Meet PCG Member – Shelley Proffitt-Eagan: Changing North Carolina Beef Farming

Ask PCG Professional Member Shelley Proffitt-Eagan whether it’s possible to educate yourself and develop a love for farming as a second career, she’ll give you an enthusiastic, “Yes!”

In a typical male-dominated industry, she is one of a growing number of female farm operators in North Carolina. Her farm, Proffitt Family Cattle Company, is one of few that is a USDA-certified organic, 100% grass-fed beef farm.

Proffitt-Eagan has only been farming ten years. Prior to that, she was a schoolteacher in suburban Colorado. She did know a little bit about agriculture. She grew up in rural North Carolina. But it wasn’t until her father became invested and interested in farming himself that Shelley found her own passion.

“My parents bought property in Kings Mountain. Dad had been reading about cows and acquiring them because he was always interested in farming,” she says. “When we moved back to North Carolina in 2008, I had trouble getting a position in the local school system, so I started helping dad with the cows every day,” she shares. Not finding that position in the school system was a blessing in disguise and led her to where she is now.

“Ironically, I had been a vegetarian for eight years before getting involved with dad’s beef farm. I had no plans to get into farming, but I learned quickly and developed a passion for it. Before I knew it, I was all in.”

Proffitt-Eagan and her father did things their own way. Their “own way” was different from the norm. Traditionally, farmers weened calves off their mothers when they were 6-7 months old. Soon after, they would go to a mass stocker operation to gain weight, often receiving steroids to do so.

Shelley and her father didn’t want to play a part in that system, but they did want to continue raising calves and cows. Instead of sending calves to a stocker operation, they continued to feed calves 100% grass and organic minerals – no chemicals and no pharmaceuticals. To do so, Proffitt-Eagan and her father leased more land and grass so their cattle could be born and raised on purely organic pastures.

“When I look back now, I’m grateful I had no preconceived notions about how I was supposed to do things,” she shares. “No one had been telling me how to raise cows for the last 20 years, so dad and I just found our own way.”

Obtaining “grass fed” and 100% Organic Certification is no easy task. While the USDA has made it increasingly difficult to receive and maintain organic certification, the Proffitt Family Cattle Company continues to abide by those regulations year after year.

They currently have 350 acres of land and grass for cows to roam upon and graze.

An important distinction for the Proffitt Family Cattle Company is that all animals are born on the farm, so they are never exposed to grains or chemicals. Cows are bred with bulls to produce calves, and the calves stay with the cows until they are safely weaned around 7-9 months.

The calves are then moved to a separate part of property (the “yearling” property), where they have access to grass until they are 15-20 months old. Next up is the “finishing grass,” which is where the calves are primed in the fattening phase before slaughtering, which makes a tastier, more tender product.

Calves are never fed corn or grain. These extra steps are demanding but important to Shelley and her father. One of the challenges they face is that “grass fed” is not an FDA-regulated term.

“To me, ‘grass fed’ means that our cows aren’t eating anything besides grass grown from the ground and hay, which we make on the farm. That’s the product I want to raise, the product I want to eat, and how I choose to feed my family.”

Proffitt-Eagan took her first grass fed meat products to the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market in 2009. Upon returning the following weekend, customers were lined up to buy more beef, and it’s been like that ever since.

“Shelley is great at the market,” adds fellow PCG member, Christy Underwood. “She gets that we’re all in this together. As farmers and consumers, we all want to do better and eat better.”

Proffitt-Eagan first met Kris Reid, Executive Director of Piedmont Culinary Guild, in 2009. “She was the first chef to ever buy our meat and she gave us some great feedback. At that point, I wasn’t aware how our meat compared to conventional meat,” Proffitt-Eagan shares.

Proffitt-Eagan kept in touch with Reid and later joined the PCG, crediting them for creating networking opportunities and enabling her the opportunity to get local products in restaurants.

“I love having contacts with chefs and the whole philosophy behind PCG. It’s an amazing resource to have.”

What makes the PCG such a great resource is its diverse members. “With so many growers in our area, Shelley comes at it with a true intention to provide a superb product, not just in taste but in terms how a product is raised and the environmental impact,” adds Reid. “People look to her and her authority on the topic of grass-fed beef. She has a strong voice that people listen to.”

Christy Underwood agrees. “Shelley is truly impacting farming in North Carolina. She knows her cows, her grass, and her business. She is an amazing example of what it takes to be a farmer and entrepreneur, and just an overall great person.”

You can find Proffitt Family Cattle Co at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market on weekends as well as Matthews Farmers Market on Saturdays. You can also buy beef on site at the farm in Kings Mountain during the week.

It’s obvious Proffitt-Eagan is a hard worker, but having fun and spending time with her husband and two children always takes the higher priority. “I’m not a very serious person unless we’re talking about cows,” she jokes. “Quality of life is important to me. I’m stressed if I’m not home to cook dinner.”

While the farming life is a hard one, Shelley wouldn’t have it any other way. “Life is short and precious,” she shares. “While the bad days on a farm are worse than any day in a business office, the good days are infinitely better. We’re creating a great product for people.”

Profile written by Sarah Schlichter