The Dobson Family

Sam and Sherry Dobson are currently raising high quality grassfed steers for Hickory Nut Gap Meats. Sam, Sherry, and their two year old son Chase are grass based dairy farmers by day with a broad understanding of rotational grazing and the use of annuals for finishing steers on over 300 acres of pasture in Statesville, NC.

Dobson Farms started in the late 1700s and has been Grade A dairy since 1940. Sam and his father Jim Dobson currently manage the dairy.

Sam is a graduate of Wilkes Community College and attended Appalachian State University. Sherry is a native of Wilkes County and a graduate of North Wilkes High School. Sam has served on the Young Farmer and Rancher Board for Farm Bureau, is a graduate of the NC State Ag Leadership program and is currently serving on the Board of the NC State Dairy Foundation.

Each year we raise about 60 steers and 200 pigs here on our farm but as the increased demand for consistent, high-quality grassfed beef is becoming more evident in the local marketplace we have begun to work with other grassfed beef producers to answer our customers' request. As a result we have formed relationships with a small group of skilled farmers within a 200 mile radius of our farm who meet our producer protocol and now raise meat for our wholesale markets under the Hickory Nut Gap Meat brand.

Hickory Nut Gap Meats animals consume only their mothers milk and forages during their entire life while rotationally grazed on pasture. This production model eliminates the need for administering subtherapeutic antibiotics. If an animal were to become sick it would be treated as needed but not allowed to enter our meat supply. Growth hormones are never used here at Hickory Nut Gap Meats. Hickory Nut Gap Meat's animals are handled using low stress handling methods and are minimally hauled to one of the two nearest Animal Welfare Approved processors for harvest.

2010 Grasfed Beef Producers

Dobson Family Farm
Rich Valley Graziers
Hyatt Farms
Hilltop Angus Farms