Meet the Modern Farmers: Jason and Lynsey Kramer

Jason Kramer used to be a firefighter in Houston, “sitting around the station all day, eating on the cheap” – and had the ballooning waistline to prove it. Then, in 2006, he and his wife, Lynsey, moved to a relative’s place in the country and began growing vegetables. “Within a couple years, I’d dropped 40 pounds,” Jason says. “I started to think about what I put in my mouth and where it came from.”

Five years ago, the Kramers bought their own 40 acres in Fayetteville, Texas, and acquired 600 Rhode Island Red chickens, 20 Red Angus cattle, and several heritage pig breeds, including Berkshires and Old Spots. “Our animals are grass fed and experience less stress, so we get a much different product than what’s at your average market,” Jason explains.

The resulting pasture-raised beef, pork, chicken, and eggs – free of antibiotics and growth hormones – grace the menus of top Austin restaurants like Emmer & Rye and Loca d’Oro. (Freezer-packed meat, seasonings, rendered fat, and bone broth can also be ordered at yonderwayfarm.com.)

While farming has changed Jason and Lynsey’s health for the better, the couple are especially proud of the way their lifestyle has shaped their four daughters. “Our kids are gritty, feisty, adventurous, and they have a connection to food I didn’t have growing up,” says Jason.