There isn’t much the three generations of Greenwoods won’t tackle on their farm in Big Cabin, Okla.
It all started in 1975 when Gary and Cindy Greenwood got married. It wasn’t long until the couple decided they wanted to farm. So in 1978 they started raising calves on 80 acres of owned and leased land. Greenwood Farms has now evolved into an all-natural operation raising, processing and selling beef, dairy, goats, hogs, poultry and eggs.
The Greenwoods try to use rotational grazing as much as possible but this year they fed a lot of hay due to shortage of grass. All the species are grazed separately. On average they bale 600-800 acres on shares.
Dairy
Gary and Cindy started milking in 1986. Currently, they milk 36 cows twice a day. Their milk is distributed through the Central Equity Milk Cooperative. “Dairy has it’s ups and downs. You can get all the overtime you want,” said Gary. “He’ll never quit,” added Cindy.
Beef Cattle
Greenwood Farms’ goal is to maintain a 100 head beef cattle herd. All are raised and finished right there on the farm while retaining some heifers. “We breed for short, stocky cattle with mostly Red Angus and Black Angus with a little Hereford for a solid cross,” said Gary and Cindy’s son, Dallas Greenwood. The goal is to finish out the beef at 900-1,000 pounds. “This weight is easier for us and for the consumer who wants to buy half a beef,” added Dallas.
Hogs
“We can’t keep enough fat hogs,” said Gary. Currently they have several crosses including Berkshires, Duroc, Hampshire and Large Black that are raised on pasture. “Anytime you cross hogs you get bigger litters,” explained Gary. Their hogs are sold through farmers markets, processed or sold through the Oklahoma Food Coop.
Beef and pork is sold to Ozark Natural Foods in Fayetteville, Ark., Natural Foods, in Tulsa, Okla., and Cimarron Meat Co., in Tulsa.
Goats
“We have more than we need,” said Gary about the goats on the farm. “We wanted to see what they would look like once they reproduced. We can always cull if we need to.” The billys and meat goats are processed and the Greenwoods use the milk to make cheese and drinking milk for personal consumption. “There is always a market for goat’s milk,” added Gary.
Poultry
“We raise free-range broilers and turkeys which are processed on the farm,” said Gary. The birds sold are preordered ahead of time. It is their goal to open a USDA inspected poultry processing plant by the end of 2013.
Eggs
Four hundred free-range laying hens make their home on a 120-acre pasture on Greenwood Farms. The Greenwoods sell 100 dozen eggs each week through farmers markets and to local restaurants. Fridays on the farm are egg days where eggs are washed, candled, put in cartons and labeled.
Four State Meat Processing
The Greenwood family owns and operates Four State Meat Processing in Big Cabin. They are dedicated to bringing their customers high quality beef, pork and wild game. Dallas runs the daily operations at Four State Meat Processing. The Greenwoods purchased the business from Johnson Slaughter in Pryor, Okla., in 2001. They quickly outgrew the facility and built the new processing plant in 2006. On average they process 40-50 beef, 20-30 hogs and 20 goats/lambs each week.
Farmers Market
What livestock isn’t processed at Four State Meat Processing or sold to local restaurants are sold through the Cherry Street and Batesville Farmers Markets year-round. The Greenwoods use three deep freezers in a trailer to haul their products. They sell preordered chicken and turkey, sausage, hot links, ground beef, steaks and more. “We stock a little bit of everything for the markets. You never know what people will want to buy,” said daughter-in-law, Anna Greenwood, who overseas the farmers markets for the farm.
“The only way to make all of this work, it to work together,” concluded Cindy.
