Our Story

After a 10 year adventure in California and following the birth of their son Levon, Anna and Matt Woolley decided it was time to move back home to Georgia to the family farm, Blackwater, with the intention of raising cattle regeneratively.

Blackwater is a 3rd generation farm originally established by Anna’s grandfather Woody Schmoe back in 1955.

Woody implemented land stewardship practices such as rotational grazing and conservation easements. Due to these efforts, the endangered wood stork began nesting in the cypress swamp on the property. It became a sanctuary for these birds to safely raise their future generations. At one point in time, it was one of the largest rookeries in the Southeast.

Following in Woody’s footsteps, Anna, her brothers and their spouses, have joined together to establish a new generation of sustainable and regenerative practices on the farm. Matt and Anna’s focus is on rebuilding the soil’s organic matter through the systematic rotational grazing of cattle. Not only does this practice benefit the soil, but it also produces healthier beef to better nourish our community.

Our Practices

Our cattle are raised on grass in biodiverse pastures, and never step hoof into a feedlot ever. We offer both grass finished and free choice grain finished beef.  Wondering what the difference is between grass finished and free choice grain finished beef?  Please check out our blog for recent articles to learn about the unique characteristics of each!

We rotationally graze our cattle in a manner that gently disturbs the soil enough to promote new growth. Their manure fertilizes the grass and soil. Each pasture is given periods of rest to recover between feeding periods. Our grass finished cattle remain in this program while the grain finished moves to a slightly different program.

The cows we finish on grain are not crowded into muddy paddocks. They’re on pasture but with the option to consume both grain and grass. The feed is mixed at our local feed store in town. It’s a custom mix containing cracked corn, soy hulls, cotton hulls, wheat middlings, and molasses which provides the beef with more delicious marbling. The grain bin is moved frequently to prevent damage to the grass and soil.

We use a no till drilling method to plant our winter cover crops and forage, which minimizes any disturbance to the essential microorganisms living in the soil.

We are grateful for the privilege and responsibility of maintaining this incredible land, and we take pride in using it to produce healthy, delicious beef in the most environmentally friendly way possible.  Thank you for your support!

Your Ranchers,

Anna, Matt, & Levon