Jim and Julie Vaughn believe in the power of grass at their Rocky Glade Farm, in Eagleville, Tennessee. Grass is what their Beefalo and Black Angus cattle and their Katahdin sheep pasture on, from start to finish, and the animals are rotationally grazed so they always have a fresh supply of the green stuff. They practice low-stress herding and provide their calves with a natural kelp/salt mineral mix that they say keeps the animals in optimal health and eliminates the need for antibiotics. The meat they produce tastes just like that good land and is available locally through the Franklin Farmers’ Market, the Stones River online farmers’ market, and Bedford County Locally Grown.

Farming is about family for the Vaughns. Jim’s mom and dad have been raising cattle for 30 years, and they still own and manage the brood-cow herd. Jim and Julie started up Rocky Glade Farm on 50 acres in 1998, coming home to farming after doing other jobs.

They also practice four-season farming. When winter rolls around, the Vaughns  grow vegetables organically in hoop houses and offer a winter CSA, just when the taste of a truly ripe, just-picked vegetable seems most out of reach. At Rocky Glade Farm, say the Vaughns, the RGF also stands for “really good food.”