Our Kentucky roots were first established in 1793. That year, Thomas Riney floated his family consisting of his wife and 6 children to Kentucky on the Ohio River. They eventually settled and started farming in what is now Rineyville, a small town northwest of Elizabethtown. Thomas’ son, Zachariah, a member of the Maryland Militia during the Revolutionary War, is credited as being the first of two teachers to Abraham Lincoln and rests in the Trappist Cemetery at Gethsemani.
Seven generations later, the Riney Family footprint in Kentucky continues at Noche Linda Farms. In 1994, Steve Grissom and his wife Rhonda purchased a 350 acre farm in the famed horse country of Bourbon County, Kentucky. That began a passion for raising exceptional beef cattle and a love for the taste of great quality food.
In 2011, we began selling our specially finished beef locally, mainly through word-of-mouth. We now serve customers and friends throughout Kentucky and the United States.
Our Herd
We have always believed in the Angus and Hereford breeds of cattle, which originated in England. Properly managed, these breeds produce amazing cattle.
In 1995, we purchased a group of Angus heifers from a local breeder whose family had raised Angus cattle for 150 years. Every day since, we have worked to employ the best practices in our herd health and management. We apply painstaking details in genetics to our herd. Not by splitting DNA chains, but by carefully selecting sires and retaining females that achieve our herd goals. Simply put, we keep the best and have been patient.
Truly Farm-To-Table
Once upon a time, locally sourced food was the only option. People who didn’t ranch themselves found a rancher and a butcher, and local commerce flourished. If a customer had a question about the beef they were eating, they could simply ask the farmer that provided it to them.
Our mission at Noche Linda Farms is to bring that opportunity back to our friends and customers. The beef you purchase from our farm is born and raised on our land.
At Noche Linda Farms, we add a little twist that can’t be duplicated easily outside of Kentucky: whiskey distillers grains. Whiskey distillers grains are a great source of protein with a hint of sweetness, which produces an outstanding feed when added to locally grown corn, dried molasses, and minerals. To ensure the proper marbling, we hand feed all the steers selected for our farm-to-table products.
Our beef is USDA inspected and processed here in the Commonwealth, avoiding thousands of miles for transportation to feedlots and meat packing facilities.
Stewardship
For centuries, the lush, bluegrass pastures of Central Kentucky have been known for raising the greatest racehorses on earth. As it turns out, the same things that make our pastures an outstanding environment for horses (plentiful grass, limestone deposits, frequent rain, and temperate climate), also produce extraordinary beef cattle.
We are honored and humbled with the responsibility of caring for our land and herd. We believe that in order to produce exceptional beef, we must not view the herd and land separately. How we manage our pastures impacts the quality of our final product.
We love sharing our farm experience with others. Our friends and customers are always welcome to visit and see for themselves what we are so very proud of and grateful for.
What Makes Dry-Aged Beef Different?
Dry-aged beef is hung in a cooler with air circulating for a period of time. We age our beef for a minimum of 24 days. During the aging period, moisture evaporates while connective tissue breaks down, concentrating flavor and tenderness.
Dry-aged beef is easily recognizable in comparison to typical store bought beef by its color. Our beef has a rich, naturally dark color, whereas grocery stores use food coloring to maintain the red color, which quickly turns brown once you get it home. Noche Linda Farms beef NEVER has coloring agents added.
