About Us

Karen’s family history: One of my great great grandfathers, John Willis Willeford and his family moved to Upshur County about 1871. In the 1880 census, John is listed as deputy sheriff and served three terms. His son, William Lancaster Willeford was my great grandfather married to Maggie Black. My grandmother Gladys Willeford Loyd was the fourth of their eight children and it was her that piqued my interest in farming. John and Anna Smith, my other great, great grandparents received land in 1868, which is our bottom pasture. John was my Daddy’s great grandfather and he said he remembered him saying that there was so much bamboo river cane in the bottom pasture when they came, that it looked like ocean waves when the wind blew. We still maintain a small plot of the cane and some of our cows go there to have their calves. John and Anna moved to Gilmer, but their daughter, Dell remained and married George A. Loyd and lived on the part of the farm east of our home. My grandfather, Carl was a twin and they were the third and fourth children born of six to my great grandparents. Carl married my grandmother, Gladys and had my father, Jerry Carl Loyd. They began breeding Hereford cattle in the 1950s along with growing cotton, sweet potatoes and corn. Carl and Gladys introduced coastal Bermuda grass to Northeast Texas. Karen grew up raising Hereford cattle in the 1960s and 70s and had a few cattle of her own when she and Tim met.

Tim’s family history: Tim’s grandparents were raised on farms in the Lone Oak and Princeton areas where they raised primarily cotton as well as food crops. They eventually moved to Northeast Texas and Tim began farming early in life. He was drawn to the mechanics side of farming as much as cattle. He and his grandfather, Ward Warren Adair bought and sold tractors. Tim had two herds of cattle when he and Karen met. They maintained those two herds and one for an uncle for a couple years as well as helping with the herd on Karen’s family farm.

 Tim and Karen married and raised mixed breeds and Beefmaster cattle until 2016, when Karen’s father, Jerry decided to sell his herd. They decided to begin raising Beefalo cattle for the delicious taste and a healthier red meat choice. They have a built a herd of 75 to 80 Beefalo and are now expecting up to 35 calves to be born this year and the processing of ten or more steers.