This past weekend Benj and I made the long drive out to northwestern South Dakota to bring home a handsome new bull—his name is Abe—for our herd. The trip is about eight hours across the prairie, and after all the rain South Dakota has seen this year, it was breathtaking: rolling grasslands as far as you can see, antelope in the distance, bright skies, and that wide-open quiet that makes room for good conversation and daydreaming as a couple.
Our destination was the ranch of dear friends, Ethan & Katie, who raise grass-fed cattle with their family in a remote, pristine stretch of prairie. By outward appearances they live simply, but oh so richly—with good land, healthy animals, and God’s Word and His love at the very center. With a new baby on the way, their whole place just radiates life.
During our visit, Ethan told me about their recent July cattle sale—a record high for them! They were pretty excited to bring in such a good income this year. Just a month later, prices rose another 20%, which in the cattle world is huge. Ouch. It would have been easy to feel disappointed or dwell on what might have been. But instead, Ethan said it gave him good reason to consider the parable of the workers in the vineyard, where some labored all day and others only an hour, yet all received the same reward from the master. This parable reminds us that our salvation is given freely through Jesus, not earned by our works or effort. Just as God’s grace is freely given to all, Ethan said he realized that the blessings he had already received were enough. Hearing him share it reminded me too: true contentment comes from rejoicing in what we have been given, whether in faith, family, or the fruitful work of our hands, rather than comparing ourselves to what we might have missed.
Listening to his story in their cozy ranch house, with his children all snuggled around (some sitting on Azure standard bags of flour), I couldn’t help but think of those who chose to lock in with us for beef this year. Prices are moving all around, but I am simply so grateful. Grateful for the land, for our animals, for fellow regenerative farmers, and especially for you—for sharing in this bounty with us.
If you’ve been thinking of stopping by, this week is a perfect time—cooler weather and the full herd is grazing up front by the driveway, so it feels like a little safari when you pull in (most of the time the beef cattle are way out back, grazing west of the barn).
Bringing home this new bull feels like planting a seed for the future of our herd. He comes from a special, proven long line of grass-fed genetics and is the very first bull our farm has owned outright. But more than that, our visit west to pick him up was a good reminder for me that true wealth isn’t found in numbers alone—it’s in family, faith, and the community we share together.
With joy,
Leah
