McGreal Family Farm is a small farm business rooted in Clayton County, Northeast Iowa. We specialize in pasture-raised, 100% grass-fed beef.
We are now accepting beef reservations for wholes, halves and quarters. Call us at (563) 245-1041 OR e-mail us at [email protected]
Here at McGreal Family Farm, our main goal is to provide quality food to the people around us. We try our best to use sustainable practices to give Mother Nature the love she deserves.
We decided to get involved in farming because we love the land, outdoors andâof courseâthe community. We are experimenters with big hearts dedicated to connecting back to our Midwestern roots and providing the Northeast Iowa community a healthy lifestyle via our locally produced food. We love getting our hands and knees dirty and the idea of working with nature versus against it.
Family is our greatest support system. We are fortunate enough to have a large family with an abundance of resources in the area. We wouldnât be here without help from our family, which is why we went with a family farm name.
TWO DRIFTERS IN THE DRIFTLESS AREA
The everlasting love story between Jake McGreal and Lara Mangialardi began when they met in 2014 while studying at Loras College in Dubuque. After college, the two set off on separate journeys seeking the meaning of life. From crafting jewelry on the streets of Peru to teaching English to schoolchildren in Spain, these two found purpose through travel and adventure.
After some time spent apart finding themselves on their own, destiny brought these kindred spirits back together. With a shared passion for travel, spiritual experimentation and the great outdoors, Jake and Lara embarked on a wild ride together. Traveling the world, farmers Jake and Lara have been everywhere from Guatemala to India in search of their true lifeâs purpose. During this time, the two even built their own traveling van to explore the Wild West, all while working with at-risk youth through wilderness therapy in Utah.
Though bits and pieces of the two farmersâ souls are sprinkled across the globe, they couldnât deny one major truth: home is where the heart is. Upon spending a summer doing some solo travelingâleft to their own devicesâJake and Lara came upon the idea to plant some roots, for they believe that it is only with feet firmly planted in the Earth that life can grow. Though the duo is used to transition and do it often, they have been searching for an opportunity to bring themselves back home, and that is why they are here today. McGreal Family Farm is the product of two Midwesterners returning home to find their place in the world, with loving and supportive family members by their sides.
MEET THE FARMERS
About Jake:
Jake McGreal is a Clayton County, Iowa native who grew up on his familyâs cattle ranch. His parents, Pete and Kristi McGreal, have always firmly stood by their dedication to developing relationships between their loving family and tame cattle. Pasture-raised on around 1,000 Northeast Iowa acres, the family has made their living from the land since the late â80s.
Jake is the hardworking, deep-thinking offspring of this couple. While having studied to become an engineer, Jake has learned to take matters into his own hands and problem-solve away from a desk. He spends his free time learning as much as he can about how to farm sustainably and responsibly. His hobbies include: climbing mountains, spending time outdoors, riding his motorcycle across the US and building anything he can get his hands on.
About Lara:
Lara comes from a family background of groundbreaking risk-takersâimmigrants from Cuba, Italy and Germany whom uprooted their old lives in search of something greater. In the same way, Laraâs travels have taken her to live abroad in Spain (twice) and to 25 other countries in Europe, Northern Africa, Central and South America and Asia.
Despite her experience abroad, Lara is a Chicagoland native who grew up thinking that food came from the local grocery store. She has spent her life learning to challenge herself to understand and soak up as much of what life has to offer. At the end of the day, Laraâs home is the Midwest and she has chosen to establish herself here amidst the wild forces of nature. Because of this, she has stumbled upon organic farming. Her external hobbies and interests include: non-fiction books, tarot reading, playing the ukulele, getting lots of exercise, playing in the mountains and desert and talking to her mom and abuelita on the phone for hours at a time.
LETTUCE TURNIP THE BEET!
Our Veggies:
Our property rests on 40 acres of land with an additional tree farm that have been in the McGreal family for three generations. Our garden produces veggies as we live nearby in our rustic three story home built from an old barn by Jakeâs grandparents.
ROAM IF YOU WANT TO
Our Beef:
Our cattle are raised on Pete and Kristi McGrealâs land down the road. They have been grass-fed their entire lives, grazing upon a mix of native and non-native grasses such as alfalfa, red clover, orchard grass, tall fescue, brome grass and white clovers (ladino). Our beloved cattle have access to our shed during cold winter months, but are otherwise free to roam the land.
LETâS GET TECHNICAL, TECHNICAL
Beef Logistics:
Our cattle are kept on pasture on 1,000 acres of local property. We raise primarily Black Angus cattle, while some are Angus-Hereford cross-bred.
We are currently raising heifers that will weigh between 1,000 and 1,200 lbs. by the time they are available for processing. Our beef are less than 24 months old at the time of slaughter.
Call to ask about product samples. Weâd love to give you a taste of the good life!
Processing and Pricing:
Click here for information on the processing and pricing of our animals.
Where We Are:
We are idyllically situated 54 miles from Dubuque and 65 miles from Cedar Rapids. You can find us in rural Strawberry Point, IA, in between Strawberry Point and Elkader. In the words of Dorothy, just follow the long gravel road and youâll be sure to find us!
Find Us at the Farmersâ Market:
Dubuque Winter Farmersâ Market (Saturdays 9:00am - noon, November - April)
Dubuque Main Street Market (Saturdays 7:00am- noon, May - October)
Millwork Night Market, Dubuque (1st Thursday of the month, 5:00 - 9:00pm, April - October)
Mid-Week Market, Dubuque (Wednesdays 5:00-9:00pm, July - October)
Elkader Farmersâ Market (Saturdays 9:00am-noon, May - October)
