Bluebird Farms Beef

Bluebird Farms, LLC began in 1996 when Troy and Lisa Rice decided to buy their first load of cattle to graze on the farm where they had recently built a house in Bedford County, Virginia. From there, as the saying goes, it grew organically.

Troy’s business acumen and desire to teach his children a strong work ethic grew into a significant beef operation that sold cattle to Meyer Natural Foods and Pineland Farms Natural Meats. These national companies adhere to strict standards; cattle born, raised and harvested in the USA, cattle raised with no antibiotics, steroids or added growth hormones and who administer regular audits to ensure all conditions are met. Both companies sell directly to Wegmans Food Market and Whole Foods Market whose customers in turn, expect high quality beef.

The 2020 pandemic provided an opportunity to sell custom shares to family's and friends interested in local beef. From there, our customer base grew. Beef shares and USDA cuts were offered online and local farmer’s markets.

In 2021, Bluebird Farms went through a major transition. Troy Rice passed away unexpectedly and the decision was made to shift from large contracts with national beef suppliers to direct consumer sales. As a family we hope to carry on something Troy began in the last couple years of his life. Offering quality beef to everyone. If you had a chance to be around Troy on the farm you know his passion for beef cattle and farming. Our family is our employees, we have that same care and passion! 

Our cattle are grown in Bedford and Campbell Counties, Virginia. The cow-calf operation allows us to take our calves from various farm locations at seven months and wean them from their mothers. By this time, they’ve been given all the benefits from the cow’s milk and can transition to grass. Next, they’re given a forage-based diet until ready to be finished. At the finishing stage, steers are separated into differential weights and fed based on individual nutritional needs. This ration consists of different forages including those grown locally on our farms throughout the seasons. From this process, we’ve developed a higher quality of meat partnering with the hang time after slaughter. We dry age our meat for up to two weeks which produces delicious, tender steaks, roasts and other cuts. Superior tasting beef from our farm to your table.

Get to know where your beef is from and taste the difference. We take time and care into offering a product that we would share with anyone who would visit our farm. Agriculture is a huge part of our community and we love getting to share that with others!