meet your neighbors
A Family Business By Terry Ropp
Sisters-in-law Heather Mills and Nichole Wesley spearhead the family’s beef sales
When Heather Mills was a little girl, she helped warm up and dry off Every day at the ranch is different. When they come home from work, they do very cold calves her dad brought home. Feeling the warmed calves sucking whatever needs to be done that day, which may be mowing or raking hay, helping on her fingers stole the little girl’s heart, and even at that young age she knew her life work the cattle, repairing fences and so on. One thing that made the transition to bewould always be with cattle. coming part of the Dorsey ranching family was that the family works and socializes Heather and her brother Charles Wesley Dorsey’s parents, Charles and Pam Dors- together, just as Nichole’s family does. ey, bought 155 acres and commercial cattle for a cow/calf operation in Pryor, Okla., “I always loved cattle,” Nichole said. “When I married into this family, I had a lot in 1976. The senior Charles knew he wanted some day to be his own boss. At the to learn and was eager to do so. The learning curve was pretty steep. One day a pregtime, he was working for Georgia-Pacific while Pam worked, and still works for, Elec- nant heifer hit me and tore my thumb ligament so badly it had to be reattached. I trical Services in Pryor. Pam also keeps the ranch’s records and books. The cou- wore a cast for 28 weeks and am still a bit gun shy, probably a good thing.” ple progressed by using money from heifers to buy more land and cattle. Charles One of the things the women had in common was a dedication to provide healthy, eventually quit his job to ranch full-time. Submitted Photo ranch to table food for restaurants and The Dorsey Ranch now consists of 1,000 the general public. By the time Nichole commercial cows and 3,000 owned and arrived, Heather had the experiences her leased acres. Because they want to confather thought she needed to begin a retinuing expanding, they retain 200 heiftail business. Since Nichole was as much ers annually using money from steer and a believer in providing good and healthy culled heifers while Charles Wesley also food as Heather, the time for opening a works fulltime on the ranch. farm to table beef retail business arrived. Females are grouped by age and divided The women opened D Bar Beef for busiamong 14 pastures with another nine secness in May 2020, just as grocery stores tions of 450 acres reserved for silage and were struggling with meat supplies due dry hay production. The land is double to the coronavirus. They sold out on the cropped with triticale, alfalfa and soyfirst weekend. They sold packaged meat beans used for silage hay with fescue and from the five steers they had butchered Bermuda used for dry hay. at a USDA-approved processing plant. “We also feed soybean flake which is deSales have steadily increased and are now hydrated soybeans,” Heather explained. about 45 percent higher than when they “It’s’ ‘cow pudding,’ and they eat it up.” began with farmers market sales accountAnother recent addition to the ranch ing for one third of their total sales. Deis the addition of ten Akaushi bulls, a cember 2020 was their highest monthly’s Red Wagyu breed developed under a very sale well over their usual average. The closed system. The purpose of the breed increase in sales is from a steady increase is to mature faster than a regular Wagyu of new customers plus repeat business. while retaining marbling and low birth The women go to the farmers market on D Bar Beef is the dream of sisters-in-law Heather (Dorsey) Mills and weights. Akaushi beef is a natural source Saturdays and often sell out in the four Nichole Dorsey. All beef sold is sourced from the Dorsey Ranch in Pryof oleic acid, and contains higher concenhours it’s open with about two thirds of or, Okla. tration of monosaturated fat. According their total sales going to two restaurants, to the American Heart Association, this food trucks, and caterers. can lead to lower levels of cholesterol and prevent coronary heart disease. Akaushi “The truth is farm to table beef is in high demand, and we have had to turn down calves will be added to the ranch beef marketed as farm to table this winter. some larger restaurants because we are not yet prepared to handle the demand for When in her early 20s, Heather wanted to make a difference in people’s lives by fresh not frozen beef,” Heather explained. “Getting enough butcher dates on a weekproviding ranch to table food, called “womb to packaging” by ly basis to keep up with the demand is impossible.” brother Charles Wesley. While their dad liked the idea, he didn’t To solve the problem, the ranch is building a USDA-approved think the timing was right until the purchase of the Akaushi beef processing and retail site on the ranch. COVID slowed Pryor, Okla. bulls. construction due to business regulations so that the new faciliEarlier Charles Wesley married Nichole, a town girl originally New Mexico, ty is now expected to open in January 2022 instead of the sumthe first step toward Heather’s dream becoming a reality. When the two met, mer. The facility will cover 5,000 square feet with a retail shop close friendship was almost instantaneous. Nichole is a registered nurse and in front. Other sections will include a pre-chill cooler, hanging Heather a dental assistant. coolers, flash freezer, smoke room and processing room.
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Ozarks Farm & Neighbor • www.ozarksfn.com
JULY 19, 2021
