CLYDE, Ohio – For many in Ohio, farming is a way of life that has been passed down through generations. But for Alexis Payne and her enterprise, AP Cattle Co., a small but growing beef business, it’s a passion discovered through marriage and cultivated by a desire to bring high-quality, locally raised beef directly to consumers.

Mark and Gail Payne, her husband Dustin’s parents, own and operate Margail Farms in Clyde. The Holstein cattle farm spurred Alexis’ desire to do something different with the available resources.

“I married into the farming family,” Payne said, describing a venture that began with her wanting to start her own business. She approached her father-in-law, a veteran cattle farmer, and asked his thoughts on possibly starting her own herd, with the intention of making local beef more accessible to people.

In 2022, still feeling the effects of the pandemic’s impact on food supply chains, she saw an opportunity.

Her approach is collaborative. Working with her father-in-law, she buys calves from his herd – usually purebred Holsteins, sometimes beef crosses – and she feeds them out with a focus on quality and sustainability. “He looked at what he already had, and he would set aside a few for my business,” Payne said about purchasing cattle from her father-in-law.

Payne processed 15 head of cattle in her first year, and continues to make slight increases every year. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” she added, noting that growth has been steady but measured. “I would definitely love to increase the scale of the business, but it’s tough with the cattle markets right now. Things have been really great the way they are.”

Like many small-scale farmers, Payne juggles her business with a full-time job off the farm. “I work at a grain elevator, so during harvest I can be there seven days a week, 12 hours a day,” she said. Her work schedule comes with challenges, especially when it comes to serving her beef customers. “I wish I could just drop everything and help a customer, but it’s not always realistic,” she said. Still, Payne finds that most people are understanding, and she takes pride in the quick turnaround she can offer on orders.

Moving a calf to market takes about 18 months, and Payne cycles cattle to slaughter every other month, providing a steady supply to her customers. Payne explained that Holstein beef is naturally lean and finishes well on a good diet. “We’ve really got it dialed in,” she said. “They marble out extremely well.”

Payne sells her beef primarily through online orders and at the Sandusky Farmers’ Market from June to September. AP Cattle Co. doesn’t have a retail storefront, but regular customers know they can place orders on Payne’s website and arrange for pickups at her business location. “A lot of it has been word of mouth,” she explains. “But I do Facebook, I’m a member of Ohio Proud and my local chamber of commerce, and I sponsor local ag events like the county fair.”

Her marketing is intentional and thoughtful – she’s cautious about growing her business too quickly – but she’s looking to expand as she gains confidence and capacity. “I’d love to scale it up,” she said, “but the uncertainty is a lot to take on. That’s why I have so much respect for farmers who do this full time.”

Tailoring the business to consumer needs has been a learning process for Payne. “It’s kind of a guessing game of what your customers are going to want, and in the beginning, it was really difficult,” she said. “I got every single cut taken out I could get to try to maximize profitability.”

Payne quickly learned that some cuts of meat don’t sell as well as others, and customers typically prefer specific cuts. “For example, roasts move more slowly, and some people only want steaks,” she said. Now, she tweaks her inventory, getting specific cuts, to meet consumer needs.

In the future, Payne hopes to dedicate herself full time to the business. But for now, she is content with the stability her off-farm job provides and the sense of purpose her side business brings.

Looking down the road, Payne’s commitment is clear: provide local, quality beef while staying connected to customers and the community. “I just want to keep making local beef accessible and keep learning as I go,” she said.