Lloyd Farms: A family’s unexpected journey into Corriente beef

By Guest Columnist Savannah Lloyd

Lloyd Farms is a small-batch Corriente beef producer located right here in Canton, Mississippi. We’re a family of five—Cassidy and me, along with our kids Cooper (8), Maggie (5), and Gaines (2).

This journey began in 2023, and, honestly, it happened by accident. We had a small herd of Corriente steers and asked a couple of friends if they wanted to go in with us to finish and process a few for beef. We weren’t exactly sure how the meat would turn out, because of their small and athletic build, so we started doing some research on the breed.

We found out that Corriente cattle were the first cows brought to the Americas by Spanish conquistadors in the 15th century—long before the United States existed. They were ideal for early settlers and explorers, because they were hardy, tough and non-selective grazers. These cows will eat just about anything—leaves, brambles, vines—and they’re easy on the land. They’re friendly, easy keepers and very agile. You often see them in rodeo events, because they’re quick and smart, and they definitely keep us entertained.

When we got those first steers back from the processor, we immediately started selling shares of beef. We knew right away that this was something we wanted to share with our community. We have some friends over in Arizona at Rancho Rio and Capital Farms who are doing the same thing on a much larger scale. They’ve been a great source of information and encouragement as we try to bring this breed back into the beef industry. As far as we know, we’re the only Corriente beef farm in Mississippi, and one of only about a dozen in the country.

We’re a small producer, selling around 1,000 pounds of beef a month. We only sell direct-to-consumer, to keep costs low and make our beef accessible. Getting high-quality, lean beef into the hands of people—regardless of their budget—is important to us.

In addition to beef shares, we also sell our “Cowboy Cut” ground beef by the pound. It’s a primal blend that’s rich and flavorful but still very lean, with only 5–7% fat. Even if a family can’t afford to stock their freezer for six months, they can stock it for a week with our ground beef and feel good about what they’re feeding their family.

We’re just a regular family with two full-time jobs and kids in every activity, but this has become our passion and our “why.” It motivates us every day, and we’re so thankful for all the support we’ve received. Meeting our customers, shaking their hands, and seeing the people who keep our dream going means the world to us.