Brandon Sheard came into traditional slaughter, butchery and curing right after finishing his graduate work in Renaissance English Literature. After marrying Lauren, he quit his job at Whole Foods in the supplement department and started work on a small, multi-species and pasture-based farm in the Pacific Northwest.
After two years of working on the farm and managing the butcher shop, Brandon left and started Farmstead Meatsmith with Lauren. Largely self-taught in the art of traditional animal harvesting, Brandon and Lauren continue to provide the services of livestock processing and classes through Farmstead Meatsmith with a little help from the nine Sheard children.
As a small, family-run business, they host an online membership, sell e-chapters, booklets, and other instructional tools on the art of homestead harvesting through their website, FarmsteadMeatsmith.com.
Drawing upon the traditions of domestic butchery and preservation, they offer hands-on classes in all manner of livestock harvesting and husbandry at their homestead in northeastern Oklahoma. You can keep up with their growth by signing up for their occasional email newsletter.