Thank a Farmer: Royal View Farms about family, community

Jul. 22—The Fox family are bringing healthy, hormone-free beef to Cass County.

Royal View Farms is a relatively new operation from young local farmers.

There is Ross Fox, his brother Matt, their sister Katy Callaway and her husband Cole. They are all under the age of 40. They've taken the family farm, which began as a 40-acre patch 25 years ago, and grown it into three different operations.

Their parents, Doug and Nancy Fox, both died of cancer in the past 10 years. Nancy passed away in 2013. Doug in 2017. The lessons their parents were able to share have been more than enough for the Fox children to steadily build upon their farm: Don't give up during tough times; work hard.

"It's kind of all we've ever known, farming and beef cattle," Katy said. "We are just trying to expand on what they started and make our farm profitable and continue their legacy."

Expanding a legacy

There are three different entities at work on the farm. The first is Fox Brothers Ag, LLC. This entity grows corn and soybeans and offers custom farming services such as planting and harvesting.

The second entity is River Rock Organic Farms, which focuses on organic crops and hay.

Finally, there is Royal View Farms.

"Royal View Farms is the most recent one," said Ross Fox. "It is a cow and calf feedlot operation. We have crossbred Angus cattle. We've always had cattle but never really sold directly to the consumer."

The family began selling what beef they didn't use for themselves to friends and family. Then they started selling their product at farmers markets and online.

"We can sell bulk orders as far as quarters, halves and whole beef, but we also sell it individually by the cut as well," he said.

Royal View Farms is at the Lafayette Farmers' Market each Saturday and at the Logansport market the first Saturday of the month. Purchases can also be made online and via phone. Customers are able to set a time to pick up their order or the Fox family will work with them to deliver it.

Meat options range from patties, ground beef, brisket, ribs, roasts and steak.

"We've had pretty good success with the community," said Katy. "They've shown us a lot of support. We've been really busy at both farmers' market. We are thankful for that. It's easy to go to the store but our product is a lot better than what you will find at the store."

A different taste

Katy explained that many customers at the Lafayette Farmers Market have never experienced meat beyond what they purchase in a grocery store or a restaurant. So when they taste Royal View Farms meat they often return the next weekend with many questions.

"How does the beef taste so good?" they ask. "Why does it have more flavor?" they ask. "Why is the marbling better?" they ask.

"They are just blown away," she said. "They ask what we put in it but it's just our meat. People ask how to cook our steaks but you don't really need to jazz anything up too much. They are going to taste good if you cook them well."

The family said the taste comes from a variety of factors. There is the breed of cattle, how they are fed and raised, the environment they are in. The Fox family has created a low-stress setting for their cattle that includes ample space so that the cows can gather together or relax on their own. They also have winter shelter and plenty of feeder options so they aren't shoulder to shoulder fighting for food. And the food they eat is grown on the farm. The better environment leads to the better taste and better marbling.

"Marbling is fat but it's more of a melt-in-your mouth type of fat and not a tougher fat," said Cole Callaway, Katy's husband. "That's how a lot of the USDA grades on meat come out. It's based on the marbling of the meat. So the higher the marbling, the higher the grade.

They also don't use hormones, allowing their cattle to grow naturally. It normally takes a year to 15 months for a cow to grow to the right size and be ready to send to processing at Monon Meat Packing.

The turnaround is so fast that the beef comes back to Royal View Farms retaining its freshness. It's then frozen and vacuum-sealed. When it reaches customers at the farmers market only one or two days have passed.

And the family enjoys teaching their customers new ways to try the meat. They share recipes and tips on their social media accounts. But when it comes time to enjoy their own meal they often turn to their brother, Matt. Come holiday season, Matt can be as busy as a cook as he is a farmer.

Growing up farmers

Ross and Matt remember a lot of hard work growing up on the farm. But it was fun, they recall.

"We worked a lot and we definitely got a good work ethic from it," Ross said. "We had a lot of fun doing it, too. Especially Matt and I. We had a lot of friends who would come out and help us."

Their father would pay their friends as farm hands during the summer. Their mother would feed those friends.

"Mom took anybody and everybody in and she fed everybody," Ross said. "There was no stranger to her. She'd feed everybody and whatever they needed she'd take care of. That's what I remember the most. We were busy but we had a lot of fun doing it."

All four members of the family are Pioneer High School graduates. Ross, Matt and Cole earned degrees from Purdue's agriculture program. Katy played basketball at Ferris State University in Michigan and studied dental hygiene. She works as a dental hygienist in West Lafayette and does social media, marketing and bookkeeping for the farm. She also helps with the cattle when she has time.

Taking over the farm wasn't a shock to the family. They'd been taught well.

"They weren't just thrown into things," Katy said of her brothers. "They've been around the farm for years and years. Dad did a good job of letting them learn everything and let them start to make decisions when he couldn't make them."

Sense of community

Their parents took care of everyone, from work to warm meals.

It's hard not to see that same care and commitment in the Fox children.

"I guess the biggest thing is carrying on the family tradition, the family legacy," Ross said. "I feel like we have a pretty big role in the community."

Cole said helping families by providing a good nutritional product that the Fox family enjoys themselves is a good feeling.

"It's fun eating your own product," Ross said. "You know where it comes from and how hard you worked for it."

Katy added they try to keep prices at a level that families can afford.

And if things continue to go well, a storefront may be in the future. Until then, Royal View Farms and the Fox family will go the extra mile to bring healthy and tasty beef options to Cass County and beyond.

For more information or to place an order visit royalviewfarms.com.