Leaf to Beef

A parallel farm enterprise for Farmer Jo is Leaf to Beef: raising grass-fed beef on Martha’s Vineyard. While not a stranger from raising cattle, the three Hereford-Angus heifers Farmer Jo raised in 2023 were the first cattle she ever owner herself. A dream come true!

The three beef heifers named Anna, Ashley, and Melissa lived out their lives entirely off of Meeting House Way in Edgartown, born just down the road before Farmer Jo brought them to the former horse pasture at the MV Land Bank Commission’s Quenomica Preserve for the grazing season. They were rotationally grazed or moved to new paddock of grass to graze each day. In the fall, the cows went off to the processor and were sold to island customers as ‘Beef Bundles’: 25 pounds of ground beef, steaks, and roasts.

In 2024, Farmer Jo expanded her herd raising 7 Hereford heifers in Edgartown, Vineyard Haven, and Oak Bluffs. The following year in 2025, Jo bought 5 heifers and 4 steer born on-island in Chilmark and raised them on 9 different pastures across the island.

Feel free to follow @leaftobeef on Instagram to see more photos. If interested in purchasing beef, please email leaftobeef@gmail.com. Steak Samplers (10 pounds of assorted steaks) are available for $200 as well as bones and cross-cut shanks (priced per pound).

2026 will bring even more cattle grazing on island pastures — stay tuned for herd size and acreage! Steak Samplers, Burger Bundles (10 pounds of ground beef), bones, cross-cut shanks, and organs will be available in the fall.