Grass-fed and family-owned: Bachmann brothers partner with Brian Meyers at Three Spring Farms in Perry County

Editor's Note: A few inconsistencies in the spelling of a name have been corrected below. Three Spring Farms also was corrected in several photo captions.

Bryan Meyers felt farm soil for the first time while working on a farm for a brief stint in high school. He said there was something about the experience that stuck with him; something he appreciated. It was something he later found he had in common with Andrew and Jacob Bachmann.

After Meyers bought a farm in summer 2010, the three went to work establishing Three Spring Farms, a grass-fed cattle and poultry farm in Perryville, Missouri.

The Bachmann brothers come from a long line of farmers. Their father, Kevin Bachmann, still runs a farm that has been designated as a Missouri Century Farm, meaning it has been in the family for more than 100 years.

"It's been in our family for five generations," Jacob Bachmann says. "Farming is something we've always done."

A turkey flaps its wings as Andrew Bachmann picks it up at Three Spring Farms in Perry County, Missouri. (Laura Simon)

Kevin Bachmann says the boys had always wanted to be farmers and are now impressive ones in their own right.

"I help them out every once in a while with a fence or something, but they can pretty well handle it," Bachmann says of his sons.

Meyers bought his farm in 2010. The chief of thoracic surgery at Washington University knew he would need to spend most of his time in St. Louis, which meant he needed some reliable partners to handle the day-to-day operations at Three Spring Farms.

"It was close to the farm where we grew up," Jacob says. "He was looking for help. ... We felt like he would be someone we could work with and it's worked out pretty good."

"He brings a St. Louis marketing aspect," Andrew adds. "He's more of a people person and we work together really well."

The feeling is mutual.

"Andrew and Jacob are the only reason I'm able to farm," Meyers says. "They really know what they're doing. We complement each other's skills."

Three Spring Farms' goods are in high demand at the Kirkwood, Missouri, farmers' market and Local Harvest Grocery, as well as directly from their Perryville farm.

Heifers graze in a field at Three Spring Farms in Perry County, Missouri. (Laura Simon)

Meyers says the enthusiastic support from many of his contacts in the medical community for products sourced from a prairie-modeled farm has played a large role in Three Spring Farms' success.

"One of our biggest chunks of business comes from St. Louis. They're recognizing the benefits of our produce," Meyers says, though he doesn't undersell the value of community ties. "I'm basically selling to my neighbors."

He and the Bachmann brothers are happy to see the growing popularity.

"We were nervous when we first started out," Jacob says. "It was a pretty big leap of faith for me and Andrew, but it was pretty neat to realize we could really do this."

They say the venture started up with some initial trial-and-error, but the gamble paid off, and the combined 180 acres are now being farmed to capacity.

"I see the consumer being drawn to grass-fed for two reasons," Meyers says. "The first is for health and the second is for ethics. People like to know their food was grown responsibly."

Andrew remembers being caught off guard at first by the questions posed by customers at the farmers' market.

"The people we sell to are interested in the personal aspect of where their food comes from," he says. "It took some getting used to."

Their methods encourage regular exercise for the cattle, which keeps the meat leaner than traditional grain-fed, although it takes longer to bring the livestock to maturity.

"A typical grass-fed steer takes us about 24 months to raise, which is about six months longer than if you confine them and bring the food to them," Jacob says. "If you graze it properly so that half is grazed and the other half is preserved, the half of grass below the ground speeds recovery, builds stronger roots and is better for the land."

On top of leaner meat, their techniques lead to more robust pastures, which are in turn less susceptible to the effects of drought and runoff, which means a higher yield.

"We're still expanding and learning as we go," Meyers says.

But land is expensive, and grass-feeding requires a time-consuming care regimen for the cattle. Andrew says he remembers raising cattle growing up on their father's farm but their methods were much different. His brother agrees.

"It's harder," Jacob says simply. "You really have to pay more attention when they're completely grass-fed."

So instead of buying up new land, the plan is to start tending other farmers' fields for them, according to prairie-model farm practices.

"As our reputation gets going and people realize the benefits of how we treat our land, if someone else has land they want farmed, we can do that," he explains. "It's a win-win for a person with the right type of property and a willingness to work with us."

Andrew, Jacob and Bryan have seen the land become healthier since they started, helped by a USDA-backed program to help facilitate prairie-model farming practices.

"The first year was devoted to setting up for grass feeding," Meyers says. "We had to put in fresh grass, fenced off the stream and pond for ecological concerns and installed new water systems, so 2012 was the first time we had anything to sell."

Now that they've gained momentum, they hope to turn Three Spring Farms into a full-time operation.

"We'd like to get into more grocery stores," Jacob says. "People ask us all the time at the farmers' market where they can get our products."