“The thing that brings me the most joy is to know that my work on this land with these animals has saved someone’s life,” reflects Christina Traeger. 

As the farm-her, visionary, animal wrangler, and a person who simply wanted to see meat raised differently, Christina Traeger has led Rolling Hills Cattle Company and Grillin’ Meats since 1996. Located in Avon, Minnesota, Christina loves the way the curves and flow of her land lends her farm to cattle grazing. 

Her herd of British White Beef started with nine beautiful white cows. Initially imported to the United States during World War II to preserve the breed, British White are prized for their gentle dispositions and unique, tasty, consistent flavor. As a child, Christina had always been drawn to the white cows in her dad’s dairy herd. They always intrigued her.

When setting up a fresh life on her own with her young kids, she was on the hunt for a breed of cattle that would satisfy that childhood fascination, be safe around her children, and have a high quality product. The British White checked all the boxes. Her herd has grown to several hundred. 

Working with her daughters, Christina navigated farming as a single parent who also worked off farm. “That time had its challenges,” shares Christina. “The realities of farm life and family life and preparing to start a meat business were like pushing a ‘cattle pot’ up a hill by hand. And yet—here I am. Still doing it. Still believing in it. Sometimes tired, but never tired of this work.” 

Finding Her Herd

Why Being Purely Grass Fed Matters

Christina’s cattle are purely grass fed, never corn, soy or wheat-finished. “Keeping our cattle only on grass means that our beef is safe for people with food allergies, intolerances, leaky gut problems and so on,” states Christina. “We raise our cattle this way for everyone who cares about what they put on their table. It’s amazing to know that all the challenges I face in farming turn into some of the most beautiful, rich, tender, marbled beef on a customer's family table. They get to enjoy the health benefits I put into every acre of land I manage, every animal I raise, every person I consult to help their animal be healthy and happy.”

Raising both her cattle without supplemental feed and her pork without exposure to corn, soy or wheat has meant that her meat was safe for individuals with a range of food sensitivities, including a young child with severe FPIES (Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome). FPIES is a condition that inhibits the small intestine’s ability to process specific proteins. It is frequently triggered by consumption of milk, soy, oat and/or rice. Finding truly clean products is essential to create a safe diet for children living with FPIES. 

“It’s been amazing and humbling to talk with people’s families and to learn how limited their diets were, how hard it is to find clean protein,” says Christina. “I’m proud to offer that.”

Microbe Farm-her

Raising her animals cleanly starts with the soil. “When people learn what I do they say that I’m a cattle farmer,” smiles Christina. “I’m not. I’m a microbe farm-her. If I'm not working on the soil, the soil doesn't feed the grass. If the grass doesn't feed the cows, the cows can't feed me. Those little creatures in the ground have microbe chains that can be miles long; that has to be considered to make the rest of the system thrive.”

Education is at the cornerstone of Rolling Hill’s work. “People come up to me at the farmers market and ask me why my products cost more than the grocery store. Some will buy bones for their pets, but they don’t buy the products for their own table,” explains Christina. “There’s actually a constant need to make it clear why what we’re doing matters for everyone’s health. It can feel like my impact is really small. It’s like I’m putting water into a thimble, while the rest of the cattleman who follow common commercial practices are putting water into a pitcher. That’s not a bad thing in any way. It’s just people with different needs and wants.”

“People need to eat everyday. They get to choose what they put into their body. Whatever fed the product that they’re eating goes into them too. Everything in the feed, the soil, the water is all linked,” states Christina. “I taste the difference in our products. I know our customers do too. It’s better for everyone along the food chain because of our care for the soil itself.” 

Dream Catcher Connections

At the end of the day, simply being on her land and appreciating the balance of the creatures thriving there offers great satisfaction. “The love and peace of being able to sit in the pasture with my cows while watching baby calves bounce around, and live the best life they can,” smiles Christina. “I just love my cows.” 

Throughout our conversation Christina marveled several times at the transformation of her land and her home over the past few decades. It took tremendous work to get her family where they are today and to build the trust of their customer base. “My dad worked in construction and would tell the guys when they were first on the job that the first thing you have to do is give a s**t. Because if you don't care, what's the point?,” reflects Christina. “If you don't care about what you're doing, if you don't care about the soil, if you don't care about other people, if you aren't paying attention to balance, where will you ever get? You have to put some care, some love, and some truth, and some passion into it.” 

This care leads Christina to hand select each farm from which she buys a bale of hay. It’s why she knows her processor personally to ensure that they take care of her customers. It’s why she chooses the local hardware store that’s not part of a chain or takes her business to the mom and pop store even if a part costs a dollar more. It’s an interconnected web, like a dream catcher. “Even if the design in the middle is me, I am connected to all the people along the strings. When people choose to support me, they support a wide number of local people who do business deliberately.”