The_Ledger_Summer_2021

Locally Sourced, Responsibly Raised Joshua Welch Supplies His Small-Town Rhode Island Restaurant with 100 Percent American Aberdeen Beef

BY GRACE VEHIGE, CONTRIBUTING WRITER W ithin the agricultural industry, there is a large variety of sectors op erating under different circumstances and serving different purposes. At the end of the day, how ever, there is one thing each business has in common: community. For Joshua Welch, of Stonington, Conn., the cattle business brought a sense of connectedness to his life. “I like the community of people that I work with and come in con tact with,” Welch says. “The people involved in agriculture or the livestock industry are just awesome people, and that adds a richness to life.” Welch, a white-collar businessman by trade, resides alongside his family in Connecticut where they operate a variety of businesses, including a cattle farm, J.W. Beef, and two restau rants – Bridge and Graze Burgers. Incredible Optimism J.W. Beef is based in Stonington, Conn., in a location Welch describes as “a special combination of shore and sea,” being five miles from the ocean. “We asked ourselves what the high est value and best use of the land was and decided that cattle made the most sense,” Welch explains.

After deciding on a location and business plan, the next step for Welch was selecting a breed of cattle to raise that would be both practical and profitable. “I knew I wanted to farm on grass alone, so we really chose Aberdeen because of the small frame size and disposition,” Welch says. Not only are American Aberdeens easy handling, but Welch says the breed has been great for his opera tion due to their calving ease and stocking rate. While the J.W. Beef herd began in 2008, and with just five animals, hard work and determination has allowed the operation to grow to 125 head of American Aberdeen cattle. According to Welch, those who wish to raise livestock must either be incredibly optimistic or born into ranching. He claims identity with the former. However, a local family has been mainstay in assisting the J.W. Beef operation. “Noah Lewis, who I have the pleasure of working with, was born into the livestock industry,” Welch explains. “He is very resourceful and helpful.” Noah and Kelsie Lewis have been a great help to the Welch family’s herd, as well as a great resource to work

alongside. As many in the industry would note, it takes a community to maintain progress, and that is what the Welch family has developed. Keeping Business Local In Westerly, R.I., about eight miles from J.W. Beef, is the family-owned restaurant, Bridge. This full-service restaurant was the first of two the Welch family would open in the area. With a vision to cut menu size and open a counter-service restaurant, Welch opened his next eatery, Graze Burgers, which is also located in Westerly. A visit to the Graze Burgers website gives consumers access to a unique piece of information they are not always privy to – transparency with food origin. J.W. Beef supplies 100 percent of the beef served at Graze Burgers. Customers are able to note their food products are grass fed, hormone-free and raised locally by a family-owned operation. The website displays the mes sage, “Our American Aberdeen cattle live on a completely foraged, high quality pasture diet, grow at a natural rate without hormones or growth promoting additives, and are treated with care and respect for their entire lives.” Continued on page 38 

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