SINCE THE mid-1800s, through the Hawkins line, four generations of the Curl and Lee families have farmed the Garrison Fork River Valley in the unincorporated community of Fairfield. Don Curl and his wife, Claudia, live in Wartrace, while Whit and Rosalie Lee live near Bell Buckle. Because of their strong ancestral ties, the two families began marketing and selling similar breeds of beef cattle in the early 2000s, and in 2016, they joined together to create Garrison Valley Farms (GVF).
“Our families started to jointly market cattle to buyers in video sales where 30-100 similar cattle were put into groups and sold as small herds,” said Claudia. “Cattle were, and still are, individually owned by Lee or Curl, but the same farm practices are used as well as the same genetics in our cattle. This makes for a perfect blend of cattle that worked well for the video sales. However, as time went on, our families took the next step and began direct marketing the cattle, thus the beginning of GVF.”
According to Claudia, a retired dietitian and co-owner of the business, her family currently owns/rents roughly 1,500 acres, and the Lee family owns/rents 1,200 acres to sustain their growing herd, which includes over 200 heifers. They raise mainly Angus cattle because of their long-standing reputation for producing the highest quality beef.
“Because we are in daily contact with our cattle, we place a primary emphasis on temperament. Calm cattle aren’t just safer to be around — they generally make for a better product. We also have some Black Baldies, which is a cross between a Hereford bull and an Angus cow. We pride ourselves on selecting the very best breeding stock available. This means selecting cattle that will thrive in our Middle Tennessee climate and on our native grasses.
“We routinely incorporate the latest technology available for genetic testing and software-based qualitative analysis in our management protocol. But fundamentally, those are just tools that help to focus our own experience in the decision-making process, as there is simply no substitute for a lifetime spent raising cattle,” said Claudia.
The family said that cattle prices experience significant highs and lows, which can be impacted by heat waves in the “corn belt,” droughts in the West, or even wet springs in South America, as international trade can wreak havoc on the beef industry.
“While market swings can be advantageous in good years, in bad years, our operating costs and overhead remain constant. One of the main reasons we started selling directly to local customers was to streamline the delivery of what we know to be a superior product at a competitive price. Our customers value being able to find a consistently great product at a fair price. Developing a reliable customer base has taken years, but it means that we don’t have to market in a high or low market. Rather, we can consistently market our products directly to consumers based on actual costs of production rather than just on market speculation.”
At GVF, customers have the flexibility to choose whether they’d like to stock their freezer by purchasing a processed 1,400-pound steer or a single pound of ground beef. The goal isn’t to make a one-time sale but to develop repeat, satisfied customers.
“We know the quality of our product from personal experience of having raised and fed our own families with what we believe to be the most wholesome beef possible. We believe quality speaks for itself. Through building a strong customer base, our goal is to develop a business that can provide our children and grandchildren with the opportunity, if they choose, to carry on our family farming tradition. In the years to come, we hope our customers tell the next generation about how they remember buying beef from GVF when they were kids.”
In order to ensure that GVF will be here for many years to come, the two families work together just as their ancestors did. Whit Lee and the Curl’s son, Joey, manage the cattle on a daily basis while Joey’s wife, Maria, handles sales and marketing. The Lee’s son, Clay, who lives and works in Nashville, assists with the operation when he can. GN
