Meet TL Cattle Co.

One of the biggest things I've learned since I started trying to grow my own food is that producing food isn't necessarily the hard part.

Producing it consistently, affordably, and in a way that makes financial sense is where things get complicated.

And that's a problem whether you're growing vegetables in your backyard or raising cattle on hundreds of acres.

But what if we could help farmers reduce the cost of producing food by getting more out of the land they already have?

That's something I've started working on with my sister and brother-in-law at their cattle farm in Bell City, Louisiana.

And it's a big part of what I'm trying to accomplish through Bon Vivre.

It Started With Wanting Better Food

If you've followed me for a while, you probably know that all of this started because I wanted better food for myself and my family.

I started learning how to garden, which eventually led me to learning about soil, farming, and how our food is produced.

And somewhere along the way, I talked my sister, Konner, into starting a garden of her own.

I wanted her to be able to grow some of the food her family eats and give her kids the opportunity to grow up knowing where their food comes from.

Well, apparently she took that pretty seriously.

Because now she's growing more food than I am.

And it's not even close.

I was supposed to be the one teaching her how to garden, and now she's absolutely blowing my production out of the water.

But that's exactly what I want to see happen.

Families learning to produce some of their own food, gaining confidence, and realizing they don't have to depend on a grocery store for absolutely everything they eat.

Of course, most families aren't going to raise cattle in their backyard.

And that's where local farmers come in.

The Other Side of the Equation

My brother-in-law, Thomas Leonards, has been raising cattle his entire life.

He and Konner, along with their son Luke and daughter Louise, operate TL Cattle Co., a family cattle farm in Bell City, Louisiana.

Thomas raises Brangus-cross cattle on pasture, and recently we've started working together to change how those pastures are managed.

But we're not making these changes just because we want greener grass.

We're doing it because grass is one of the most important resources a cattle producer has.

And if we can help farmers grow more usable forage while reducing the need for purchased feed and other inputs, we may be able to help them lower their production costs.

That's important because a farmer can't continue producing food for the community if they can't afford to stay in business.

Growing Grass Instead of Buying Feed

One of the first things we did was divide some of the larger pastures into smaller paddocks.

This gives Thomas more control over where his cattle graze and how long the grass gets to recover before the herd returns.

Think about what happens when you mow your yard.

If you cut the grass too short and keep cutting it before it has time to recover, it can struggle to grow.

Pasture plants respond to repeated grazing pressure in a similar way.

By moving cattle between paddocks and allowing adequate recovery time, we're trying to maintain stronger plants and grow more usable forage from the land Thomas already has.

We've also started applying microbial inputs, including compost tea, as part of our efforts to improve soil management.

We're interested in whether these applications can help, but we still need to evaluate their results. Compost tea isn't a proven substitute for good grazing management or necessary soil nutrients.

Our goal is to build a system where healthy, productive pastures provide more of the cattle's nutritional needs.

Because every additional pound of usable forage that can replace purchased feed has the potential to improve the economics of the farm.

That doesn't mean the grass is free. Land, labor, fencing, water, and pasture maintenance still cost money.

But it does mean there may be opportunities to produce more food with fewer purchased inputs.

And that's what we're trying to demonstrate.

What Good Is Better Food If You Can't Get It?

Here's something I've realized throughout this whole process.

Even if someone wants to buy better food for their family, that doesn't mean they can actually find it.

And I'm not just talking about the price.

You could have plenty of money to spend on food and still have a hard time finding a local farmer who produces what you're looking for.

And even when you do find one, buying from them isn't always convenient.

Maybe you have to purchase half a cow when you only need a few pounds of ground beef.

Maybe you have to drive an hour to pick it up.

Or maybe you don't even know where to begin looking.

Meanwhile, there are farmers throughout our communities who would love to sell more of what they produce, but they face their own challenges.

They need to produce food profitably, find dependable customers, and figure out how to get their products into people's hands.

And that's when something clicked for me.

We don't just need more people who want better food. We need to make it easier for farmers to produce it and easier for families to buy it.

That's where I believe Bon Vivre can make a difference.

On one side, we're working with farmers like Thomas to explore ways to improve their land management, increase forage production, and reduce unnecessary expenses.

On the other, we're making locally raised beef available to families in quantities they can actually use, without requiring them to buy another freezer or drive all over Southwest Louisiana.

And we're helping families learn to grow some of their own food, too.

Because the ultimate goal isn't to convince everyone to buy everything from Bon Vivre.

It's to help create communities where people have real choices about where their food comes from.

Where local food isn't something you have to go out of your way to find.

It's simply another convenient option for feeding your family.

Making Small Farms Viable Again

One of the things that concerns me most about our food system is how difficult it can be for smaller farms to compete.

Farmers have to deal with equipment costs, land expenses, purchased inputs, unpredictable weather, and changing markets.

And even when they're good at producing food, they still need a reliable way to sell it profitably.

I believe there's an opportunity to help address both sides of that problem.

Help farmers improve their production practices so they can reduce unnecessary expenses.

And help those same farmers connect directly with local families who want to buy what they're producing.

That's what I want Bon Vivre to help accomplish.

Not just selling local beef or helping someone build a garden.

But helping create a system where local food production makes sense for both the people growing it and the people buying it.

Bringing Back Independent Communities

There was a time when more families grew some of their own food and knew the farmers who produced the rest.

I'm not suggesting we need to abandon modern technology or go back to doing everything the hard way.

Quite the opposite.

I think we should use what we know today to make local food production easier, more efficient, and more accessible than ever before.

Imagine communities where backyard gardens are common, local farms are profitable, and families have dependable access to food produced close to home.

Where farmers aren't forced to rely on increasingly expensive inputs just to stay productive.

And where more of the money families spend on food stays in their own communities.

That's the kind of future I'm working toward.

And it starts with projects like the one we're doing at TL Cattle Co.

We're still early in the process, but I'll be sharing what we're doing, what we learn, and whether these changes actually improve the farm's productivity and economics.

Because if we can demonstrate that these practices work, maybe we can help other farmers do the same.

And that's how we start rebuilding stronger, more independent communities.

Want to be part of it?

At Bon Vivre, we're helping Southwest Louisiana families grow more of their own food, connect with local producers, and support the farmers working to make local agriculture viable.

Whether you want to start your first garden or bring locally raised beef to your family's table, you can explore what we're building at Bon Vivre.