Lazy J Ranch

Lazy J Ranch is a small, family owned farm in Rochester, Illinois. Lazy J Ranch features naturally grown cattle for home purchase. The cattle are grain fed with local corn and are not injected with growth hormones.  Each year, owners Randy and Marianne have slowly grown their business a few head of cattle at a time. Through the years they have raised Hereford, Black Baldies and Black Angus.

The proprietors of Lazy J Ranch aren’t just your normal, everyday farmers.  Marianne has a degree in Agriculture from the University of Wisconsin with a minor in Animal Science.  Randy Jackson is a Professional Engineer with a degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois.

How long have you been farming on this land?
Marianne and I have owned and farmed this land for 9 years.

What's your favorite part of being a farmer?
Watching the feeder cattle mature and grow.

What's your least favorite part?
Attempting to wrangle the feeder cattle into the Stock Trailer.

Why naturally grown?
Our customers are happy that our cattle are not treated with growth hormones.  Our beef is intended for consumers who are not exclusively organic purchasers, but are still concerned about the way their food is produced.  The cattle feed comes from Taylorville Feed in Taylorville Illinois, about 10 miles away, and our stock comes from a local breeder. The cattle are raised with love and tenderness and they are well cared for. We use a local processing house in Auburn, Illinois—all of the breeding, raising and processing locations are within 20 miles of each other.

What makes your farm special?

It’s all mine.