you're not just buying meat - you're helping us build a life where we can provide for Madison, be present for her needs, and give her the purpose and stability she deserves.

The "Keep Pen" Problem

(That's Not Really a

Problem)

Here's the thing: I LOVE ANIMALS. I'm a total sucker.

When Rob goes hunting, I'm out there trying to make friends with the wildlife. If there's a stray cat, it's coming home to the farm. I can't help it.

The problem - if you can call it that - is when we have heifers on the farm. I struggle not to make total pets out of them. And to be honest? Most of the heifers end up going to the KEEP pen to be bred and stay on the farm forever.

I know, I know. It's not the most profitable business model. But when you spend every day caring for an animal, moving her to fresh pasture, watching her personality come out... it's hard to let go. So we don't. And our breeding herd keeps growing because of it.

What's Next: Building for the Future

We're waiting to build a barn in 2026. The front will have a shop to look after the dump truck and equipment needs. The back will temporarily house cattle, but the long-term plan is to build a second barn just for them.

That barn will have stalls for calving and a large indoor area so we can grow the herd even more. On bad weather days - and we get plenty of those in Ontario - the cattle will have a warm, dry place to relax. It's about giving them the best life possible, right up until that one bad day.

As we grow, we're also building more opportunities for Madison - more animals she can care for, more purpose, more independence within the safe structure of home.

Why We Do This

Rob's family raised chickens. My family raised feedlot cattle. But together, we're building something different: a farm where animals get to live the way they're supposed to, on pasture, with space and care and respect. A farm where we can be present for Madison and give her the life she deserves. A farm that supports all three of our girls as they build their futures - whether that's in the classroom, in their careers, or right here with the animals.

It's harder this way. It's slower. It's definitely not the way my dad would do it (and he'll tell you that, trust me). But it's the right way for us.

When you buy from KC Cuts Meats and More, you're not just getting grass-fed, ethically raised meat. You're supporting a family that chose the harder path because we believe animals deserve better. You're helping us stay home to care for Madison and build a future where she has purpose, stability, and the support she needs. You're getting beef from cattle that spent their lives grazing on 50+ acres of family land, cared for by people who genuinely love what they do - even when the feeders are empty and the cows act like the world is ending.

Welcome to our farm. Welcome to our family. We're glad you're here.

- Kristi, Rob, our girls, and the whole KC Cuts family (including the heifers in the keep pen who will never leave)