By Larry Stalcup 

U.S. Army Ranger Josh Eilers wondered how his military training would transition to civilian life.

Advanced combat expertise needed for covert missions against the Taliban likely wouldn’t help him pass college exams or get a “normal” job. But with an embedded be-all-you-can-be attitude, he used Ranger resilience to start and run a successful pasture-to-plate beef cattle operation.

Eilers, 28, runs Ranger Cattle LLC in Austin, Texas. His Wagyu seedstock and premium beef program aims specifically at serving high-end restaurants and “local” farmers markets in the vibrant city. He’s also part of the Homegrown by Heroes campaign that promotes food produced by veterans.

Ranger Cattle includes plenty of pasture, working pens and bunks from a previous operation. “We are as vertically integrated as possible,” he says. “We do all the breeding, usually AI with a lot of embryonic transfers. We market the top-performing animals as seedstock. The remaining enter our fresh beef program.

He and his crew background calves and then finish them out. “To keep up with beef demand, we also send bulls to other ranches for breeding,” Eilers says. “We then buy back our genetics at a premium over commercial market post-weaning.”

Cattle are produced all-natural to meet his niche market. Finished cattle are harvested at 1,350 to 1,400 pounds. The Wagyu breed, established from Japan’s famous Kobe genetics, regularly has a Prime quality grade. “We ultrasound each animal as they approach harvest to verify that meat quality is Prime,” Eilers says.

When processed into rib-eyes, filets, strips and other cuts, Ranger Cattle steaks are in high demand at a half dozen or more farmers markets across Austin, along with premium steakhouses. “We also have a number of restaurants that buy our ground beef, as well as an online grocery store that delivers,” Eilers says, noting that social media to millennials is a vital marketing tool. “We’ve also developed markets for our briskets, and a variety of other cuts are sold at farmers markets.”

Drawn to Uncle Sam
Eilers grew up in a small Texas town, but not on a farm or ranch. It wasn’t cattle that lured him — it was Uncle Sam. “I always knew I wanted to join the military,” he says. “I think every little boy grows up playing with action figures and pretending to be a soldier. I never really outgrew that.

“As I got older, I researched which were the best soldiers. I found the Army Rangers. The Army’s motto was ‘Be all you can be.’ And I always felt that if you’re going to do something, do it to the greatest of your ability.”

He enlisted at only 17 after high school graduation. He entered the Army Ranger program and made it through the extended training. As a sergeant, Eilers became a team leader in the elite First Ranger Battalion. He did four consecutive tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He received a Purple Heart after taking shrapnel from a Taliban ambush.

Persuaded by his mother and sister, he left the Army to attend the University of Texas to study biology and business. He also took entrepreneurial courses. He had saved combat pay and discovered an investment strategy in cattle by chance. “One evening I heard a guy trying to impress a cute blonde by telling her he’d just spent 100 bucks on a steak dinner,” Eilers quips. “I quickly interrupted and asked, ‘What kind of steak is worth that much?’ He replied ‘Wagyu.’ ”

Eilers researched the breed, sought information from several Texas breeders and then bought 16 bred heifers.

In a business-lab class, he and fellow students established a business plan to provide fresh beef from his herd to local markets. He also sought knowledge from Extension and other Wagyu breeders. 

Prime time
His plan outlined cattle production from cow-calf to backgrounding to finishing. The plan included using small local slaughter facilities to handle processing and addressed delivery of specific cuts to restaurants, farmers markets and even homes of 25-pound boxes. All he needed was financing to carry the pasture-to-plate program forward.

Although his business plan was sound, bank after bank said no. But Ranger resilience helped Eilers fight off continued rejection.

“All they wanted was my last three tax returns and proof of income. I had no historic income, so they shot me down time and time again,” he says.

“I eventually talked to Capital Farm Credit. They recognized the value of Wagyu cattle and the niche market I targeted. Since I had no income history, they used my herd as collateral. They gave me the chance I needed.”

Farmer Veteran Coalition
Eilers is part of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, a national program that assists veterans wanting to enter agriculture. Homegrown by Heroes is part of the coalition program and helps Eilers introduce more consumers to his products.

“HBH is a USDA-approved label that gives us veterans a way to differentiate our products from others in a marketplace,” says Eilers. “We can pass that on to our restaurants to use as a marketing tool to consumers. Even if our products cost a little more, the HBH label allows consumers to recognize we are a veteran-owned operation.”

Eilers also received a grant from the coalition, which he used to buy a new squeeze chute. “Overall, this has allowed us to increase production,” he says, adding that he “likes to invite other veterans out to the ranch to help with the herd. We share stories; enjoy the quiet, open space; calmness; and use the herd as therapy. I also encourage them to pursue agriculture.”

And Ranger training never stops. “My first Ranger team leader stressed you should take pride in everything you do,” Eilers says. “Today, I continue to take pride in every animal we produce, as well as every cut of meat that leaves our ranch.

“Above all, being resilient has helped prepare me for direct marketing of beef, and the rewards and disappointments associated with cattle production. We constantly get turned down by chefs or grocery stores, yet we bounce right back.”

Eilers’ girlfriend, Kellen, heads up Ranger Cattle marketing and sales. She is helping with his plan to expand the cattle operation and customer base.

“We hope to get Whole Foods on board,” he says. “They’ve shot us down a couple times, but we aren’t giving up. We’re on schedule to harvest about 50 head this year. We’ll need to provide more to meet their demands.

“My goal is to increase that to 300 in five years. That would put us in their league.”

Stalcup writes from Amarillo, Texas.