About Us - Flight Path Farms

Flight Path Farms is a 40 acre farm located in northeastern Ohio where we raise registered Beefalo. More importantly, it is our home. We are considered to be a "hobby farm" because both Natalie and I work full time off the farm.

How the Farm got its name
Flight Path Farms came to be in January 1998 about 1 week after we were married and moved to our first farm. Flight Path Farms #1 was a great 4 acre mini-farm where we boarded and raised Percheron Draft Horses. Every morning and every evening an enormous flock of Canada Geese would fly directly over the house. The overflights were so regular, you could almost tell time by them. As it turns out, we were also in the flight path for our local airport. And hence the name was born.

The "New" Farm
Once we realized that living a rural lifestyle was our cup of tea, and we settled in to keeping the horses, we started to realize that we really wanted to expand our ability to raise animals. That realization led us on a quest for "property" that lasted about 4 years. We looked at big farms and small farms, empty fields and woodlots, and never really found what we were looking for. Then, in January 2004, after deciding to remodel our house and stay for another 3 years, we found a beautiful piece of property about a mile from where we were living. The property had a great house, horse barn, cattle barn, equipment building, hay barn, and 27 acres of fenced pasture. BONUS! Oh yeah, and there was a great herd of Beefalo already on the farm. So, we bought the farm, so to speak, and moved in July 4, 2004.

A Lifestyle
Living on a farm of any size is a lifestyle. Sometimes it is a job, but mostly it is a lifestyle defined by family, friends, hard work, and dedication. The biggest reason we chose to live on a farm and raise Beefalo is because of the lifestyle. Where else can you be challenged . . . and rewarded every day. Some days the challenges are physical and require strength and stamina to fix the fence, move the hay, or haul the feed. Other times the challenge is mental. The rewards are both obvious, as you see progress at the end of each day, and subtle, like watching a newborn calf with its mother.

A Connection to the animals
Natalie and I have both always had strong connections to animals. In addition to the lifestyle choice, our connection to the animals is a major driving force behind our desire to live on a farm. There is something truly remarkable about the intelligence, instinct, and adaptability of animals.

I can't begin to tell you the number of different pets I have had in my life. In fact, I'm not sure I could even tell you the number of pets we currently have, but here goes. Cinder - Percheron Draft Horse Brood Mare Boombalatte - house cat Dartagnon "Dart" - the old dog Jake - Yellow Labrador Ellwood - Yellow Labrador Yellow Belly - Natalie's Turtle Babe (kitten) - I want to be a house cat when I grow up And about 12 or 20 barn cats We are fortunate to be able to keep our animals

The Vision

A Red Tractor Farm
Every farmer has their favorite tractor. At Flight Path Farms, we like red tractors. Our current fleet (and I use the word "fleet" loosely) includes a 2004 Case JX95 and a 1952 Case SC. The JX95 helps us keep up with the daily chores associated with raising cattle. The SC is a sometimes running restoration project that may someday become a reliable contributor around here.