Our Story 

We both grew up in small towns in Wisconsin. We met in high school and the rest is history.  We started our journey in Utah in 2008 and purchased our first elk in 2021. When we moved to Utah our dream was to own and operate a cow/calf cattle operation and we set off lining our lives up to do just that. Jon graduated in Agricultural Business and Angie graduated in Animal Science from Utah State University.  As we gained experience in the field of cattle, we quickly learned its damn near impossible to start a 1st generation cattle operation due to expenses and little return (there are a few who make it happen and you guys' rock!).  We got married and graduated from college all while wrestling with what direction to take our lives.  We eventually turned to our passions.  

We both grew up hunting whitetail deer in Wisconsin which if anyone is from Wisconsin knows that hunting season is kind of a big deal "dontcha know". Hunting has been a passion for both of us and our get away as a couple.  We love to be out hunting whether it's sitting in a tree stand chasing 30-point bucks or stalking miles across mountain tops looking for that perfect elk. Hunting for ducks, turkeys, and pheasants has been a fun past time as well.  There is something about hunting that makes you feel more attached to your roots as a human and thankful for what God has provided.  Although we love the act of hunting and the time we spend doing it, we also appreciate when we can take home a harvest. Being able to have venison in the house was a privilege and a reminder of work well done but there were many seasons we didn't have the luxury.  

One year we passed a domestic elk farm and thought wouldn't that be cool. I wonder what that place is? Maybe a government thing? We were interested enough to do some research.  Turns out there is a whole industry around raising domestic elk!  That year while hunting we thought, wouldn't it be nice to have access to venison year-round, and a new dream was born.  

During the time we were figuring it all out, we added a son and daughter to our family. They became the reason we pushed harder to gain a lifestyle that would allow them to have responsibility and respect for beings. We wanted to raise them to have accountability and sustainability, to feel like they have a place in this world and a purpose.  That for us is living on a farm. As things all came together, we bought our current elk ranch in 2020.  There were some setbacks along the way but when you commit to a dream or goal it's all small setbacks. We worked hard to get everything to work out and set up. 

Some people have asked us "why sheep?" The sheep came about because when we bought our place, due to CWD concerns, we were not able to get a state license to own elk at the time.  We asked ourselves what do we do now, still hopeful that we could eventually one day have elk. The answer was sheep. We brought our small flock of Polypay sheep in 2020 and they have been so much fun to have around.  Due to covid for some reason while other markets in Ag were crashing, sheep and goats started skyrocketing! The industry has continued to grow as more and more people are adding lamb to their home cooking. This was great for us, so they stayed around even after we brought on the elk. The sheep are great for the kids to help with, because of their size and calm demeanor the kids can be more involved in working and caring for the sheep and lambs. 

We were finally able to bring elk home by the end of 2021 and we absolutely love raising these animals. While none of these animals have EVER been wild, they still have a lot of natural "wild" instincts.  Calving and breeding seasons can be quite entertaining as the moods of these animals change quickly.  Most of the year they are pretty docile and loveable though. Our hard work had paid off and we were left wondering how we could share our newfound passion with people.  The Noble Elk was born over coffee while we discussed the health benefits of what is essentially unknown to most people, elk meat.  What if we could provide people with elk meat when they wanted it and, in the cuts, and quantities they wanted and ship it to their door!?  What if we did with venison what hasn't been done?  We are both very passionate dream chasers and believe you can do anything if you commit yourself and want it bad enough.  There is always a way to do what you are passionate about, and we also wanted to share this knowledge of inspiration with people. If we can do it, so can you! This is where the Inspire confidence came into our logo.  We want to have not just a meat company providing natural healthy meat but also inspire people to chase their dreams and set goals to make their lives better. Hopefully elk meat can fuel people while they chase big things. We believe the future of our county involves getting back to the American Dream mentality. What if we all get "off the couch," take accountability for ourselves and our actions and be the best versions of us we can be! Slowly we would see change in the world.  After all this IS America, the land of dreams, where you are free to spread your wings.