It’s a curious thing how a man can go from army boots to barn boots without missing a beat.
That’s the story of Rob Squier, who, after finishing his career in the U.S. Army, didn’t take to retirement or rocking chairs but to cows, fences and a farm called Rocky Ridge.
He and his wife Hannah started the place in 2005. It sits on 70 acres of land in Kingsley, PA, 25 of which are usable pasture. The rest are woods, weeds and wildness. What they’ve built since then is something they call “beyond organic,” a method of farming that means more than a mere USDA label to them.
They raise 100% grass-fed beef. No grain, no shortcuts. Just cows on pasture, moved carefully from one paddock to another by Rob, who’s as much a ranch strategist as a cowboy. And that’s not all. The Squiers also raise pastured chickens, who strut and peck their way across the fields, and woodland pigs, who root and wallow under the trees like they own the place.
But it’s not all picturesque barn doors and mason jars. Hannah explained, “When you’re running an organic farm, you’re not just managing a herd. You’re managing a pasture. You become a beef farmer and a grass farmer.”
That’s the truth of it. On an operation like this, grass is gold and you’d better learn to grow, guard and regrow it fast. A cow will strip a field clean quicker than a windstorm if you’re not careful. That’s why Rob spends his days rotating the herd, moving fences and studying the land like it’s a living thing – because it is.
That brings us to the biggest challenge in their line of work: not enough land. According to Hannah, “There just isn’t enough pasture to feed a grass-fed herd year-round.” So they lease land, whatever they can get.
But it’s not so simple. “There are a lot of out-of-state landowners nearby,” she said. “Some use it for hunting. Others think they’re doing the right thing for the environment by just letting it sit.” But neglected fields don’t stay lush – they go wild, choked with thorns and weeds, doing good for no cow nor creature.
Still, they make it work, lease by lease and paddock by paddock. Rob moves the cows, not only to ensure that his herd has constant access to the most nutrient dense feed, but to prevent his cows from grazing his pasture down to nothing. Meanwhile, the pigs do their rooting and the chickens do their scratching, doing their part. It’s a delicate balance and every animal plays a role in the farm’s grand scheme.
Rob, influenced by the “Mission First, Men Always” mantra from his soldiering days, has made “Mission First, Meat Always” the Rocky Ridge credo. It’s not a life of ease. But it’s a life of meaning.
As Mark Twain once said, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” And at Rocky Ridge, the Squiers got started a long time ago and they’ve never looked back.
For more information visit rocky-ridgefarm.com.
