Sweet Grass Ranch & High Prairie Cattle sell locally to the Webster County Community
MARSHFIELD, MO. – While Luke Inniger didn’t grow up on a farm, his grandfather’s farmstead in Ohio cultivated a longing in him to have his own piece of property one day. The family farm raised hogs, dairy cattle, along with corn, beans, and wheat.
Luke visited his family’s farm often and quickly became passionate about raising his own livestock.
Now, him and his wife, Jacqueline, along with their three kids, own Sweet Grass Ranch in Marshfield, MO, in rural Webster County, where they raise both beef and dairy cattle and sell their goods locally. They sell their products under the company name, High Prairie Cattle.
“I feel it is a way to give back and serve the community and the country,” Luke said. “Our values are to serve the Lord first and our neighbors second, and God has put this gift and passion into me.”
High Prairie Cattle officially started in 2012 with the family’s first set of beef cows. Originally, the goal was to simply provide quality meat for themselves and their loved ones.
Fast forward to 2015, and the Innigers began selling finished beef to the public. As their small business grew, they outgrew the property they owned and started leasing land from a neighbor, which in turn, allowed them to grow more.
Six years later, Luke was able to lease an even larger plot of land and their beef herd grew exponentially; so much so, that the family took a break from selling beef during that time to focus on getting the land and farm ready for future plans.
In the meantime, with a desire to have fresh, raw milk available, Luke and Jacqueline took a leap in 2024 and began a small milking operation.
Life is busy – on and off the farm. Every day is different as a farming family.
“Being a father to three kids, we typically have either 4-H, baseball, basketball, or church during the week that we need to attend by the evening,” Luke said.
That being the case, he gets as much done in the daylight as he can, milking from 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. This includes the entire process from sanitizing to bottling to sanitizing again. In the meantime, the kids help bottle feed the calves.
Between homeschooling and his wife’s business, 417 Staging & Redesign, Luke ensures hay is fed, tractors are running, fences are mended, and the animals are happy.
If it’s freezing, there’s ice to bust. If it’s not, there’s probably cattle somewhere that need to be sorted.
The days change with the seasons.
Luke said they get about six gallons of milk daily and do their best to sell to the general public. Beginning this year, people are able to purchase beef from them again as well.
The Innigers sell A2A2 Jersey raw milk and custom beef, grass-fed and grain-finished.
They sell their beef by the whole, half, and quarter, and ground beef is available by the pound.
The family will also have alfalfa square bales in 2025.
Those interested in their products, they can visit their Facebook page, Sweet Grass Ranch.
“We are a small operation and definitely in growth mode, but we are growing slowly and organically,” Luke said.
He currently outsources for feed, baling contractors, and equipment, but he hopes he can give back in some way by being a source for the beef and dairy people need.
So, what does the future hold?
Luke would like to focus on their cow/calf operation and grow their dairy, if the demand is there. They have a small self-serve store they’d like to see expand over time.
His hope is to instill a love of agricultural life in his kids and pass down the family farm to them, should they want it.
As far as legacy goes, Luke is just grateful to be doing what he loves.
“We are here to help and provide our community, neighbors, and country with honesty, hard work, and family-produced, quality products. We want to be good stewards of our land, treat our animals with respect, as this is all God’s creation for us,” Luke said.
“We are truly blessed to be given this opportunity.”
