Heather Smith Thomas For Farm & Ranch May 15, 2026 Updated May 16, 2026
It’s difficult today for young people to begin a livestock business without a land base. Josh Eilers is a military veteran who began raising cattle with no prior experience, using land owned by real estate developers near Austin, Texas. “I went straight from the army to college, paid for by the GI bill. I didn’t know what I wanted to, and on a whim, bought a few cattle. I decided on a breed after sitting in a bar in Austin and overhearing a conversation—a guy trying to impress a girl, telling her he’d just spent $100 on a steak. I interrupted him to ask what kind of steak that was.”