About Us
The Small, Family Business
Smiley Beef, LLC is run by Matthew and Seanne House, along with their two growing men Norman and Morgan being chased by their ever-ball loving Labrador, Freyja. Matt, a retired firefighter, has a delectable background in culinary arts with a degree from Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon. Matt has a strong passion for charcuterie and developing outstanding food from the best ingredients. Seanne's background lies with a bachelors degree in animal science and agribusiness from the University of Nevada, Reno and raising her own herd of beef cattle since the age of twelve. Their values and education combine to help create the best beef from start to finish.
It is our mission to share our love of livestock, small agriculture, honest practices, and quality meats and products from our family to your table, without sacrifice.
The Farm Part
In order to better control the nutrition of our cattle year-around, and make a more sustainable small farm and ranch, we installed a center pivot to harvest our cattle's winter feed. This is basically a very large sprinkler fed by a large well. Smiley Beef installed three solar arrays that supply the necessary power to run our irrigation, lower our carbon footprint, and allows us to pump millions of gallons without taking from the power grid.
Facilities
As the business continues to develop and grow, the House family continues to work at adding new layers to the property. Weanling and finishing shelters were added to protect the cattle from the winter storms that are inherent to living next to the Ruby Mountains, a bull pen welded to expand our breeding abilities, and a cattle handling facility is moving forward for completion!
Genetics
At the heart of our product is our herd genetics. We put incredible efforts into picking outstanding Wagyu and Red Angus genetic traits, utilizing EPD's, keeping records, and selecting for good carcass results as well as the best mothering traits. The breeding season takes affect two years prior to the final product being in our customers freezer, making it a true investment! We do not "feed out" for our customers, but rather take the full approach of breeding, calving, weaning, and growing our product from start to finish and it all begins with the genetics.
What our Cattle Eat
Our center pivot supplies most of our cattle's winter roughage feed with high nutrient, anti-bloat sainfoin and a blend of pasture grasses to the cattle for the best available feed even in the coldest months. With a specially formulated, non-GMO and organic grain ration, Smiley Beef steers grow slow and steady with the ultimate in nutrition. We also give our animals a higher end supplement that changes depending on the time of year, what age, or whether they are expecting, giving them all the vitamins and minerals they need.
Clean and Heated Water
Water consumption is highly important to the animals good digestion, fetal development, and healthy growth. We take strong measures to provide clean water year around, and heat the water throughout the harsh winter temperatures.
Beliefs
We believe that there are three people that can make or break our beef: the Rancher, the Butcher, and the Cook. We put our very, best effort to take care of the first two and will assist with any concerns to help you with the third. Please, do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you might have. We are very proud of our family's product and believe you will taste it!