so God made a Farmer

If you are a member of the agriculture community or a football fan you may have heard the

speech “So God made a Farmer” given by beloved radio broadcaster, Paul Harvey. The speech

gained instant fame when it was featured in a Dodge tv commercial broadcast during the 2013

Super Bowl. The speech was first made by Harvey at the 1978 Future Farmers of America

Convention and then published in 1986 in his syndicated column. The speech will tug at your

heartstrings and make you beam with pride for all your farmer friends.

A new generation of farmers has been gaining attention locally for thinking outside the box.

These guys are bringing beef straight from the field to the consumer. I can personally vouch for

their products. The service and quality can’t be beat!

Emanuel County resident Abb Johnson is a 5th generation farmer and owner of Triple A Meats.

“Growing up, I knew I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps.” After high school Abb attended

Ogeechee Technical College and obtained a degree in Agri Business and soon began farming full

time. 

Abb began his row crop and cattle operation in 2022. “I decided to take it a step farther by

providing homegrown beef. The beef that we produce comes directly from our cow calf

operation.  My goal is to provide you with meat that was raised on our farm that has been fed

to provide the highest quality of tenderness and taste.”

Triple A Meats offers whole cow cuts, half cow cuts, and small bundle boxes.

I called Abb and picked up a bundle box. I was delighted with the variety and great quality of

the beef. I always have a hard time deciding what to cook for dinner, and avoid going to the

grocery store at all cost. Now I can go to the freezer and pull out a pack of ground beef, steak,

or roast for dinner and pair it with fresh veggies from our local farmer’s market. I love knowing

where my food is grown, and I love supporting a local small business. I have watched Abb grow

up and I am excited to cater his wedding to his fiancé, Emily in 2024.

Owner of Semiema Farms, Addison Hooks, is a 4th generation cattle farmer who came back to

the farm full time 10 years ago after graduating from UGA. “Since coming back, we have

focused solely on supplying grass fed, pasture raised, natural quality beef to our surrounding

communities. We are a GAP Certified program and have been certified since 2013. We are

passionate about our cattle and beef and always strive to produce some of the best beef

around!”

Semiema Farms is located just outside of Swainsboro. They offer bulk beef orders of whole, half

and quarter beef sides. They also offer individual steaks, roasts, ground beef, briskets, cubed

steak, and short ribs. All their cattle are processed off the farm at a local processor and all beef

comes vacuum sealed! 

“You can find us on Facebook and Instagram, where we post fun things about the farm and the

beef we have to offer for purchase. We push education on the cattle industry and why buying

locally is so important. Placing an order with us is as simple as sending us a message on either

social media platforms. We will work with you on getting your order together and setting up a

date and time for pick up!”

I catered Addison’s and wife, Mallory’s wedding in 2022. Their biggest request when planning

the reception menu was that Honey use Addison’s home-grown beef tenderloin. I was excited

to add this special touch to their menu and I can honestly say this is the best beef tenderloin I

have ever cooked! When Mallory scheduled a time to drop off the tenderloin, I ordered a box

full of their favorite beef products! The box lasted my family 2 months!

Westwood Angus Farms is a third-generation cattle farm that has been in operation since the

early 1900’s. Bulloch County farmer Walker Blitch is following in the footsteps of his father and

grandfather.

Fred Blitch Sr. raised commercial cattle, a registered Horned Hereford herd, and ran a feedlot

in the 1950s and 60s. He was joined by his son Fred Blitch Jr. and they transitioned to registered

Black Angus cattle in 1969.

Walker and his dad, Freddie continue to raise predominantly registered Black Angus Cattle. The

Blitches provide registered bulls, open heifers, bred heifers, and pairs to surrounding cattlemen

looking to build upon or improve their herds with quality registered cattle.

Walker and his wife, Gina felt the need to diversify and offer a quality farm to table option for

consumers and in 2022 Westwood Angus Beef was born. Walker’s beef is bred, born, and raised

in Bulloch County. Westwood Angus Beef contains no added hormones or preservatives and is

antibiotic free. They choose to grain finish their cattle to provide the highest quality, best

tasting beef.

“Our hope and prayer are to be able to continue to steward and sustainably raise cattle here in

Bulloch County as well as provide the public with great tasting local beef so we can in turn pass

this family tradition down to another upcoming generation.”

Westwood Angus Beef partnered with Statesboro restaurant Uncle Shug’s Bar-B-Q place on S.

Main St. in Statesboro to offer locals hand-pattied burgers made with the freshest local beef.

You can order finished steers by the half and whole via reservation slots and retail beef bundles

when available.

I have catered many times for the Blitch family and our restaurant, Dolan’s BBQ featured

Westwood Angus Beef burgers as a “smash burger” special. My brother gave me a beef bundle

for Christmas. I recommend gifting this local product for any occasion!

I see a bright future for these young farmers and the strong women who help make their

operation a success. I am abundantly thankful that God made a farmer. Our world wouldn’t be

the same without their drive and determination to take care of the land and feed our nation.

Next time you see a farmer be sure to hug their neck and give them a big pat on the back.

Ordering Info

Westwood Angus Beef

Walker Blitch

Facebook

Instagram

westwoodangusfarms@gmail.com

912-687-6960

Semiema Farms

Addison Hooks

Facebook

Instagram

Triple A Meats

Abb Johnson

912-682-3767

Facebook

www.tripleameats.com

Buffalo Beef Burgers

2 lbs Ground Beef

½ c Franks Hot Sauce

1 tsp Granulated Garlic

1 tsp. Black Pepper

6-8 Hamburger Buns

2 Tbs. Butter

Lettuce and Tomato

Blue Cheese Sauce:

½ c Blue Cheese

½ c Sour Cream

½ c Dukes Mayo

2 Tbs. chopped Green Onion

1 Tbs. Worcestershire

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Mix all ingredients and chill until ready to use.

Mix ground beef, hot sauce, garlic, and pepper until combined. Form burger into patties

(makes 6-8 depending on how large you like your burgers). Grill burgers until desired

doneness. Toast bun with butter. Serve burger on toasted bun with blue cheese sauce,

lettuce, and tomato.

Beer Braised BBQ Pot Roast

For the Roast:

5 lb. Beef Chuck Roast

Season Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder

1 Red Onion (sliced)

1 c Flour

1/4 c Olive Oil

3 Bay Leaves

1 can Budweiser

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Season Roast liberally with season salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili

powder. Coat both sides with flour. Heat oil in a Dutch oven. When oil is hot add roast. Sear on both sides

until flour is browned. Top with slices of onions and entire can of beer. Add water until roast and onions are

completely covered. Place lid on Dutch oven and bake 225 degrees for 5-6 hours.

Remove roast from liquid. Remove any fat, gristle, or bones. Set aside. There will be a thin layer of clear fat

that has risen to the top of the pan juices. Skim off as much fat as possible with a spoon. Reserve two cups

of pan juices.

For the BBQ Sauce:

2 c Reserved Pan Drippings

2 c Ketchup

1 c Brown Sugar

1/2 c Cider Vinegar

3 Tbs. Chipotle Peppers in Sauce

1 tsp. Black Pepper

Cook all ingredients until boiling. Pour sauce over roast and serve hot.

Ribeyes with Cowboy Butter

2 Ribeye Steaks (cut 1.5 inches thick)

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil

Remove steaks from fridge and bring to room temperature.

Season steaks with salt and pepper.

Add olive oil to cast I iron skillet and heat to medium heat.

Add steaks and cook 5 minutes on one side. Flip and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from pan and place on platter. Top with cowboy butter and let the steak 5-10 minutes before

serving.

Cowboy Butter

1 stick Salted Butter (softened)

1 clove Garlic (minced)

2 Green Onions (chopped)

1 Tbs. Worcestershire

1 tsp. Chili Powder

1 tsp. Dijon Mustard

1 tsp. Black Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Place butter on parchment paper and roll into a 1/2 inch roll. Refrigerate until firm. Slice in pats to put on

top of cooked steaks, veggies, pasta, potatoes, or bread!

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