Patrick Montgomery says he “likes a fight,” an attitude that served him well during his years serving on combat missions in the U.S. military. It’s also a pretty handy frame of mind for a rancher in today’s challenging ag economy, especially someone leading two other related businesses. In 2016, Patrick started K.C. Cattle Company, a direct-to-consumer beef operation selling what he produces on his 420-acre ranch, where he has roughly 200 pure-bred, wagyu cow-calf pairs.
The business struggled along until, in 2019, Food & Wine magazine declared his gourmet hot dogs the best in the world. “We were down to the last three thousand dollars we had to our name the week before that happened,” Patrick recalls on the latest episode of Farm Journal’s Grow Getters podcast. “That’s what put us on the map. We went from shipping 20 orders a week to having 12,000 roll in overnight.”
During the pandemic in 2020, when grocery store shelves couldn’t offer shoppers a steady supply of protein, K.C. Cattle Company flourished. However, a couple of years later, with input costs skyrocketing, he found himself in a new battle, one he wasn’t sure he could win. “Like many on the beef cattle side, we were taking it on the chin,” he says. “I figured I could either quit and shut down K.C. Cattle Company or I could go fight. And that’s where the idea for Valor Provisions came from. It was really out of desperation.”
Structured like a co-operative, Valor Provisions, founded in November 2024, brings together multiple protein producers in a single marketplace, to which consumers pay a one-time, lifetime “steakholder” fee for membership. The producers participating in Valor Provisions are all military veterans. The website explains that the mission is “to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with America’s hardworking farmers and veterans, providing a marketplace that honors their dedication and the quality of their work.”
Patrick sees a parallel between military service and ag production — with one percent of the population providing a vital service for the other ninety-nine. “And there’s such a disconnect between them,” he says. Through his companies, he wants to bridge the gap between producers and consumers and to bridge the gap for returning veterans between their military experience and everyday life.
“What I tell vets is that you can either choose to use the situation for good or bad,” he says. “I did both, but eventually it turned into this, which I hope is something that gives people hope past service.”
Watch the full Grow Getters interview
Visit the K.C. Cattle Company website: https://kccattlecompany.com
Visit the Valor Provisions website: https://valorprovisions.us
