By LeAnn Hjelmeland
A desire to “do something different” while raising their kids on a farm has led Madison and Trisha Hay to their newest undertaking – Elk Creek Acres, LLC. The couple is excited to offer local pasture-raised pork and more to customers who want to know where their food comes from.
The Hays are in the process of building up their farm, Elk Creek Acres, in rural Sully. They currently raise pigs with plans to breed them and grow their herd. They sell whole or half pigs as well as individual cuts of meat directly to customers. They also offer beef cuts through a partnership with TVR Beef of rural Pella.
Madison and Trisha Hay have two kids, Paisley (4) and Bentley (2).
“The reason why we wanted to sell cut meat and not just whole and half is not everybody has room to store all that meat,” Trisha explained. “So we have an option for people to buy individual cuts of fresh, farm-raised pork and beef.”
Making their farm into a more self-sufficient homestead by adding animals, a garden, and more has been an adventure for both Madison and Trisha. A 2012 graduate of Lynnville-Sully, Madison grew up helping his family with row crop farming in the L-S area. Trisha graduated from Pella Christian High School and has always lived in town.
“Raising livestock is something we get to experience and learn together,” Trisha said. “We find that a blessing. It’s fun, yet exhausting.”
Getting to the point of selling their own meat has been a process for the Hays. Madison and Trisha moved to their farm a little over a year ago. Previously, they lived in the town of Sully. They have two kids: Paisley, age 4; and Bentley, age 2.
“When living in town, all we did was dream of being in the country and raising our kids on a farm,” Trisha shared. “We didn’t truly know at the time what animal we wanted to raise. We did know that we wanted to do something different. Different than other farms. Goats crossed our mind, but the market was so flooded with goats, so we just waited till we finally purchased the farm to truly know what we wanted.”
The farm they moved to – previously owned by Madison’s grandparents, David and Andrea Schnell – has been in the family for over 155 years. Back in the day, they raised cows and pigs. One of the barns that is being used right now used to be a farrowing barn for pigs.
Believing fresh farm meat beats store-bought meat any day, the Hays knew they wanted their own fresh meat when they moved to the farm. They figured, why not sell it also?
“After living here, we knew we were meant to raise pigs,” Trisha said. “But we wanted them to be raised on pasture.”
The pigs are allowed to roam around the pasture and timber. Rooting is their favorite thing to do other than rolling around in their mud holes. Rooting is a natural behavior that leads to happy, stress-free pigs and in turn, yummy meat.
In addition to selling their own pork from Elk Creek Acres, the Hays also offer beef cuts raised by TVR Beef, owned by Tim Van Roekel of rural Pella. Tim and Madison both work at Marion County Road Department, and Trisha’s family has known Tim and his wife for many years.
“My parents buy beef from them, TVR Beef,” Trisha said. “We have never tasted such delicious beef. With us having the pigs, we also wanted to sell beef, so we approached Tim about our idea. He was hooked. … Tim has been a part of livestock farming his whole life, so having his wealth of knowledge and expertise has been wonderful.”
The animals from TVR Beef and Elk Creek Acres are locally processed at Sully Locker and Market. Cut meat requires licensing and inspections from the state, so after the meat is inspected, it is then stored in the freezers in the Hays’ licensed mobile food truck. The trailer is kept at their farm, and customers can pick up their meat by appointment, or Madison and Trisha also sell meat directly out of their trailer at farmers markets.
Throughout the whole process of getting Elk Creek Acres going, Madison and Trisha have done lots of research and asked questions of people who are already raising pigs.
“We have found that this farming community is so welcoming and helpful,” Trisha said.
The Hays are happy to be a part of the community and plan to be part of it for years to come. They hope their kids will want to get involved in FFA and 4-H and grow up in the livestock community, a community that values life skills as well as character traits like perseverance, hard work, and respect.
If this past year is any indicator of how much Madison and Trisha enjoy farm life, then they’re in the right place. In Trisha’s words, “We feel like we have made more memories on the farm – and we have lived here for only a year – than the seven years we have known each other.”
The Hays continue to dream, plan, and add to their growing homestead. Trisha said they hope to grow their business with a larger herd of pigs, a website in 2023, and the ability to ship all over the U.S. They will also soon be selling free-range meat chickens and eventually turkeys in the future.
Elk Creek Acres pork and TVR Beef can be purchased by scheduling a pick-up time with the Hays, or they also offer drop-off locally. To contact the Hays, call 641-780-9319, email [email protected], or send a message via their Facebook page “Elk Creek Acres LLC.”
