Legacy 3 Cattle Company
A rewarding part of being in real estate is getting to meet people with captivating stories and hear their take on what land means to Texan livelihood today. Clickhere to read about Legacy 3 Cattle Company, and how their family ranch has persevered since the late 1800s. This family business lays foundation for Generation Alpha in hopes their future in farm to table has no omega.
Meet Legacy 3 Cattle Company. Kenneth Leach, owner of Legacy 3 Cattle Company, holds a Bachelor’s in computer science from the University of Texas, but his roots run much deeper than a desk. These Texas roots start with John L. Leach, Kenneth’s great grandfather, who homesteaded a ranch just outside Hamilton,Texas sometime in the late 1800s, near the headwaters of Gholson Creek and Pecan Wells, Texas. He soon expanded it from land granted to the Texas and St. Louis Railway. Kenneth’s grandfather Floyd Leach took over managing the farm in 1939 when he was just 19 years old after John suddenly passed away. He also expanded the land to just under 300 acres, the size it is today, after coming home from WWII and marrying Doris Laverne Walker. Floyd and Doris went on to raise 9 kids on the ranch. “The Leach family has been in this part of Texas, farming and ranching, for generations. Both my grandfather and dad grew up on this land, and I spent every summer, most holidays, and many weekends visiting this place, taking care of it, chasing cattle, building fences, hunting, fishing, and enjoying my family out here. I’m the fourth generation Leach out here, my children are fifth generation, and we already have the sixth generation started last year with my nephew’s family”, states Kenneth. Before Kenneth’s grandmother died, she placed the land into a family trust to preserve ownership for future generations. The ranch is now managed by the third generation of Leach family under the Floyd and Doris Leach Family Trust, with Kenneth’s generation working side-by-side with the older generation to maintain and operate the land, keeping in mind that what they do out here not only affects them, but their children’s future on the ranch. This expanse of land has weathered droughts, floods, fires, ice storms, and the Great Depression.
Through all this time and different management styles, the family hasn’t lost sight of the dream to support their family as a working farm and cattle ranch. Common practice is to grow the herd’s own hay for the year, and auction young calves off to fund the ranch in hopes for the next year. Kenneth started the Legacy 3 Cattle Company in 2022, at least 120 years after his great-grandfather homesteaded the place, with hopes to build from his family heritage. “My family heritage is important to understand because it tells me where I came from, and who was here before me, just like some of the old relics laying out on the farm. However, our legacy is even more important because that is where we’re headed, and determines what we’ll leave behind for others.” Kenneth and his young family decided to focus start to finish -on what they could personally offer by investing in education, sweat equity, responsibility, and sustainability. A throw-back to what perhaps his original ancestors’ perspective may have looked like. Kenneth said, “My grandmother, Doris, told me once, that ‘there’s nothin’ good about the good ol’ days’ when referring to the hard work needed on the ranch. She meant it, and now I understand why. However, I personally believe that the hard work pays off with family memories out here.”
Kenneth, his wife, and three children (hence the name Legacy 3 Cattle Company) don’t hit the easy button at the grocery store to source beef. Instead they spend their weekends at the ranch versus proximity to the city until Summer allows them to fully immerse themselves working cattle and raising calves the right way. The idea of getting their beef from the family ranch seemed easy, but Kenneth’s tech and business skills proved valuable in researching the process of taking a calf from a ranch to your table. Breeds, grasses, grains, separate pastures, water access, and environment are key focus points. They work diligently to find the best recipe for a healthy calf to get processed locally so the quality that hits the table is noticeable. The end results are as salivating as the sustainable lessons learned by the kids, parents and broader family along the way. Strengthening the legacy is why many of us do what we do, it’s the Texan way and fuels the American dream. Sometimes full circle is how we evolve.
The Legacy 3 Cattle Company offers ½ calves to family and friends. They hope others value “Access to higher-quality, locally-grown, and humanely-raised beef” as the reason for starting Legacy 3 Cattle Company. Kenneth shares, “I wanted to know how my beef was raised, what it was fed and injected with, and to produce a higher quality product at a bulk price.”
If interested in showing your support, please check out Legacy 3 Cattle Company on Facebook.
