Author: Matt

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Pasture Posts #253

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

The 2026 Protein Reset: Fueling Your Goals with Integrity

Dear Friends,

As the calendar turns to 2026, many of us are looking at our plates with fresh eyes. Whether it’s a resolution to feel more energetic, a commitment to a clean-eating protocol, or simply a desire to cut out the “fillers” we consume, the New Year always brings a sense of a “reset.”

But here at Watson Farms, we’ve noticed a trend. Every January, the “Big Food” marketing machine kicks into high gear. They’ll try to sell you highly processed “health” shakes, synthetic bars, and meat with labels that require a law degree to decode.

We believe there’s a better way to reset. It doesn’t involve a lab; it involves a pasture.

Clean Fuel for a Focused Year

When we talk about a “Protein Reset,” we’re talking about returning to the basics. Your body doesn’t just need protein; it needs bioavailable nutrition that hasn’t been compromised by grain-finishing or industrial shortcuts.

Here is why 100% grass-fed beef and pastured pork and poultry are the ultimate “fuel” for your 2026 goals:

Continue reading Pasture Posts #253
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Pasture Posts #252

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

Pigs, Parades, and Christmas Preparations

A Christmas Tradition in Lowrys

If you’ve lived in our neck of the woods for any length of time, you know that the Lowrys Christmas Parade is no ordinary event. It’s a step back in time, a celebration of rural life, and a gathering that seems to grow larger every single year. This past weekend was no exception, with thousands of people lining the streets!

One of the things that makes the Lowrys parade so special is its “horses and tractors only” rule. There’s something truly nostalgic about the sound of old engines and the clip-clop of hooves instead of the usual sirens and modern trucks.

As has become a tradition for us, Watson Farms was proud to have a float in the lineup. This year, we decided to give the crowd a little glimpse of farm life by pulling our hog cart behind the tractor, complete with four of our little pigs. It was a joy to see the faces of the children (and the adults!) light up as they saw the pigs rooting around. Noah stayed busy in the back section of the cart, making sure no one left empty-handed as he threw out plenty of candy to the massive crowd.

We even won Best of Parade – Farm Animal!

The weather couldn’t have been better, and it was a great reminder of why we do what we do. While we don’t get off the farm a whole lot during busy periods like this, getting to interact with so many of you in our community—and seeing the excitement for our animals—is a highlight of our holiday season.

Important Holiday Shipping Update

As we move into the final days of the year, we want to make sure everyone is aware of our shipping schedule so you can plan your meals accordingly.

With the upcoming UPS holiday schedule and the high volume of orders, we want to ensure every package arrives fresh and on time. Our shipping capacity for Monday, Dec. 22 has been reached.

  • Current Shipping Status: Any orders placed now will not ship until the week of January 5, 2026.
  • Farm Pickup: While UPS shipping is taking a brief holiday break, Farm Pickup is still available! This is a great option if you need to stock up on grass-fed beef, pastured pork, or pastured chicken for your New Year’s celebrations.
  • Resuming: We will return to our regular shipping schedule the week of January 5 and will work hard to get all accumulated orders out to you as quickly as possible.

You can read the full details of our holiday update here.

Merry Christmas from the Watsons

From our family to yours, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas. This season is a time for us to reflect on our blessings, and near the top of that list is the support you show our farm throughout the year.

Whether you’ve been with us since our early days of only selling beef or you just found us this year, thank you for choosing to put nutrient-dense, regeneratively raised meat on your family’s table. We hope your holiday is filled with good food, great company, and the joy of the season.

Merry Christmas!

Matt and the whole crew at Watson Farms

Check out this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review from Elena:

“We moved to Greenville last year. One of the biggest blessings has been finding Watson Farms. My husband and I were vegetarians and have returned to meat protein, but we only eat animals humanely raised by Watson Farms. They are our go-to. The difference between their meat and industrial meats is incredible. It is fresh, odorless and phenomenal quality. Great taste. Please don’t finance industrial farming and their horrific practices. Support your local farmer. Support Watson Farms. They are ethical and caring. Their animals live good lives.”

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

Check out our Reviews Page!

Shipping Timeline and Store Hours

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

Current Status: Our capacity for shipping on Monday, Dec. 22 has been reached so any orders placed after 2pm on Friday, Dec. 19 will not ship until the week of Jan. 5. We are also not shipping any two-day ground shipments on Monday, Dec. 22 to avoid any problems with delays.

Resuming: We will resume our regular shipping schedule the week of January 5, 2026, and will do our best to ship out all orders that accumulated over the break in the three days of normal shipping that week (Jan. 5, 6, or 7).

You are still welcome to place orders on the website over the holidays! Just please keep in mind that they will not leave the farm until the week of the Jan 5.

You may, of course, place orders for Farm Pickup which is a great option during these shipping disruptions. See our Farm Store/Farm Pickup schedule below.

Farm Pickup (Always Free!): Please wait until you receive an email stating that your order is ready to be picked up (usually 1 business day from when you place your order). Farm pickup is done during store hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10am to 6pm
Saturday: 10am to 2pm
Closed Sunday and Wednesday

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

Pasture Posts is written and/or edited by Matt Watson.

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Important Holiday Shipping Update

To ensure your meats arrive safely and stay frozen, we are modifying our shipping schedule until Jan. 5, 2026. With the upcoming UPS holiday schedule, we want to avoid any risk of your order getting delayed in a warehouse over Christmas or New Year’s.

Here is the plan:

  • Current Status: Our capacity for shipping on Monday, Dec. 22 has been reached so any orders placed after 2pm on Friday, Dec. 19 will not ship until the week of Jan. 5. We are also not shipping any two-day ground shipments on Monday, Dec. 22 to avoid any problems with delays.
  • Resuming: We will resume our regular shipping schedule the week of January 5, 2026, and will do our best to ship out all orders that accumulated over the break in the three days of normal shipping that week (Jan. 5, 6, or 7).

You are still welcome to place orders on the website over the holidays! Just please keep in mind that they will not leave the farm until the week of the Jan 5.

You may, of course, place orders for Farm Pickup which is a great option during these shipping disruptions. See our Farm Store/Farm Pickup schedule below.

We hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. We appreciate your business and look forward to feeding you in 2026!

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Pasture Posts #251

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

Winter Moves for the Red Wattles

Hey everyone,

We hope you’re staying warm as we get deeper into December. Out here on the farm, the seasons dictate our rhythm, but the work of moving animals to fresh pasture doesn’t stop just because the temperature drops.

In this video edition of Pasture Posts, we wanted to bring you along for a “pig paddock shift.” We just moved a group of about 30 Red Wattle pigs to a new paddock, and they wasted no time getting to work on some volunteer ryegrass and hunting for acorns.

Watch the Video: December Pig Update

One of the things we pride ourselves on is that our pigs live a far different life than the 97% of hogs raised in industrial confinement. Instead of concrete, these guys get green grass, fresh air, and the thrill of rooting around in the woods. We move them about once a week to make sure they don’t overdo the disturbance to the land—you can actually see in the video that the paddock they just left still has some green in it.

Keeping Them Cozy

You might wonder how they handle the mid-December chill. We keep a couple of wagons in the paddock with them to offer shelter from those cold winter rains. When the weather gets really rough, we blow dry straw into the wagons. It acts kind of like a blanket; they can burrow down into it and stay nice and warm.

It’s all part of ensuring they live as good a life as a pig possibly can here in the Piedmont of South Carolina.

We hope you enjoy this look at the farm, and can see the care that we strive to offer our animals.

As always, you can stock up on all of our products over at the website.

All the best,
Your Farmer, Matt

Check out this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review from Diane:

“Top quality meats! Love how the animals are raised with care. No toxins, all natural. This is meat I can trust. I am surprised that the prices are not as high as I would have thought as well. Will be ordering again for sure. Easy to order and can be picked up or shipped. So glad I heard of this farm!”

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

Check out our Reviews Page!

Shipping Timeline and Store Hours

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

UPS orders normally ship out on Mondays – Wednesdays.

This is the last full week of shipping before Christmas! To guarantee delivery by Christmas, place your order now.

We will try to ship your order on the next shipping day as soon as we have it assembled.

You should receive a text message and email with a tracking link when your order ships.

Farm Pickup (Always Free!): Please wait until you receive an email stating that your order is ready to be picked up (usually 1 business day from when you place your order). Farm pickup is done during store hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10am to 6pm
Saturday: 10am to 2pm
Closed Sunday and Wednesday

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

Pasture Posts is written and/or edited by Matt Watson.

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Pasture Posts #250

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

Give the Gift of Pasture-Raised Goodness

We know that finding the perfect gift can sometimes be a challenge, especially for those friends and family members who seem to have everything. But if there is one thing we all appreciate, it’s high-quality, nutrient-dense food raised with integrity.

This year, we’ve made it easier than ever to share the Watson Farms difference with your loved ones. We have curated a selection of Gift Bundles that are perfect for shipping directly to friends and family.

Whether you want to send the Best of Farm Bundle to give them a taste of everything, or a specific package like the Grill Master’s Medley or Crock Pot Bundle, we can box it up and ship it right to their doorstep. You don’t have to worry about packing and shipping—we handle the logistics so you can handle the giving.

Where do we ship? We ship via UPS Ground to a large portion of the Eastern US. You can send our meats to friends and family in the following states: NC, SC, GA, VA, TN, WV, FL, AL, KY, IL, IN, OH, PA, MD, DC, DE, NJ, NY, CT, RI, and MA.

So whether your family is just down the road in South Carolina, down in Florida, or up in New England, you can send them a gift that supports regenerative agriculture and tastes amazing.

Shop All Gift Bundles Here

Holiday Essentials: Turkeys on Sale & Pecans!

As we get closer to Christmas gatherings, we want to make sure your table is set with the best.

Pasture-Raised Turkeys on Sale
If you missed out on a Thanksgiving turkey or just want another one for Christmas dinner, now is the time to buy! We have our Whole Pasture-Raised Turkeys on sale right now. These birds were raised out on fresh pasture, moving to new grass daily, which gives them a flavor and moisture that you just can’t get from a conventional bird.

  • Was: $11.05/lb
  • Now: $9.39/lb (Save 15%!)

Holiday Treats & Baking We also have our Holiday Items fully stocked. This includes our popular Glazed Pecans from Orchard Road Pecans—perfect for snacking or topping those holiday desserts. And for the bakers in the family, don’t forget to check out our selection of pure extracts, including Vanilla, Peppermint, Lemon, and Cinnamon from Sweet Southern Farms.

Shop All Holiday Items Here

We hope these bundles and holiday specials help make your season a little brighter and a little more delicious. Thank you for choosing to partner with us to put better meat on the table!

Sincerely,

Matt Watson and the whole crew at Watson Farms

Photo of the Week

These are some of the most curious individuals from our group of Red Wattle pigs.

Check out this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review from Jonathan:

“We are absolutely loving our food that we ordered from Watson Farms! The speed of delivery was AMAZING!!! Plus the meat is so good! I have recommend Watson Farms to all of my co-workers!”

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

Check out our Reviews Page!

Shipping Timeline and Store Hours

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

UPS orders normally ship out on Mondays – Wednesdays.

For Thanksgiving week we will only be shipping orders on Monday, Nov. 24. Place your order by midnight on Sunday, Nov. 23 to guarantee shipping this week.

We will try to ship your order on the next shipping day as soon as we have it assembled.

You should receive a text message and email with a tracking link when your order ships.

Farm Pickup (Always Free!): Please wait until you receive an email stating that your order is ready to be picked up (usually 1 business day from when you place your order). Farm pickup is done during store hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10am to 6pm
Saturday: 10am to 2pm
Closed Sunday and Wednesday

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

Pasture Posts is written and/or edited by Matt Watson.

Posted on by

Pasture Posts #249

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

Why the Big Plants are Closing (And What It Means for Us)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, rest, and plenty of good food. We certainly enjoyed the downtime and the chance to gather around the table, but as we head back into the weekly rhythm of the farm, there’s some heavy news in the cattle world that I feel is important to share with you.

We often talk about how different Watson Farms is from the “Big Four” meatpackers. And in almost every way that matters—how the animals are treated, how the land is managed, and the nutrient density of the final product—we are worlds apart. But this week, a major headline reminded us that we are all swimming in the same economic stream.

You might have seen the news that Tyson Foods is closing its massive beef plant in Lexington, Nebraska. This isn’t just a small blip; this is a facility that processes huge numbers of cattle. When a plant like that shutters, it’s a symptom of a much larger problem: there simply aren’t enough cattle in the United States right now.

The U.S. cattle herd has shrunk to its smallest size in decades. Years of drought, high input costs, and economic uncertainty have forced many ranchers to sell off their cows. The result is a historic shortage of calves.

Here is where the unexpected similarity between us and the giants like Tyson comes in.

While we finish our cattle on lush, regenerative pastures rather than in confinement feedlots, we generally don’t breed all our own calves from scratch. Like the big packers and feedlots, we have to go out into the market and purchase “feeder cattle” (young calves) to bring onto our farm for grass-finishing.

Because the national herd is so small, the competition for those calves is fierce. Whether you are a massive industrial feedlot or a direct-to-consumer regenerative farm like ours, the cost to acquire cattle has skyrocketed. In fact, we have had to pay more for cattle this year than ever before in the history of our farm.

The prices for these calves have hit record highs, and that puts an immense amount of pressure on our business.

Economics 101 would say that when our costs go up this much, our prices should follow immediately. And if I’m being honest, looking at the spreadsheet, we probably should have raised our beef prices significantly in the last 6 months to keep up with the market.

But we didn’t.

Continue reading Pasture Posts #249
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Pasture Posts #248

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

A Word of Thanks Along With Some Big Savings!

As we head into Thanksgiving week, we want to take a moment to say how incredibly grateful we are for you. Your support allows our family to keep doing what we love right here in Lowrys, SC.

To say thank you, we launched our Thanksgiving Week Sales Event!

Whether you need to restock the freezer for December or grab some last-minute items, now is the time to order.

🚚 CRITICAL SHIPPING UPDATE

Please Read Carefully if You Need Shipping!

Because of the holiday on Thursday, shipping perishable items is very tight this week. To ensure your order arrives fresh:

  • We are shipping on MONDAY (Nov. 24) ONLY.
  • Deadline: You must place your order by Midnight TONIGHT (Sunday, Nov. 23) to guarantee it ships this week.
  • Any orders placed after the deadline will ship the following week.
Place Order by Midnight Sunday (11-23)
Continue reading Pasture Posts #248
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Pasture Posts #247

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

From Confinement to Community: Why We Walked Away from Conventional Farming

If you’ve been following our journey for a while, you know Watson Farms stands for 100% grass-fed, regeneratively-raised beef that tastes phenomenal as well as pasture raised pork and chicken that stands in stark contrast to the industry’s versions.

But the story of how we got here—and why we farm this way—is central to everything we do. This week, we want to take a moment to look back at the winding path that led us away from the industrial standard and back to pasture.

The Legacy of Faster, Fatter, Bigger, Cheaper

Like many farm families across America, Watson Farms transitioned over the decades to chase industrial efficiency. Our past included conventionally grown corn and other row crops, confinement hog operations, and a large-scale commercial turkey confinement operation.

We raised row crop monocultures, and we housed thousands of birds in massive confinement barns. For a time, it got us by, but something didn’t sit right. The ground was tired, the animals lived without sunshine and fresh grass, and the operation felt less about nurturing life and more about manufacturing a commodity. It was effective, but it wasn’t sustainable.

Continue reading Pasture Posts #247
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Pasture Posts #246

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

Balancing Busy Times with Family Time

It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks here at the farm! We’ve been in a planting frenzy getting all of our winter annual pastures sown.

For about six weeks, we were waiting on some significant rainfall. When that good rain finally came, the rush was on! In about ten days, we’ve sown 100 acres while still keeping up with the daily essentials: feeding and moving the cattle, processing chickens, and all the regular farm chores. It’s a lot of work, but seeing those green shoots emerge makes every long day worth it.

🔥 Finding Fuel for the Farmer

In the midst of a demanding period like this, it can be tough to slow down. But even when the days are packed, we still make it a priority to carve out family time. Sometimes that simply means tackling the chores together, but we always try to find a moment to unwind.

Lately, our favorite way to recharge is with a simple grill-out at the backyard firepit. We’ve discovered a renewed love for cooking over an open wood fire—it’s unbeatable! That intense heat and gentle smoke impart a wonderful flavor to some already flavorful cuts.

Continue reading Pasture Posts #246
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Pasture Posts #245

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

A Day in the Life of a Grass Farmer

Hey there!

From time to time I get the question “What is a typical day like for you?”

I thought I would try to answer that in this week’s edition of Pasture Posts, so on Friday I took plenty of pictures as I worked through my tasks for the day.

I got started a little before daylight and headed back to our larger of two cattle herds with the vertical mixer. We’re feeding a hay/haylage mix right now along with their pasture due to the drought. This helps them continue to gain well even though the pasture is marginal.

Next I stopped by a small group of new calves that are “in training.” After purchasing them, we make sure that everyone is well trained to the electric fence before turning them in with the big herd. They will stay with us a year or more as we grass-finish them.

Continue reading Pasture Posts #245