In cattle and beef country, holiday meals probably include beef — perhaps even steak or prime rib — in addition to the more common ham and turkey. That’s why Oak Barn Beef, owned and operated by Hannah and Eric Klitz and their family near West Point, Neb., is a busy place around the holiday season.

The couple started their business five years ago, shipping boxed beef directly from a converted cattle barn on the farm. But now they have a retail storefront in West Point with a freezer and warehouse, selling grass-fed and grain-finished, dry aged beef with superior, tested genetics. The family says the result is a tender, flavorful product, ranging from hand-cut steaks and premium ground beef to beef brats, jerky, stew meat and fajita meat.

For Hannah, the direct beef business began through the Engler Entrepreneurship program at the University of Nebraska. She and Eric met as high school seniors, both interviewing for a scholarship. They both were Engler participants, and Hannah promoted beef in college as well through the Nebraska Beef Ambassador program.

Through that program, Hannah realized the disconnect between customers and the farms raising their beef. But Engler also was a big part of fulfilling her dreams. “So many good things came out of Engler,” she said in a 2022 interview with Farm Progress. “It taught us how to think outside the box.”

Related:Oak Barn Beef builds business

The young couple has not only expanded their beef business since that interview, but they also expanded their family, which now includes two young daughters.

Today, they represent a growing number of farms across the U.S. — local families who work hard all year to help other families put together festive holiday celebrations, from the Christmas tree and wreaths to food on the holiday table. They also serve as role models to other farmers who would like to add income to their operations by doing the same thing, perhaps expanding into direct-to-consumer enterprises or finding a market for a new value-added product or venture. Here are a few of those stories related specifically to helping with holiday celebrations from the pages of our Farm Progress publications, just for a little inspiration.