John and Emily Barnes are native to the Carolinas.

We were both raised on small farms in North Carolina, and we both grew up showing livestock.

Growing up, agriculture was not the primary source of income for either of our families, and currently, none of our family members are involved in cattle production or commercial agriculture. One could say we were both the black sheep of our families!

We met over cattle, and growing a cattle herd of our own has been a dream since the beginning of us.

If we lack anything in the generational farming aspect, we make up for it in self-started passion and the ability to think independently. Today, both John and Emily work full-time on our farming operation which has grown to include purebred and commercial cattle, purebred hogs, Royal White sheep, and direct marketed meats.

John

John was raised in Wilson County, NC. He grew up showing many species of livestock in 4-H, including cattle, hogs, lambs, goats, and turkeys. John competed in livestock judging competitions in 4-H, which sparked his interest in livestock evaluation. He was especially interested in beef cattle. In pursuit of his dreams, John went to college in Kansas at Butler community college and Kansas State University, competing on their collegiate livestock judging teams while earning undergraduate degrees. John was a member of the Reserve National Championship Livestock Judging team at Kansas State. In line with his entrepreneurial spirit, he completed post-graduate studies and earned an MBA.

John has sought jobs to build a beef-focused resume. His entire adult life has been spent further learning about beef cattle and beef. He has managed purebred cattle farms, worked in the corporate office for a beef packing company, and recently worked for an international company that specializes in breeding cattle.

Emily

Emily was raised in Guilford County, NC. She grew up raising cattle & sheep and showing Angus heifers through the National Junior Angus Association. While at North Carolina State University, Emily was Miss American Angus for a year - the national Angus cattle queen. During grad school, Emily continued to fuel her beef cattle passions, and whenever she could carve out time to add in beef education or experience, she jumped at the chance. She was a consumer education intern for Certified Angus Beef and also worked on artificial insemination projects on several Angus ranches in Kansas.

In 2019, we started Bravo Steaks to direct market our beef as a way to add value to our herd.