Join Our Journey: Better Farming, Better Flavor

Spring has Sprung at Watson Farms

He is Risen! We hope you and your family are having a blessed Easter Sunday as we celebrate the hope and new life found in Christ.

A Spectacular Spring Farm Day

What a day we had yesterday! After all the planning and prep work, Spring Farm Day finally arrived, and the weather really cooperated with us. The turnout was fantastic.

Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes! You made my day.

The biggest hit of the day—besides the animals, of course—was definitely our new tour wagon. We’ve been working on a way to make the farm tours more accessible for everyone, and this new design provided easier loading although with the ground being hard, the ride was still a bit bumpy.. It was great to see so many families loaded up and headed out to see what we do.

The cattle herd had been spending most of their time at the very back of the property lately, but they decided to be cooperative for the event! They moved into a closer paddock just in time, so we were able to include them, the pigs, and the chickens in the full tour. There’s nothing quite like seeing those happy animals out on fresh grass to remind us why we farm the way we do.

Between the Easter egg hunt, the bounce house, and the corn tub, the kids stayed plenty busy while the adults enjoyed the food truck and visiting with our local vendors.

A Huge “Thank You” to the Team

We also want to send out a massive thank you to our incredible team. Our Farm Store was bustling all day long! Melody was at the helm, and Jay and Daniel  actually came in on their scheduled day off to make sure everything ran like clockwork. Judson, Melody’s husband, and Lisa, Daniel’s wife, even volunteered their time to jump in and help out where needed. We are truly blessed with people who care about this farm and our customers as much as we do.

Product Spotlight: Brand New Arrivals!

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to bring even more variety to your table, and we are excited to announce that several brand-new beef cuts are now live on the website! Whether you’re looking for a gourmet steak night or the ultimate burger blend, these new additions have you covered:

• Chuck Eye Steak (8 oz): Often called the “Poor Man’s Ribeye,” this cut is harvested from the same muscle group as the Ribeye. It delivers that signature tenderness and rich, beefy marbling at a price point that’s perfect for a high-quality weeknight dinner.
  
• Flat Iron Steak (8 oz): Known as the “Butcher’s Secret,” the Flat Iron is cut from the top blade of the chuck. It is prized for its deep, robust flavor and a uniform thickness that makes it one of the easiest steaks to cook perfectly even every time.
  
• Bottom Round Steak (12 oz Pack): This versatile, lean cut is a hardworking muscle that delivers deep, traditional beef flavor. Each pack contains two 6 oz steaks, making it a reliable staple for Swiss steak, quick stir-fries, or even homemade jerky.
  
• 70/30 Ground Beef (1 lb): If you believe flavor follows the fat, this is your blend. Crafted with 30% premium grass-fed fat, it’s the ultimate choice for juicy smash burgers or those following a Keto/Carnivore lifestyle.

Every one of these new items is 100% grass-fed and grass-finished, raised right here on our regenerative pastures without hormones or routine antibiotics.

Stock up today: Visit our Online Store to place an order for UPS delivery or stop by and see us at the farm store in Chester!

Happy Grazing,

Matt Watson

Check out this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review from Lucy:

“We love Watson Farms – we live in Aiken and made the decision to buy 1/2 cow plus whole fryers and a few other goodies. Filled up a 16cu ft freezer and half of a small chest freezer – and wow, what a great decision. Especially amazing has been the ground beef – flavor, texture and just can’t say enough good things about it!”

We would greatly appreciate it if you would be kind enough to leave us a review.  It helps first-time customers purchase with confidence.

Shipping Timeline and Store Hours

UPS Orders (all orders ship with insulation and dry ice):

UPS orders normally ship out on Mondays – Wednesdays.

Tracking: As usual, you will receive an automated email with a tracking link as soon as your order leaves the farm.

Farm Pickup (Always Free!):

If you are local, Farm Pickup is often the fastest way to get your products. Please wait until you receive an email stating that your order is Ready for Pickup (typically 1 business day after your order is placed) before heading over.

Farm Store & Pickup Hours:

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10:00am – 6:00pm
• Saturday: 10:00am – 2:00pm
• Wednesday & Sunday: Closed

Farm Store Address: 713 Colony Road, Chester, SC 29706

Tell a Friend!

It’s now easier than ever to Give $15 and Get $15 through our Referral Program. We don’t spend a lot of money of advertising, but rather we focus on producing products that people love and are willing to tell others about. So we depend on word of mouth to find new customers and ultimately to heal more land.

So in an effort to streamline this process we have made it easier to tell others (via email, Facebook, or Twitter) about Watson Farms. And it’s all automated on the backend, so you don’t have to rely on us to issue the store credits manually. Just head over to our Referrals Page and start sharing!

Start Sharing!

Thanks again for being partners in this endeavor of local, pasture-raised proteins that has truly transformed our farm.  We look forward to continuing this transition while serving you long into the future.

Sincerely,
The Watsons

Here’s the weekly roundup from Watson Farms and your direct connection to your farmer. Enjoy the latest edition of Pasture Posts!

Hi Friends,

If you’ve been following our farm for a while—specifically if you remember Pasture Posts #244—you know that we’ve been pretty vocal about the “labeling circus” in the meat industry. For years, big meatpackers could take a steer born and raised in South America, fly the beef to a U.S. facility, repackage it, and legally slap a “Product of USA” sticker on it.

It was misleading, it was unfair to American ranchers, and it was confusing for you.

The Good News (and the Catch)

As of January 1 of this year, that loophole is officially closed. The USDA’s new rule is finally in full effect. Now, if a company wants to use the “Product of USA” claim, that animal must be born, raised, slaughtered, and processed right here on American soil.

However, there’s a catch: this rule is voluntary. Big corporations aren’t required to tell you where the meat comes from—they just aren’t allowed to lie about it being American anymore. If you don’t see that specific label, you’re still often left in the dark.

Beyond the Label: The Working Farm Difference

While we’re glad the labels are catching up, there’s something a sticker can’t tell you. There is a world of difference between a “meat brand” that sits in an office and aggregates boxes, and a working family farm.

At Watson Farms, we aren’t just moving product; we are stewards of the land.

• Legacy & Conservation: This isn’t just a business plot; it’s 350 acres that my grandparents, Jim and Anna, started, and that we recently placed into a conservation easement to ensure it stays a farm forever.
• Hands-on Production: When we talk about our pastured poultry and pork, we aren’t just buying commodity feed from a corporate mill. We are milling our own non-GMO grain right here to ensure our animals get exactly what they need.
• Boots on the Ground: Whether it’s me fixing fences, my dad checking the herd, Kelly managing the office, or her parents helping out on Farm Days, we couldn’t do it alone. We are incredibly lucky to have 8 dedicated team members who might as well be part of the family. They are the ones out here with us every day in the pastures, the fulfillment room, and the Farm Store, making sure every animal is cared for and every order is handled with the same pride we have.

We do source cattle from a handful of trusted partner producers throughout the Southeast to keep up with demand, but these aren’t faceless corporations. These are fellow farmers we know personally who meet our strict 100% grass-fed and grass-finished standards.

When you buy from us, you aren’t just buying “Product of USA”—you’re supporting a local ecosystem that puts the health of the soil and the soul of the farm first.

Product Spotlight: Spring Into Savings with Bulk Beef

With the spring grass finally coming in lush and plentiful, it’s the perfect time of year to stock up on 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef. We are excited to announce that we have officially brought back our Half Beef Bundle, which offers the ultimate value with a $250 savings over individual retail cuts.

Here’s the weekly roundup from Watson Farms and your direct connection to your farmer. Enjoy the latest edition of Pasture Posts!

If you’ve visited us lately, you’ve likely seen the wide, flat stretches at the front of the farm. But as you go back toward the York County line, those flats give way to rolling hills leading to the creek bottom. This land has been the heartbeat of our family since my grandparents, Jim and Anna, first purchased it in 1979.

Today, as Noah and Abby grow up here, they represent the fourth generation of Watsons to call this soil home. But as we’ve watched the skyline of the Charlotte-metro area grow taller and the subdivisions of York County creep closer over the last 10 years, we realized that their future on this land wasn’t guaranteed by tradition alone.

A little over a year ago, our family—my parents, Gary and June, and Kelly, and myself—made it official. We partnered with the Farm Bureau Land Trust to put our entire 350-acre farm into a conservation easement.

What “Forever” Really Means

This was not a decision we made lightly or quickly. It involved a mountain of paperwork and a long, often laborious process with appraisers, attorneys, and our bank. But the result is simple: this land can never be anything but a farm.

By choosing this path, we were able to access conservation funding that helped us address “legacy debt” from our old turkey operation. But in the world of farming, the financial engine is always turning and requiring constant reinvestment. One of the greatest benefits of the easement is that it has allowed us to make needed investments—like the broiler expansion that we discussed last week—that will allow us to heal more land with your partnership.

The Truth About Farm Security

Many farmers avoid dealing directly with consumers, but we embrace it. (See the section below about Spring Farm Day!) We know that without your willingness to step out of the normal grocery store routine and shop with us, Watson Farms would cease to exist—with or without a conservation easement on the land.

In fact, as grateful as we are for the conservation easement, we know that customers like you provide more farm security across our country than easements ever will.