About US
Back Forty Beef, LLC is proudly owned and operated by Clint and Kelly Brandlee, who also farm alongside Clint’s parents, Mark and Deb Brandlee, at Brandlee Farms. Our family’s farming roots run deep, after immigrating from Norway in 1886, Clint's ancestors homesteaded in northeastern South Dakota. Clint and Kelly are fifth-generation farmers, and our daughters, Jaycee and Kylie, represent the sixth generation of Brandlees on the farm.
Brandlee Farms is located on the western edge of the Coteau Hills near Pierpont, SD, an area of gentle rolling hills rich with wildlife, crop ground, and native pastures. Our diversified operation includes raising Simmental/Angus cross cattle, growing corn, soybeans, alfalfa, small grains, and cover crops.
IThe pandemic of 2020 brought many challenges, including meat shortages and extreme price fluctuations. It was during this time that Back Forty Beef, LLC was formed as a way to bring customers fresh home-grown beef at a fair price with a delicious flavor you won’t find in the supermarket. We want to provide customers with the same beef we have enjoyed for years while giving customers, an inside view of how our animals are raised, from pasture to plate.
Building on the success of Back Forty Beef, we expanded our brand to include Back Forty Candles. These hand-poured candles use beef tallow from our homegrown beef blended with American-grown soy wax, creating a fun and healthy option for burning candles in your home. We later added tallow body and lip balms to the line-up, making use of co-products from our beef.
In the fall of 2023, we opened the Back Forty Beef Adventure Farm and Corn Maze. Visitors can meet farm animals, play family-friendly games, jump in the corn box, crawl through the hay tunnel, capture unique photo opportunities, and enjoy meals from local food trucks. Our 12-acre corn maze features checkpoints and opportunities for visitors to discover special offers from area businesses.
Before heading home, guests can shop at our farm store for Back Forty Beef, seasonal pumpkins and a variety of products from local vendors. The Adventure Farm and Corn Maze is open every fall from the weekend after Labor Day through the last weekend of October.
At Back Forty Beef, we’re passionate about sharing our love of farming, family, and community with every visitor, every product, and every meal.
About the Herd
Our herd combines two of the most popular and desired breeds in America; Angus and Simmental. These Sim/Angus cross cows typically weigh between 1250 and 1400 lbs and produce calves that are efficient and economical in converting feed into growth, which allows us to use fewer resources.
Calves spend the summers and fall grazing South Dakota pasture with the herd. Calves are then weaned and moved to a pen on the farm where they are finished on a high-quality corn silage and grain diet giving our beef the marbling, tenderness & flavor you expect from a gourmet steak.
cattle care
We believe in the best care for our herd to deliver delicious and nutritious South Dakota beef for your family and ours. Cattle spend the summers grazing native pastures before being finished on a corn-based diet which gives our beef that delicious flavor that corn finishing delivers.
Our farm has completed the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. BQA is a nationally coordinated, state-implemented program that provides beef farmers training and information on common sense animal husbandry techniques (such as low-stress handling) that are coupled with accepted scientific knowledge to raise cattle. Continued education and learning are extremely important to us as we grow and improve our farm.
Antibiotic Use
Antibiotic stewardship is something we take very seriously. Our practices allow us to rarely rely on antibiotics for treating any sick animals. However, just like humans, sometimes cattle fall ill and need treatment. As care-givers to our cattle, we pride ourselves in doing everything we can to minimize pain and suffering for our cattle. We work closely with our local veterinarian to determine if and when antibiotics are needed.
Our herd health practices ensure we use antibiotics on a limited, only as necessary, basis. Not only are we committed to making good health decisions for our family, but we are also committed to protecting the health of our cattle herd.
Did you know all meat is antibiotic-free. Any animals treated for illness or injury do not enter the food chain until they have gone through the mandatory USDA withdrawal period. This time period ensures beef is safe for all consumers.
Herd Genetics
Great genetics play an important role in producing high-quality beef. Having a top-notch herd does not just happen overnight. Over the years, Clint and Mark have poured over bull sale and seman catalogs to select the right sires for our herd. Selecting bulls that will match well with our cow herd and produce high-quality calves which in-turn produce high-quality beef. This is an important part of the entire process.
There are several traits, called EPD’s, we take into consideration when selecting bulls for the herd. The highly sought after 50/50 Simmental/Angus cross, high weaning and yearling weights, polled genes (offspring will not grow horns), docile and stayability (how tame and long they potentially will stay in the herd), and even ribeye area and marbling traits. The biggest trait we look at when selecting bulls is a high API. The API score combines all of these traits together into a single score. When combining years of top breeding, along with a great nutrition program and animal care; you get a quality efficient herd which in return creates a high quality, evenly marbled product; making an enjoyable dining experience.