Quiet and cattle don’t usually go together, unless you’re at Heritage Farms in Jefferson Township, Whitley County.
Owner Pete Eshelman says serenity is necessary to properly raise his Japanese Wagyu livestock, which food experts call some of the finest-tasting beef around.
“A relaxed, stress-free atmosphere results in a more tender meat,” said Eshelman, a farmer and businessman who also owns the upscale Joseph Decuis restaurant in Roanoke.
“A good steak dinner in New York would cost you about a hundred bucks, but with us it’s $58. That’s because there are no (middlemen to pay). We are farm to fork.”
For his innovation and dedication to farming, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture named Eshelman a “certified livestock producer.” Several state officials and lawmakers attended an award presentation Wednesday at his 200-acre farm.
To earn the designation, Eshelman voluntarily enrolled in a program that required meeting industry standards in environmental protection, animal health, biosecurity, emergency planning and good neighbor relations.
With a mixed livestock herd of 100, Eshelman and his wife, Alice, opened their restaurant in 2000 and began selling Wagyu products a few years later.
Eshelman credits his approach to raising cattle to Shogo Takeda, a Japanese farmer who many say pioneered the method.
“He comes and visits at least once a year,” Eshelman said. “He doesn’t treat cattle like cattle.”
Takeda stresses strict, natural and humane practices. To maintain tranquil surroundings, visitors to the farm are seldom allowed.
Heritage Farms is one of three Wagyu producers in the state, according to the American Wagyu Association’s Web site.
Another way to keep the peace – excluding the clamor of chickens, roosters and turkeys that Eshelman raises – is the playing of classical and country music and audio recordings of early major-league baseball games in the barns. The former New York Yankees minor-league pitcher swears the cattle “love it.”
Eshelman’s farm-to-fork method clearly shows the link between the farm and what people eat, said Joe Kelsay, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.
“It’s great what they’re doing,” he said. “I mean, it’s not every day that the person who sells you a steak also raised it. Heritage Farms is especially unique in that respect.”
