OUR STORY

We are Casey & Kate McLellan, a husband-and-wife team with a deep-rooted passion for regenerative farming and raising premium quality meat.

In 2021, we traded the hustle and bustle of a marketing business in Omaha, NE for a new adventure in Arizona, where we fell in love with homesteading and sustainable agriculture. That passion eventually led us back to Kate’s family’s generational farm, with a vision to restore the land and build a future rooted in regenerative farming practices.

Our commitment to regenerative practices means healthier soil, happier animals, and better food for your family. We believe you deserve to know where your food comes from and that it was raised the way God intended.

OUR BACKGROUND

Kate was born and raised on her family’s farm in Nebraska. She tried out a few different majors at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln before deciding that college wasn’t the right fit. She shifted gears and dove into full-time work in marketing and customer service, which is how she met Casey.

Casey, born in Texas but grew up in Minnesota, eventually also landed at UNL to study nutrition, exercise, and health sciences. Like Kate, he realized that college wasn’t where he was meant to be and pursued a successful career in sales within the trucking industry.

Over the years, apart from full-time work, they poured their efforts into building several businesses together, but none turned out quite as they had envisioned. After a few twists and turns, they found themselves back on Kate’s family farm, ready to take on the challenge of earning their place as the next generation — focused on regenerative farming.

MY SIDE OF THE STORY

So now that you know where we came from, let me share how we got here.

We started in Lincoln, then moved to Omaha, NE. But we felt a desire to start fresh, so we packed up and moved to Arizona, thinking it was where we’d settle for good. Happily ever after into the beautiful AZ sunset. Right? WRONG.

Ok, maybe it's not that dramatic, but sometimes it feels that way especially when you’re 26 and trying to figure out what you're meant to do with your life.

A couple of years and a few businesses later… We tried a variety of things: Airbnb, Turo, a different network marketing company, even a trucking business. You could say we’ve got entrepreneurship in our blood (well, more Casey than me), but it felt like there was some unseen force working against everything we tried. That is, until I decided to start a homesteading page on social media.

After battling thyroid and hormone issues, I came across someone who was talking about whole foods — back to how our great-grandparents used to eat. And when I tell you I knew that was the missing piece, I mean it. There was something deep within me that resonated with learning how far we’ve strayed from what food really is. That’s when I stumbled upon homesteading and began to completely reimagine the life I wanted.

For a while, Casey wasn’t as interested in this idea. But one day, while reading his Bible, something clicked. God designed everything to create more of itself. Who wouldn’t want to be in a business like that?!

We both realized we wanted land and space, but when we started looking for land in Arizona, nothing felt right. After over a year of searching, we still hadn’t found the perfect place for our homestead.

I had dreams of all the fun homesteading things — baking from scratch, growing a garden, milking cows, collecting fresh eggs — you know, all the cute, Instagram-worthy stuff.

But Casey had bigger plans. He started learning about people like Joel Salatin and Will Harris and became passionate about regenerative farming practices. And that’s when it all clicked for us.

One day, sitting in our living room, Casey turned to me and said, “What if we moved to your family’s farm?”(This is funny because I swore I’d never move back to my hometown.) But I remember trying to hide my smile because it felt right.

And that’s exactly what we did. A couple of months later, we sold our house in Arizona and made the 16-hour drive back to Nebraska, to my grandparents' house.

But here’s the thing — somewhere in the chaos of moving, Casey and I weren’t on the same page. I thought we were moving back to find a piece of land for our homestead. I thought he’d work a sales job (like he always had) and do the livestock thing on the side. That’s not how it went and honestly that was hard for me. Instead, he started working for my dad and uncle on the family farm and dove headfirst into “his chicken business.” (that’s how I viewed it)

For about 9 months, this was our reality. I was caught between the farming traditions of my grandpa, dad, and uncle — those roots I was so proud of — and what my husband was trying to build, which felt like a disconnect.

Then, Casey came across Gabe Brown’s book Dirt to Soil, and it shifted everything for both of us. Suddenly, we could see how we could keep the farm running in the same way it always has but also bring in livestock and regenerate the soil through sustainable, regenerative practices. No chemicals, no synthetics, no GMOs.

My family has been farming the same land (and acquiring more over the years) for over 150 years. My dad and uncle have been running the operation, and I don’t see them slowing down anytime soon. Even though we’re here, ready to step into the next generation of farmers, we know we need to earn our place.

We’re starting with chickens but have big plans to expand — egg layers, beef cattle, pigs, and so much more.

If you’re still reading, thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving us the opportunity to earn a spot at your table. And stay tuned — there's so much more to come.

-Kate