Cattle Run Farm LLC.: A Soil for Water Case Study
- Sarah Koth
- Jun 18
- 3 min read
The Soil for Water Case Study series highlights the stories and management practices of eleven farm operations throughout Virginia. The project was led by Eric Bendfeldt, Kim Niewolny, and Katie Trozzo from Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension; Lee Rinehart and Mike Morris of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT); and Ernie Didot of Clear Impact Productions. This series aims to share how farmers improve soil health and catch and hold more rainwater in the soil using regenerative grazing practices.
Thank you, farmers, for sharing your time, experiences, and insights about regenerative grazing and soil health-building systems with us and the broader community!
Each case study on the Virginia Soil Health Coalition blog will highlight the technical resources that the farm manager has used and/or mentions. We are delighted to highlight Cattle Run Farm, in the central Piedmont region of Virginia!
Cattle Run Farm LLC is a third-generation family-operated and veteran-owned farm in the central Piedmont region of Virginia. Sarah and Ralph Morton, sister and brother, continue their family tradition and expand the concept of an agrarian lifestyle and business within their community. Cattle Run Farm raises pork and beef cattle for direct and wholesale, and they produce and sell jams and jellies with native plants.
Creating Market Space
The Mortons have deep roots in farming on both sides of the family tree. In 2011, Sarah and her siblings began creatively expanding the operation. They shifted the homeplaceto become an Airbnb –called the Sarah James Inn, after their parents– and have focused on value-added meat and native plant-inspired jellies and jams for their variety of customers.
Sarah shared the importance of expanding their markets with customers' needs in mind.
"Food resiliency right now is bigger than it ever has been due to inflation, and people can't afford food costs," said Sarah. "I'm looking at opportunities for all, equal access for all, so if I'm going to eat steak, if I'm going to eat a quality hamburger, I want them to have a quality hamburger."
Research shows the connection between nutrient density and healthy grazing practices, such as rotational grazing. By implementing regenerative practices that minimize disturbance and energize with diversity, Cattle Run Farm is able to sell high-quality meat to their customers.
Creating Future Markets and Agrarians
"We fix this farm so that it can never be sold, never be commercialized," said Sarah. "I would like to see the next generation take it to a totally different level. "
Cattle Run Farm has hosted technical training workshops for farmers and welcomed students from Virginia State University. Sarah shared her hopes that young agrarians would come to gain hands-on experience.
From building soil health through rotational grazing, fencing off waterways, and securing land stewardship grants for native grasses and birds, Cattle Run Farm is a buzzing learning hub for both technical skills and cultivating appreciation.
"Agriculture is not cows, sows, and ploughs, it's bigger than that. Agriculture is everything from who's the next person that's going to market? Who's going to be the next videographer, or filmographer, or producer to come out and say we want to do the next Yellowstone, but in Virginia? It's law, it's policy, it's everything," she said.
Virginia's agriculture industry is one of the largest industries in the state, at over $1 billion. Sarah described how current farmers can help encourage younger generations and pass down resources in mutually beneficial ways.
"It's all about paying it forward and giving back, and that's what we see our farm as: a learning lab to do that."
Dig In:
Women for the Land: A Program by American Farmland Trust Seeks to Help Women Agrarians Succeed by Jessianne Castle, April 17, 2023, Edible Communities
15 Minutes With a Farmer Podcast: Sarah Morton, Virginia Farmer and Advocate, by Lisa Foust Prater, Successful Farming Family & Farmstead Editor, November 18, 2024
Cattle Run Farm on 4PFoods
From the Army to the farm, this veteran continues to serve, by the Veggie Fairy Team on the Seasonal Roots blog, September 15, 2018
Up next in our #FarmerFriday series, Cattle Run Farm LLC! by 4PFoods
Community Conversation: Sarah Morton with Virginia Career Workers - Piedmont Region on 29News - WVIR Charlottesville, VA, March 26, 2025
To learn more about the Mortons and the stories of Cattle Run Farm, check out the 4 The Soil blog post Cattle Run Farm is #4TheSoil.
See all the farmers' and ranchers' stories from the Soil for Water Video Case Studies on the Virginia Cooperative Extension's YouTube channel.
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