Pardon our dust, our website is under construction! We are working on a new, improved website that should be launched by end of August or early September 2022.
We DO have our new online store OPEN FOR BUSINESS! Shop Now!
OUR ONLINE STORE IS OPEN!
Have you been to our website lately? We have an online store! You now have the convenience of ordering our ranch raised ground beef online at www.wkcattletx.com. We will do weekly meet ups in the Lake Limestone area, monthly meet ups in Waco and College Station. If you have any questions, please email us at info@wkcattletx.com.
More to come – we will soon have the ability to take deposits for bulk beef (halves and wholes) as well!
Teague Farmer’s Market – Sunday, June 26!
This will be our very first Farmer’s Market, ever! This Sunday, June 26 starting at 11 am. and ending at 5 p.m. we will be at the Teague Farmer’s Market in Teague, Texas. If we sell out before then, we will hit the road so get there early! We will have lean, ranch raised ground beef available as well as a few pounds of dog bones.
Drought conditions in Central Texas
We are in desperate need of rain and cooler temps. We are faced with selling some of our herd at this point. The drought coupled with rising fuel prices, feed and mineral prices, etc. force us to evaluate the herd and determine which cows we will need to sell and when. We never like to sell our mama cows but in this environment it may come to that sooner than later.
We may be in a bit better position than others since we have implemented rotational grazing and our pastures are in decent shape. Sure don’t want to get to the point where they are over grazed, though. We also have some hay left over from last year’s cuttings and we just cut more a few weeks ago. We felt we had to cut about 30 acres while we could so we could stockpile the hay just in case the drought gets worse and hay prices continue to increase. We still have some pastures we can move cattle to if needed as well. I hope it was the right choice!
There is also concern related to heat stress in the herd. With seemingly endless triple-digit days and warm nights, it’s important to keep an eye on the cattle to make sure they are not showing signs of heat stress. We are so thankful that all of our cattle have access to plenty of water whether it be fresh from the well or ponds/tanks around the property. They are all out on pasture so have plenty of room for air flow/movement. There are also plenty of shade trees to get a little relief from the heat.
Please join us in praying for rain for all of the farmers and ranchers that desperately need it!
Independence Day
The 4th of July is right around the corner. Now more than ever we can’t take for granted the independence we have in America. We can’t forget those who fought to gain our independence and those that continue the fight to keep it – on and off the battlefield.
“Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana
We were hoping to do another pop-up shop at the Lake Limestone store on Saturday the 2nd but it looks like we may be sorting cows and hauling some to auction instead. If anything changes, we will post to Facebook and Instagram so keep an eye out there.
Blessing for a safe and Happy Independence Day Holiday!
Wayne & Kerrie
May Farm Update
Memorial Day
This year, Memorial Day is observed on Monday, May 30. Because it is typically a long weekend for a lot of Americans and the unofficial beginning of summer, most of us celebrate by relaxing and having get-togethers with family and friends. However, it’s important to remember the true meaning of the holiday. Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official holiday in 1971. It is a day to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. The National Moment of Remembrance Act was passed in 2000 which asks Americans to pause for one minute at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day to remember those who have died in military service. Some may place small flags by war memorials and next to U.S. veterans graves. It is also common to fly the U.S. flag at half staff until noon then raise it to full in remembrance. Whatever your plans, please be safe and take a moment to remember those military men and women who have died defending our freedom.
THIS. IS. HAPPENING.
We have ground beef available for sale!!!! We only have a limited amount so PLEASE EMAIL YOUR ORDER TODAY! We also have a VERY limited supply of dog bones.
***EDITED 06/06/2022 – GREAT NEWS! We now have ground beef for sale ONLINE! To pick up your order, we will have weekly meet ups in the Groesbeck/Lake Limestone. Monthly meet ups will be in College Station/Bryan and Waco. You can order and pay online! For those who wish to order via email and pay at time of pick up, please email orders@wkcattletx.com.
Items available as of 5/27/2022:
| 1 pound ground beef (in 1 lb chub) | $6.99/each |
| Buy 10 or more pounds in one order | $6.50/each |
| 3 pound bag of dog bones | $6.00/each |
Our ‘QC team’ taste tested this batch of ground beef and it was DELICIOUS!
Steers
We have been BUSY! We completed setting up the ‘steer pasture’ so our steers that we are preparing for processing will have plenty of pasture available to them and we can better manage their diet. Part of the fence is the existing permanent barbed wire fence but a portion of it is temporary which consists of step-in posts and Polybraid that is charged by a solar energizer. We have had a few instances where some of the little nuggets have found ways to get over or under the fence and we have to find creative ways to get them back home. They have been keeping us on our toes!
BCFRA Cookoff
We sponsored and participated in the Brazos County First Responders Association BBQ Cookoff held on May 20 – 21 in College Station, Texas. It was unseasonable hot and miserable, but it was still a great time. We didn’t place this year but I thought everything we prepared was award-winning. I may be a little biased! All proceeds benefit the Brazos Valley First Responders Benevolent fund so it is for a VERY good cause. And hey, there’s always next year!
Blessings for a safe and magnificent Memorial Day!
RANCH RAISED LOCAL BEEF FOR SALE
April Farm Update
Uncertain Times
Uncertainty in the markets, with fuel costs, feed costs, fertilizer costs…EVERYTHING!
We have all felt the pain at the pump and with rising food costs, but inflation is hitting at all levels. We personally have seen cattle feed, mineral and supplement costs go up anywhere from 5 – 15% in the past few weeks. Every week I call feed stores to get pricing, I am told the price ‘at this time’ and that with the next shipment, prices will be higher. We are able to keep our input costs (mostly feed and minerals/supplements) relatively low in spring/summer/fall but in winter, especially when we are in a very near drought situation, it is a different story. This puts a big hurtin’ on all of us farmers and ranchers.
This brings up the topic of food insecurity. When Covid hit, this became a real issue, real fast. It’s important to know WHERE your food comes from and that you can actually GET FOOD when you need it. Please support local farmers, ranchers and small businesses whenever you can. Without you, our customers, our small farms and ranches can’t survive. I don’t know about you but I sure don’t want my meat, veggies, etc. traveling from other countries. Let’s work together to shorten the food chain.
With all of that being said, we were planning to release our price list for beef by the end of March but because we don’t know what OUR costs will be by the time we get to the processor, it’s just not going to happen. Once we get our first processing date and costs locked in, we will be able to release our price list.
On a lighter note, spring is in the air!
We started calving a little early this year but thankfully all the calves are doing great! Spring typically means more rain for our area which also means the grass finally starts growing again. I’m not sure who’s happier about that, the cows or us! We like to have our cattle on mostly a forage diet with minerals and supplements to get them whatever nutrients are missing in the grasses. We don’t want to feed if we don’t have to.
Our plan this year is to merge the herds and start an intensive rotational grazing program that will help parts of our pastures rest while pushing the cattle on to greener pastures.
Gains and Losses
Life is full of them. One moment the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the calves are playing and the next moment it feels as if the world has come crashing down.
The loss…
No one lives forever but my grandma sure gave it a shot. She passed away March 9, 2022 at 97 years old. She was a good Christian woman who told it like it was so you better not be easily offended!
She worked as a “Rosie the Riveter” on B-24 Liberator Bombers at Air Force Plant 4 in Ft. Worth during WWII. She later worked at KVOU Radio and at Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde. Her adventurous spirit led her to travel to 25 countries, all 50 states, and many U.S. territories. From riding a camel through the Australian Outback, panning for gold in the Yukon, and volunteering at Yellowstone National Park, she was always on the go. She celebrated her 92nd birthday by going skydiving, and took her first helicopter ride at age 95.
We will miss you Gigi.
The gain…
Yes, I lost my grandma but I gained a daughter-in-law. We were so excited to celebrate the wedding of my stepson (Wayne’s son) Wesley and his beautiful wife Riley! The wedding was wonderful and we couldn’t be more proud of these two!
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.Romans 5:3-5
Many blessings for an amazing April!
Wayne & Kerrie
March Farm Update
Coming Soon – Bulk Beef!
The interest in bulk beef has blown us away so…
We are excited to announce we will be offering halves and wholes later this year! We will still have our ground meat, steaks, roasts, etc. Please bear with us as we work out the logistics and the details with the processor.
We already have a waitlist a mile long! If you are interested in bulk beef, please email kerrie@wkcattletx.com NOW!
When ordering bulk beef, make sure you are prepared and have enough freezer space! Every cow processed will be a different weight however, we will do our best to make sure they all run close to the same weight. That should be roughly 1,000 – 1,200 pounds live weight.
- Whole cow: expect 400-500 pounds of meat. You will need up to 16 cubic ft of freezer space.
- Half cow: expect 200 – 250 pounds of meat. You will need up to 8 cubic ft of freezer space.
Stay Tuned! We will shoot you an email AND post on our website, Facebook and Instagram once we have our prices worked out along with the required deposit.
Calving is in full swing!
We already have lots of babies on the ground. Interestingly, studies show cows have a greater chance of calving with changes in the barometric pressure. Our cows certainly have proven this so far!
Regenerative Agriculture
We are only in the beginning stages of this regenerative journey. We have a long way to go and MUCH to learn.
We were very fortunate to be able to attend the Ark-La-Tex Regenerative Agriculture Conference in Texarkana in February. Greg Judy from Missouri was the keynote speaker and there were breakout sessions with other farmers and ranchers. We came away with so much information and so many ideas that we can start implementing here on our ranch. Not to mention we met a lot of great folks!
Thank you to the speakers and vendors and mostly, a big THANK YOU to John and Aimee Shelton for putting this all together in Texas!
That’s how we (un)roll
With February freezing temps here in Texas and forage not up to par for the cattle, we have been feeding quite a bit of hay. We’ve never liked hay rings, for many reasons, and started researching the benefits of unrolling hay.
Unrolling hay allows ALL cattle to have access, not just the alphas (herd bosses). It spreads organic matter around your pastures so essentially you’re feeding cows and the soil at the same time. And don’t forget, the hay bale is a big seed bank! When unrolling hay, you are dispersing seeds all over the pasture.
The pros far outweighed the cons and we ended up purchasing a Greg Judy Bale Unroller manufactured by Reject Ranch in Missouri. I can’t tell you how happy we are to see all of the cattle getting their share of hay as opposed to feeding in a hay ring. We are excited to see ALL of the benefits to the pastures with unrolling hay and implementing a rotational grazing plan. Great things to come!
Many blessings for a magnificent March!
Wayne & Kerrie
February Farm Update
We are Wayne and Kerrie Goldwater, and we raise cattle in Groesbeck, Texas. At the moment we have three herds of Brangus and Brangus cross cattle. Our newest herd includes some registered Brangus (more on that to come – stay tuned)!
We started as a cow/calf operation. A cow/calf operation is basically raising cows that will have calves, then once the calves are weaned at about six months old, they are sold and then the process starts all over again. We began tossing around the idea of selling ‘freezer beef’ just before the pandemic hit. Boy did it hit…in 2020 with meat shelves empty and prices skyrocketing, we realized how fragile our food system really is and THAT solidified our decision to start raising cattle to process for beef sales. After a lot of hard work, we are happy to announce WE WILL BE SELLING BEEF THIS YEAR!!
In the months to come, keep an eye on our website for new posts that will include:
- Processing dates and when beef will be available. There is a lot of interest in 1/2 and whole cow purchases but we will also have ground meat and individual cuts for sale.
- Beef price list.
- Replacement heifers and/or cows for sale.
- Plans for new livestock on the ranch!
Transitioning to a better way…
While on this cattle-raising journey, we started researching better ways of doing things. Building healthier soil, which will grow better/healthier (and more) forage, which results in happier, healthier cows with little help from us humans. Regenerative agriculture is just that. After doing things the traditional way we are slowly implementing regenerative practices. This is a VERY SLOW process, but we are excited for it! Stay tuned for updates on this transition…I’m sure it will be entertaining for y’all!
About our beef…
- Our beef will be processed at a USDA inspected facility.
- Our beef will never receive growth hormones.
- Our beef is ranch raised. Cattle are on pasture 24/7 so they always have access to forage.
- Our beef will be finished on a feed ration. Like a lot of folks, we prefer the marbling and taste of ‘grain finished’. The feed ration will only be about 15 – 20% of their daily intake – the majority of what they eat will still be grasses/forage and/or hay.
- We love our cows! We will always give our cows the best life they can have while here on the ranch!
Many blessings for a fantastic February!
Wayne & Kerrie
Welcome to WK Cattle Company
Howdy! We are Wayne and Kerrie Goldwater. We started on our journey with cattle in 2015. We fell in love with raising Brangus and Brangus Cross cattle and really started managing all aspects of the herd and the ranch when we moved to the family property in 2018.
Our journey is ever-changing and evolving. We are transitioning to a regenerative approach to raising livestock and caring for the land. This is a monumental task after starting as traditional ranchers. We have learned so much and are excited to learn more so we can put those practices into place.
We live in and raise our cattle in Limestone County, Texas. We offer Brangus breeding stock, with some registered Brangus, and we are now selling our ranch raised beef. Our beef will never have added hormones or antibiotics. Our cattle have 24/7 access to forage and/or hay – they will never be in or come from a feed lot. Although we cannot say our cattle are 100% grass fed and finished, we can say that their feed/grain intake is a small percentage of their diet in their lifetime. Our cattle will always be ethically and humanely raised.
We will always give our cattle the best life possible – WE LOVE OUR COWS!
In late 2022, we will have bulk beef available. Please keep an eye on our site or subscribe to the newsletter to keep up to date.
Thank you for visiting our site!
Wayne and Kerrie Goldwater