Occasional cattails line a ditch, and red-winged blackbirds roost nearby.
A bucolic farm appears that can be reached by a two-lane gravel driveway. To the left is a peaceful pond, and straight ahead are a couple of red barns and a big white farmhouse. Two black-spotted dogs wait, tails awagging, while kittens tumble in the dust.
This pastoral setting – complete with a lazy herd of cattle, happy hogs exploring a sloppy mud puddle and a large flock of light-brown laying hens – is Weber Ranch, home of Tony Weber and his wife, Michelle, both first-generation farmers. Their farm sells grass-fed beef and raises farrow-to-finish hogs, along with eggs, chickens and Thanksgiving turkeys. Everything is free range, and all the animals are moved around constantly to graze in different areas to keep the pasture healthy.
“We are stewards of the land,” says Weber, “and there are no concessions on how our animals are raised. We believe in fresh air, green grass and sunshine.”
Life wasn’t always this tranquil for Weber. A veteran of the United States Marines Corps, he enlisted at age 17, leaving his high school sweetheart, Michelle, back in Ohio. As a U.S. Marine, he served with the elite and demanding White House Military Office, providing security for the U.S. president during his travels at home and abroad. “Anywhere the president went, we went,” he says.
Following his military service, he earned a degree in forestry and worked out west for a few years before he and
Visits: 42
