Gretsch Brothers Angus, LLC

Meet Your Rancher:

Tell us about getting started in the cattle business. What was that experience like and what were some of the challenges?

Fred worked in the poultry industry & Anne taught school when we started farming. Leaving our “jobs” we eventually grew our farm where we owned 10 poultry broiler houses and managed a nursery to finish hog farm as well as cattle. The entire family worked on the farm which included our 2 sons, Will and Zach, and two daughters, Abbey and Jaden.  We all loved the cattle side the best and eventually downsized the farm to just cattle. Challenges we faced were finding land to run cattle and of course there is always risk management challenges such as drought and market fluctuations.

Describe your favorite day on the farm

Everyday is the best when we are working alongside our family from sunup to sundown. It's also a joy to watch generations of genetics we’ve produced on the farm and when calving season starts.

What are the benefits of selecting strong genetic qualities for your herd?

It’s more profitable, easier to market, creates more demand for our product and in the end it provides a superior eating experience for the consumer, which increases the demand for beef.

What is the most rewarding thing about raising beef cattle?

One of the most rewarding things about raising beef cattle is sharing our experience with others. We enjoy having students in FFA programs and University of Georgia students coming to the farm. We also find value and reward in being good stewards of God’s resources.  

What makes your operation unique? 

Our family makes our operation unique.  We’re 1st generation cattle farmers and we’ve built this farm on our own.  It’s been a great place to raise our children, teaching them a strong work ethic and good values.  

What is your favorite cut of beef? 

Both of us love a good filet!

Some people think cattle producers do not consider animal care and humane handling when raising cattle. What do you think about this? Describe how you handle cattle and care for their needs on your farm.

Our cattle are like family.  They’re very docile and used to us being around them constantly. We spend time with our cattle by laying eyes on them every day.  If one is sick we know it immediately because we’re there and we treat them so they won’t suffer.  Every animal is provided with plenty to eat and water to drink. And being here in the south some good shade!  We make sure we have good facilities to work them that are safe for the cattle and the handler. 

Tell us about a normal day at your farm.

It’s always changing! It's a cycle of weather, calving season, weaning time, AI and breeding season, nutritional requirements, planting, cutting and baling hay and selling bulls.  It’s always changing which makes it interesting.  Up and out early feeding cattle, checking water troughs then on to other chores depending on the time of year.  There’s always something to do and something that doesn’t get done so then it’s on to the next day.  Not to mention the office work that needs attention too.  It’s a wonderful and fulfilling life we’ve been blessed to live. We thank God every day that He chose us to do a small part in feeding the world.