LINDSBORG When Matt Hemmer was a kid, he would help his dad with the cattle on their family farm in North Dakota. But when Hemmer turned 11, his dad sold the land and moved to Kansas to start a business.
Now more than four decades later, Hemmer is back on the land, raising chickens, sheep and some cattle, including Wagyu, at Smoky Buttes Ranch.
But this farm in Lindsborg is different from the one Hemmer grew up on. He s raising heritage breeds.
A heritage breed mates naturally, has a slow growth rate, thrives outdoors and can live a long, healthy life. The animals are antibiotic-free and free-range all the way from hatchling to adulthood.