hackberry hill ranch
ABOUT THE RANCH
Hackberry Hill Ranch is a 160+ acre property outside of Wortham, Texas. On the land, we raise cattle, embracing our belief that pasture raised cows are happy cows, and happy cows make better and healthier food for our table. We use a management intensive pasture rotation system in order to ensure that not only are the cows well fed, but that the ground is preserved and treated well, with minimal intervention.
ABOUT US
We are Katie and Nathaniel Zastrow. After years of talking about moving out to the country to pursue a lifelong dream of owning our own ranch, we decided (with three small children at home and a pandemic sweeping the nation) to go for it. We hunted for properties for several months until we fell in love with what is now Hackberry Hill. Our vision is to raise our children to embrace the outdoors and nature, grow a large garden, and run a pasture raised cattle operation.
WHY "HACKBERRY HILL"?
We've been asked multiple times, especially from people in the area familiar with the local flora
"Why 'Hackberry' Hill? Those are weed trees."
We know hackberrys are considered undesirable trees. We know many people pull them from their yards and parks because they are not like the beautiful oaks, the sturdy pecans, or the quirky cedar you find all over Texas.
But that's part of our story.
We believe that we should to the best of our ability, embrace all things that come and go in nature. Weeds and all.
So when we cruised up the driveway when we first toured the property, we did not see a road lined with dozens of hackberry trees that nobody wants. We saw beauty. We saw shade for our cows and children. We saw strength in age and numbers. We saw the philosophy we dreamed so many years ago growing (literally) before our eyes. We do not need to shun what nature has already given us, for history has proven that we can grow and raise our own food without intervening.
