A long-delayed ribbon cutting at Briarpatch Farm (725 Pea Ridge Rd., Eatonton) celebrated more than just a beef business last Thursday evening. For owners Mike and Kathy Rainey, it recognized a family’s connection to the land and a working farm they intend to preserve and eventually leave to Mike’s daughter.
Representatives of Putnam, Greene, and Baldwin County Chambers of Commerce were on hand for the event, where Rainey and his wife welcomed visitors with cooked beef samples from cattle raised and processed onsite. Together, they described an operation that combines cattle farming with community fundraising.
“I’m a fourth-generation landowner here, but I’m a first-generation farmer,” Rainey said.
He said his great-grandfather bought the land in 1903. Rainey’s father worked in the oil business, but Rainey himself began dairy farming in 1974, spent about 30 years in that business, and then shifted to raising beef cattle and dairy heifers.
Today, Rainey said, the Briarpatch operation raises about 1,200 Holstein heifers for a Florida dairyman and about 400 Angus cattle annually. Selling beef directly to consumers provides them with a connection to the animals’ origins, he told about three dozen guests at the event.
“Your beef is born right out here,” Rainey said, pointing toward a nearby field where he said about 100 calves had been born in September.
Rainey added he draws on University of Georgia expertise, breeding cattle for docility and marbling of its meat. The beef is then dry aged after processing, a practice he said contributes significantly to tenderness and flavor.
The Briarpatch Farm’s barn has become another source of pride and joy for Rainey and his wife, too. He explained it gained prominence as an event venue after hosting its initial Songwriter’s Night several years ago, benefiting the Christian Learning Center.
Since then, Rainey said, barn events have generated more than $1 million for several Lake Country causes.
Kathy Rainey mentioned the most recent songwriter fundraiser last November featured three professional songwriters performing hits they wrote for several prominent country music artists. The event benefited Warrior Moms, an organization supporting mothers who tragically lost children. The barn also hosts retreats, church revivals, and other gatherings, she added.
Despite development pressures, Rainey said his daughter, Jill Boyer, wants to keep the property well into the future, a prospect that pleases both him and his wife.
“I’m not opposed to growth,” Rainey said. “But I want to maintain this as a farm. We just love what we do. I’m just happy here.”