Two men. one shared vision.
Our Mission
Our mission is to produce the highest quality and best-tasting beef that is fed and finished exclusively on the sweetest-tasting grass to create a superior flavor profile. We strive for the greatest level of sustainability on our farm, by using regenerative farming methods. This regeneration of the land ensures premium health, tranquility and respect for our animals, employees, community and customers.
Why The Green Cow?
We believe our industry can do better. It’s no secret that, as U.S. beef production has grown to unprecedented levels, we’ve compromised many of the best practices handed down to us from generations before. Consumers deserve beef that is healthier and more nutritious than what mass-market products provide. Instead, we’ve created an environment where beef is raised from nothing but the grass, soil and sunlight as nature intended.
A Story of Authenticity
Our farm is the culmination of the vision of brothers-in-law Leigh Goehring and Doug Thompson, who are committed to producing the best tasting, most nutritious, Omega-3 fat rich, 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef. Together they are committed to continuing the rich, regenerative farming tradition of Herkimer and Otsego Counties in Upstate New York.
Leigh’s knowledge of global agriculture and food supply, combined with his passion for gardening, inspired his investment in a more natural and sustainable process of raising cattle. Doug Thompson left his corporate job to build G&T Farm, from the ground up. His approach was to listen to the local Otsego County community, across generations, that had the expertise in farming the land of the Richfield Springs region. To ensure that the G&T cattle were consuming the sweetest grass the team could grow, they brought in leading industry experts to grow and raise the sweet grass that today fuels the herd.
In 2009, the duo acquired their first parcel of land in Richfield Springs, NY, with its unique soil, known as honeoye (pronounced “honey-oy”), and the abundant natural spring water supply. These conditions allow for diverse grasses with healthy root structures to flourish across our rolling hills and pastures. In 2017, the farm added its own local USDA-certified abattoir, fulfilling the duo’s original vision to ensure that every tender, mouth-watering and nutritious cut of beef comes from cows that are bred, born, and raised and finished on our farm and prepared and shipped by our butchers.
Our Tranquil,
Nutrient Rich Location
Too Far to Visit,
But You Can Still Enjoy
You can enjoy a taste of our single origin NY state beef through our online butcher shop, where our butchers will prepare, vacuum seal and flash freeze your order. Orders ship directly from our abattoir one day a week (Tuesday), with two-day delivery, in most cases. Orders placed by 11:59pm on Saturday will be prepared and shipped the following Tuesday. Your order will arrive frozen, and can be placed in your freezer for up to one year. When you’re ready to prepare, simply thaw according to instruction.
THE GREEN COW STORE
Hours
Monday – Friday
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Phone
From Our Team to Your Plate
Thompson
Doug Thompson,
Co-Founder
Doug personally oversees all facets of our business, including grass-fed and grass-finished cattle experts, soil and pasture management, ranching, sustainability, and nutrition. He’s also on a mission to make sure that staff and community engagement remains a top cultural priority. Doug is not only committed to producing exceptionally-tasting and nutritious beef products for the customers he values, he is equally driven to treat the land, animals, employees, customers and community with the highest care and respect. Together with Leigh Goehring, he has proudly shaped our farm into a growing business that is committed to producing beef within mother nature’s image, as nature intended.
Goehring
Leigh Goehring,
Co-Founder
Fascinated with the lost science of animal husbandry, as practiced centuries ago, Leigh knew that he had found his calling. He became a student of cattle genetics, agroecology and sustainable agriculture and grass-fed and grass-finished livestock in beef provision. Then, with his brother-in-law, Doug Thompson and a team of experts by his side, a parcel of land in upstate New York was purchased, providing the perfect climate and soil conditions to grow their shared vision. The rest is history. Now, when he has a moment to himself, one of his favorite pastimes is taking his dogs for a walk around the pastures, taking in and appreciating the beauty of the farm and business that he, his partner and his team have pioneered.
FASSETT
Santana Fassett
Harris
Kathleen Harris
A lifelong farmer, Kathleen has an Agricultural degree from Penn State University. She has held positions as a livestock specialist for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and as the Processing and Marketing Coordinator for the Northeast Livestock Processing Service Company, where she interfaced with 15 livestock processing plants and 200 farmers. As a Livestock Processing and Marketing Specialist, Kathleen assists with the meat science aspects of the business and special projects.
Douglas
Tina Douglas
While our butchers are cutting meats, Tina is cutting checks. As the bookkeeper and payroll coordinator for the farm, Tina is familiar with all aspects of the daily finances and staff. She’s all about the green just as much as the cows are. As a former dairy farmer, Tina is passionate about agriculture and enjoys being able to be part of this operation and her additional roles in promoting Agriculture Education. With her love of Agriculture, this position enables Tina to be involved with the farm, watch the compassion her co-workers have for the animals and land, and see a high-quality product being grown.
Barnes
Tonya Barnes
As Director of Operations of our butchery, Tonya keeps our human herd trotting. Having held so many positions—from meat wrapper to office manager—she knows every nook and cranny of our butcher business. Today, she is responsible for maximizing all butchery resources. Tonya enjoys the challenge of coordinating operations and the staff to ensure that customer expectations are met—and exceeded—at the highest level of quality.
Karen Slowik
Karen keeps our customer service front-and-center, managing our retail store and online butcher shop. She ensures the customer is receiving the best service we can provide. Karen is a people person, who enjoys getting to know her customers, hearing how they are preparing and enjoying our products and taking the time to make them feel special. Before joining us at the farm, Karen spent 21 years running retail food service.
Joe Gould
It’s never a dull moment with Joe. One moment, he’ll be expertly crafting a beef cut, and the next, he’ll have everyone in a laughing fit from one of his jokes. From humble beginnings as a butcher in a small grocery store, Joe has honed his skills over the years, eventually finding his way to us. He’s keen on collaborating with his coworkers and takes great pride in seeing the fruits of his labors. Joe is a dependable and efficient member of our team, and you can always count on there being smiles abound when he’s around.
Neil Hadlock
Neil assists with meat wrapping, final trimming, and sanitation, so we’d say he knows a thing or two about beef. Neil grew up on a dairy farm, which helped develop his strong work ethic and vigilance. Armed with these values, Neil is an invaluable member of our team, and always ensures that the production goals are met in a timely, but thorough, fashion. One of his favorite perks working with us is our employee luncheons, where he can have a taste of his hard work.
Daniel Wentworth
Dan graduated from the Culinary Institute of American and has held many positions in food service that taught him the importance of maintaining the cold chain to ensure product integrity. He now uses his skills to coordinate our product transportation and refrigeration. Dan is thrilled to be part of a team that produces and processes such high-quality, nutrient-dense, grass-fed beef that contributes to the enjoyment, health and wellbeing of so many folks.
Gerald Marlette
Gerald is the primary sanitation person who ensures that our Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) are met and in compliance with the USDA. While Gerald is retired from his past careers on a farm and a feed mill, he couldn’t help but offer his talent with us. He loves his work and finds the daily hustle and bustle of our company enjoyable.
Ralph Alley
Ralph is our veteran butcher, and he’s seen it all. As a skilled meat cutter who’s been in the biz for over 45 years, Ralph is a source of endless wisdom. Ask him anything, and he’ll be more than happy to teach you step by step. Ralph is most passionate about being part of our Farm to Table philosophy, where the cattle are raised with natural and sustainable production methods, where they are humanely handled and processed, before being connected to our customers.
