October 4, 2018 - 10:53am -- ball.2129@osu.edu

 “Meet your Meat”: these are the words Tony and Michelle of Weber Ranch live by and is the exact experience individuals will get when they visit the farm. Located in Wayne, Ohio, Weber Ranch has been providing an authentic alternative to the meat industry by raising grass fed beef, free range eggs, and pasture raised chicken and pork. The spacious farm offers ample space for the livestock to roam free and keep moving which creates an environment where there is no need for antibiotics or hormones. Weber Ranch strives to improve, encourage, strengthen and promote life in not only their animals but their customers as well.

Both Tony and Michelle were raised in Perrysburg, OH, surprisingly neither to farming families. It wasn’t until moving out West to Montana that they experienced large scale farmers’ markets and the local food movement that changed the way they looked at their food supply. While living in Montana for six years, the couple immersed themselves in the local food evolution and learned to preserve their food. From there they started to educate themselves on sustainable agriculture, and the outcome…Weber Ranch! The two packed up their lives out West and made the move back to Northwest Ohio with the dream of starting a farm with a strong Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) focus. They planted their roots in a beautiful, historic farm in Wayne, Ohio and since then have not looked back. Five years later their CSA is flourishing!

Weber Ranch offers bulk chicken, pork, and beef, in both large and small scale shares, eggs, and turkeys around Thanksgiving. They maintain an online buying club where individuals can create a free account and browse through a large selection of products. Individuals can add the items to their cart and pick a date and time at one of their many pick-up locations in and around Toledo. An assortment of honey is also available for purchase as beehives are maintained by a friend of the couple on the farm.

Tony and Michelle jumped at an opportunity to provide clean meat that is not questionable in an area that does not have many alternatives besides purchasing meat from a grocery store. “Food is supposed to be integrated into everyday life and I love teaching others while learning from them as well” says Michelle. Being able to “meet your meat” is a large focus on the farm. They love when customers come and visit to see what the animals are fed, watch them play, and see how healthy and happy they are. Knowing your food is important to many in the community and Weber Ranch offers this exact experience whether individuals purchase directly from them or enjoy their products from one of the many partnerships around the area.

Weber Ranch works with other local farmers such as So Bee Honey and Shared Legacy Farms. So Bee Honey houses their beehives on the ranch which provide health benefits to the farm as a whole, and sells it through their site. Shared Legacy Farms uses supplies of Weber Ranch’s free-range eggs in their CSA shares. This strong support of other local farms is another quality that is very important to Weber Ranch. Aside from other local farms, Weber Ranch supplies local restaurants with fresh, pasture-raised food. These restaurants include Fowl and Fodder and Element 112.

Weber Ranch has a big community presence and enjoys hosting groups on the farm. In the past they have hosted 4-H groups, FFA classes, and Girl Scout troops. Tony expressed his love of educating individuals who want to have a hand in agriculture but feel like they can’t due to not growing up on a family farm. He wants children and youth to know that you can be self-made and provide people with an alternative to traditional commodity farming, just has he and his wife have done.

Weber Ranch is active on social media, including Facebook and Instagram. These platforms can allow community members to engage with the farm and stay up to date on events, such as farm-to-table dinners and yoga on the farm (which is starting us this summer). While Tony and Michelle love to have individuals come out to the farm to either tour or pick-up their products, they do offer other pick-up locations around Toledo. These pick-up locations include Perrysburg, Sylvania, and Waterville. If you are interested in being a part of the Weber Ranch buying club head to  https://weberranchllc.com/how-it-works for more information.