Steven George’s parents ran a butcher shop in Alabama. At a young age, he began helping out and — when not attending school or sports events — worked there full time. He also started farming. This background and expertise proved to be invaluable when he moved to Tennessee around nine years ago and launched the amazingly ambitious Seven Cedars farm and ranch operation.
The formation of Seven Cedars was a crash course in adaptability. Moving and settling into a new place is hard enough. In George’s case, he also needed to get an entire farming operation off the ground. And Seven Cedars is not simply a small-scale farming operation. It occupies 1,800 acres in Wilson County. There are over 800 cows, and the total herd — counting calves and steers — runs to around 1,500. He also raises sheep and pigs as well as laying chickens for eggs. If this were not enough, there is also Seven Cedars Butcher Block, which carries his farm products that are made available for retail purchase.
George’s farming ethos is resolutely natural. The meat he sells is not pumped up with hormones, genetically modified organisms, antibiotics, or steroids. This is no small thing, considering how rampant these elements are in so much of our food. George had been selling his proteins off the farm. Word began to spread throughout the community about this high-quality meat, generating a high demand. The brick-and-mortar Seven Cedars Butcher Block was the natural outgrowth.
Now three years old, it’s a store where people can buy his products retail and not, in George’s words, “have to order half a cow or a whole cow at a time. We still sell that but now offer what other farms cannot — the option to buy a couple [of ] steaks at a time or any cuts along with daily ground beef.” And, of course, the meat is always fresh and never frozen.
Just as it was in Alabama, this enterprise is a family affair. His parents and brother handle the day-to-day operations in the butcher shop, while George manages the business and production side of things — there are nonfamily employees as well. His ethos is also resolutely local, which is a huge component of the retail business.

“As far as the store’s concerned,” George said, “everything is locally supplied.” The meat and the proteins, of course, come from his farm. The store sells baked goods that are provided by local suppliers. There are seasonings and spices made by local people. Produce is also provided by local farms. And the milk products are provided by a neighboring dairy — they have their own dairy farm and they process their own milk and ice cream that we carry.”
All over the country, farms like Seven Cedars have adapted and expanded to provide a whole new array of offerings that can include farm-to-table dining experiences, family-friendly endeavors, and often feature live music. George has also expanded his reach. There is now the Seven Cedars experience, where groups of eight to 10 people can come to the farm and get a real feel for the endeavor. They’re given the chance for hands-on interaction with the animals — seeing the cattle, riding the horses, and experiencing the barn — all with supervision, of course.
“And then they can sit down and have a nice farm-to-table dinner with everything provided by the farm,” he explained.
There is also entertainment as well. This aspect of Seven Cedars is basically getting started and can be expected to grow.
Referring to something as a “throwback” can be a double-edged sword. Seven Cedars is an up-to-date, active enterprise but is also a throwback in the nicest, most positive sense of the word. The meat is produced in a time-honored, healthier fashion than the chemical-heavy factory farm method. The operation — like so many generations of farmers — is a family-run enterprise. We all could use a lot more throwbacks like Seven Cedars. GN