Our Story
Ever since I could remember, cows have been special to me. As a child, I would poke my head out of the car window, yelling “mooooo” as we drove past, as if I was saying hello or I love you, and they’d understand. As I got older, I would semi-jokingly tell friends and family that one day, I would buy a ton of land and either put a doggy retirement home on it or start adopting cows to lay in a field and snuggle them all day.
Initially, I saw the declining demand for dairy and cattle as an opportunity to help with rehoming efforts, but as we progressed and had more conversations, our board realized that the cows weren’t the only ones who were caught in this mess – family farmers were going bankrupt, selling off their livelihood, and, even worse, experiencing incredibly high levels of depression and were at great risk of suicide.
We knew we had to do something to help bridge this gap between love for animal-based farmers and their families and love for the animals they farm. So, in January of 2023, Buckeye Pastures was formed. We hope you will join us in our mission to transform lives.
-Melissa, Founder & President
our board
Melissa McWilliams
President & Founder
Chuck Hopper
Secretary
Kim Steward
Treasurer
We are looking for exceptional individuals
who want to make a difference.
You’ve got questions, We have answers
Why Cows?
Dairy & beef cows represent over 70% of the animals used for food and are the most expensive to keep, which makes them difficult to rehome.
Consumption of meat and dairy is rapidly declining, affecting the livelihoods of small family farmers and the workers they employ.
Cows have one of the largest negative ecological impacts in the world as they require the most land, consume incredible amounts of water, and omit some of the most greenhouse gas emissions.
What are your current operating costs?
Right now, we do not have any staff as we are 100% run by our board, and, per our bylaws, our board does not receive income. We are completely transparent and always will be. Feel free to reach out to Melissa, Founder and president, to review any financial questions. Once we have filed our first 990, we will immediately have it available for review on our site.
Where are the pastures located? Can I come to visit?
We do not have pastures at the moment. We are focusing our fundraising and outreach efforts on keeping the cows on the land in which they are currently. We will soon begin a capital campaign to find and locate land in the Northeast Ohio region for cows to live.
What do the donations go to help with?
Once a farm transitions or a farmer wants to retire, we will work with them on funding items such as hay, food, and vet care to help alleviate the financial strain.
After pastures are secured and we can offer a new home to the animals, donations will be used to take care of them and will allow us to hire trained and reliable staff.
Curious to learn more?
Have a question that isn’t listed? Let’s chat!
We are a proud member of the Plant-Based Foods Association.
They are the first and only trade association representing the nation’s leading plant-based food
companies and working to champion, strengthen, and elevate members and the plant-based food industry.