Our Family

Grandfather Roy was an avid sportsman living in Catonsville with his wife, Erna, and two children. He loved to hunt and, on one of his frequent trips to Frederick County in October 1941, he purchased the farm. With the war and the uncertainty of living in close proximity to eastern harbors, he moved the family to the farm in ‘42. Much of the land had been plowed to grow corn and wheat, back before the days of good conservation practices. In order to save the land from eroding away, he established pastures on the steep hillsides and continued to farm the remaining level acreage.

In the late 60’s, his daughter, Shirley, and her husband, Ed, took over the farm and continued to pasture cattle and horses and rent out the crop ground to local farmers. In 1990, their son, Steve, and his wife, Ruth Ann, began managing the farm. They became interested in the “new” practice of managed rotational grazing, realizing that the topography of the farm was not suitable for crops. They planted the entire farm in grass and implemented soil and water conservation practices including; rotational grazing, pasture seeding, spring trough development, water runoff management, a roofed winter feeding facility , and a newly planted riparian restoration project which included concrete creek crossings and stream bank fencing. All of these practices are designed to improve soil and water quality.

Steve, a veterinarian in Frederick County, and Ruth Ann have been raising cattle and selling grass-fed beef since 1998 as “Ruth Ann’s Garden Style Beef.” In 2017, they had an exciting opportunity to began raising sheep and selling grass-fed lamb. Today, they continue to raise both cattle and sheep and work in partnership with local butchers to provide the highest quality, premium grass fed meats.

Although their name has changed to Johnsville Meadows Farm, their practices and love for their animals has not. Steve and Ruth Ann have always managed the pastures using organic practices that exclude all commercial fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides. The animals are raised the same way with no grain, antibiotics, or growth promoting hormones. We hope you give it a try and see what a difference caring for your land and animals makes in the quality of the product!