About the Greathouses

Our Family

We’re the Greathouses! Charlton and I (Michaela) have both been raised on family farms, and now we are operating our own family farm. Micah Earl is our oldest, Zedidiah Hedge is our youngest and our newest addition will be making an appearance at the end of May. Our family farm currently operates on 120 acres in Albion, Illinois. We raise cattle, chickens, row crops, hay and vegetables. We also sell retail cuts of meat and market locally produced pork and beef for custom processing appointments. As a family we have priorities for our farm. One of those being that we incorporate as many sustainable agricultural practices as we can. This way we can ensure that we leave the ground better than we found it. It is our belief that the ground truly does belong to the next generation and we are only borrowing it from them. Another priority on our farm is to produce the best quality products we can for our consumers. We strive to educate and serve all of our consumers in selecting the best products for their families. We hope that you will take the time to try our products and get to know our family. We look forward to working with you!

Our Roots

Growing up on family farms rooted a passion for agriculture for both Charlton and me (Michaela). We knew of each other all through high school and I even helped him show his Herefords at the local county fair a couple times. But it wasn’t until the spring of 2016 that we reconnected at the Ellis Hereford Farm Sale. We started chatting and found that we had several similarities. We went on a few dates, but ultimately I decided that I didn’t want to pursue a relationship because I was going to work on a cattle ranch in Montana that summer. (Despite the fact I knew I could marry him only after our third date) Charlton told me he would wait for me to get back and that’s exactly what he did. After a summer full of Big Sky country, I came back to Illinois and we’ve been together ever since.

When we started dating we started dreaming about operating our own operation and raising lots of children. Charlton says he would love to have 13 (his grandpa was one of 12 and my great grandmother was one of 18). We are both open to having as many children as God sees fit for us. From the beginning, we knew cattle would be a staple to our farming operation as we both truly enjoy raising cattle. On July 7, 2018, we were married on my Grandpa’s ground that we currently rent for our farming operation. Currently, we have expanded the garden area to almost an acre and have cattle and chickens for livestock. In the near future we are hoping to add sheep to our livestock. I spend a lot of time in the garden during the summer where I grow vegetables and flowers. Canning has become part of my identity as I can well over 1,000+ jars every summer. I have started teaching canning classes two years ago and have truly enjoyed teaching people such an important skill.

Charlton and I have been married for almost 5 years and we have seen so much growth not only in our relationship but our farming operation as well. We are looking forward to what the rest of 2023 brings our way!