Family is the heart of Downing Cattle Company
Six generations have built Fountain Run farm
IN FOUNTAIN RUN, where Monroe and Allen counties meet, Downing Cattle Company stands as a sixth-generation Kentucky farm rooted in family, faith and the daily rhythm of raising cattle.
For 21 years, owner Jeff Downing has served as a director at Tri-County Electric, an electric co-op serving members in Kentucky and Tennessee.
Jeff grew up on the farm and, today, works the same land once tended by his great-grandfather. At the young age of 8, Jeff watched his father build the farm’s original meat processing facility.
When the beef market shifted in 2008, Jeff and his wife, Melinda, saw an opportunity. They decided to market their own all-natural, antibiotic-free meat, raising cattle from start to finish on the Downing homestead.
“The processing building was here, the equipment was here—I just had to update things,” Jeff says.
In 2010, the company became USDA approved and began supplying local country stores and groceries in Kentucky and Tennessee.
Today, the Downings manage around 170 brood cows—closer to 200 when you include son Will’s nearby herd.
Their most popular product, sausage, is packaged using hogs purchased from two local producers.
While selling meat pays the bills, family is the backbone of the operation. Daughter Jenna Yokley and her husband, Jeremy, have three children—Hallie, Hannah and Haven. Son Will and his wife, Bethany, have two—Clay and Eliza.
Together, the three living Downing generations work side by side to make the farm successful, and for Jeff and Melinda, that may be the greatest blessing of all.
“Our grandkids do schoolwork in the morning and farm work in the afternoon,” Jeff says. “It’s a way of life that keeps us all together.”
Downing Sausage: A local favorite
Downing Cattle spans 900 acres and produces all-natural Angus beef, along with pork products sourced from local producers.
In Tennessee, their products are sold at Gammons Market in Hendersonville and at Mike’s Foodland locations in Westmoreland, Lebanon and Red Boiling Springs. In Kentucky, customers can find their products at Main Street Grocery in Fountain Run and Marigold’s Market in Tompkinsville.
Though cattle is the company namesake, Downing Sausage—served hot in nearby restaurants such as Nannie Joe’s and Flapper’s Market—is the company’s most popular product.
“Our sausage is the biggest thing and one of the most popular items we make,” Jeff says. “Most of the country stores around here cook it for breakfast.”
