Meet cattle rancher Sam Burton-Taylor. His farm, Kenny’s Creek, runs approximately 20,000 head of black Angus cattle on four properties in southern New South Wales and northern Queensland, Australia. He specializes in naturally raised beef that’s 100-percent grassfed with no added hormones or antibiotics—something he’s passionate about. “Grassfed is just better all around,” he says. “It’s better for the environment, better for the animals and better for consumers."
While Sam is a fourth-generation farmer, his passion for the farm came later in life. He previously had a successful corporate career in Sydney, but decided to swap it for life as a cattle rancher. In 2010, Sam and his wife, Nikki, bought the butcher shop where his grandfather once worked in rural New South Wales. He sold the shop last year, but what he learned from his customers was invaluable—and it’s led to him to sharpen the family’s focus on raising cattle as naturally and sustainably as possible.
Sam says, “People today want to know where their beef is coming from, that it was treated humanely and what it was raised on. While full traceability is the law of the land in Australia, and grass feeding is common practice, we weren’t drawing attention to it.”
“When we brought our story to the front of the store, it resonated with our customers,” he says. “I also believe people want beef to taste like beef, with a more full-flavored, natural beef taste. When you bite into a steak, you should know you’re eating meat.”