We are Sawyer and Abbie Cottrell, and we started Legacy Ranch in the spring of 2021. We had been raising commercial Angus cattle for several years, but our cattle were more of an expensive hobby than anything else. We got to the point where we decided that we needed to do something that actually created a sustainable income rather than just breaking even or going backward. I (Sawyer) have always loved a good steak. When I heard about Wagyu, or Akaushi to be more specific, from a friend in Iowa, I started to get pretty excited about the possibilities. In the summer of 2019, I decided to artificially inseminate my cows to a Wagyu bull.

The following spring, we had three little Wagyu calves on the ground. While we were excited to raise our own calves, the roughly two years it takes to finish a Wagyu calf seemed like a long way off before we could see and taste the fruits of our labor.

In the spring of 2020, we found some Wagyu calves for sale that were almost finished and just a few miles from our ranch. We decided to purchase them and get the ball rolling a little sooner. Our first Wagyu calf was harvested in the summer of 2021, and that is when we officially started Legacy Ranch American Wagyu.

At first, all of our beef was in freezers in our basement but in December of 2022 we purchased a small, portable shed and transformed it into a Farm Store. We also purchased a semi load of Wagyu Cattle from SouthDakota to expand our herd. In the fall of 2023, we were able to move our Farm Store to a location right off of main street in our home town.

This small business has opened the door to so many valuable realtionships and experiences and we would not be here without the support of our community and customers. We are so excited about Wagyu beef, and it is such a pleasure to be able to share this exceptional meat with our family, friends, and valued customers.