Maplecrest Farms in Ohio: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Maplecrest Farms is a registered Angus seedstock operation in Hillsboro, Highland County, Ohio, started in 1998 with 40 cows and now running more than 300. The Angus Journal reports that it received the 2025 Certified Angus Beef Ambassador Award and that it sells bulls in Kansas sales, hosts a September female sale and runs a direct-to-consumer business, Maplecrest Meats.
| Location | Hillsboro, Highland County, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 by Joanie and John Grimes (Angus Journal) |
| Sectors | Registered Angus seedstock; direct beef sales; retail store |
| Scale | More than 300 cows, started with 40 (Angus Journal, October 2025) |
| Why it is notable | 2025 Certified Angus Beef Ambassador Award; one of the first CAB Ranch to Table licensees |
| Ownership | Family-run by Joanie Grimes, her daughter Lindsey Hall and son-in-law Adam Hall |
| Official website | Angus Journal feature, October 2025 |
History of Maplecrest Farms
According to the Angus Journal, the farm began as a show heifer hobby, and a 1998 road trip across Kansas changed its direction. Joanie Grimes and her late husband John, who taught cattlemen and served on the American Angus Association board, started with 40 cows and built toward a seedstock business. John's insistence on quality is a theme the family repeats.
Today the farm is run by Joanie, her daughter Lindsey Hall and Lindsey's husband Adam. In 2021 the family launched Maplecrest Meats, one of the first CAB Ranch to Table licensees, and a Highland County Press report says the related Maplecrest Meats and More store later marked a five-year anniversary with a Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting. The Certified Angus Beef brand presented the family its Ambassador Award in September 2025.
What Maplecrest Farms Grows and Raises
Maplecrest Farms raises registered Angus cattle, focused on high-quality seedstock for a range of environments and on end-user satisfaction. The Angus Journal says about half of the Angus bulls go to Kansas for the Gardiner Angus spring and fall sales, while some Angus and Sim-Angus bulls stay for Ohio customers. The farm also hosts a female sale each September.
Data and technology back the program. The family submits DNA testing, phenotype and performance data to the American Angus Association, and the farm uses semen tanks, embryo storage and in vitro fertilization. Calves from its own genetics supply the beef sold through Maplecrest Meats, which lets the family offer beef of varied ages year-round.
How Maplecrest Farms Makes Money
Seedstock bull and female sales
The core business is selling registered Angus genetics. Bulls go through the Gardiner Angus sales in Kansas and to Ohio buyers, and females are offered at a September sale at the farm. Seedstock customers pay for performance data and the herd's reputation.
Direct beef and a local retail store
Maplecrest Meats sells beef from the farm's own genetics, with calves of different ages used to keep supply steady. A Highland County report says the Maplecrest Meats and More store sells fresh and frozen Certified Angus Beef plus deli items and local products.
Brand education and ambassadorship
The family hosts Certified Angus Beef ranch days and attends food shows to speak for Angus producers. These activities support its beef brand and show buyers how the herd is raised.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Maplecrest Farms
Close the loop between the herd and the plate. Running a seedstock program and selling beef from the same genetics gives the family direct feedback on how cattle perform for consumers, which supports the end-user focus it describes.
Use recorded data as a selling tool. Submitting DNA, phenotype and performance records to the breed association gives bull and female buyers evidence, and a distant sale venue such as Kansas widens the market beyond one state. Smaller herds can copy the record-keeping habit even without embryo work.
A show heifer hobby that turned into 300 cows and a butcher shop story is the kind of origin farm.FM would call a plot twist, and the Kansas road trip is the best excuse for a detour we have heard. For farm satire about herd sires, sale-day nerves and ranch humor with a Highland County accent, visit farm.FM. The farm humor and farm jokes here come with respect for anyone who cares this much about quality.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
How to Contact Maplecrest Farms
Website: https://www.angus.org/angus-media/angus-journal/2025/10/an-ambassador-for-all
A Maplecrest Farms website was not found in the sources reviewed; this page is the Angus Journal feature on the operation. No address, phone or email was verified from an official site; confirm before visiting.
Maplecrest Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Angus Journal: An Ambassador for All - Feature on the farm's herd, sales and Maplecrest Meats
- Oklahoma Farm Report - Coverage of the 2025 CAB Ambassador Award
- Highland County Press - Local news on the Maplecrest Meats and More anniversary
- Ohio State beef team: OCA female sale - Extension beef resources on Ohio seedstock sales
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - Beef cattle and farm statistics for Ohio
Maplecrest Farms FAQ
Where is Maplecrest Farms?
In Hillsboro, Highland County, Ohio.
What does Maplecrest Farms raise?
Registered Angus seedstock, with a herd reported at more than 300 cows.
What award did it win in 2025?
The Certified Angus Beef Ambassador Award, presented in September 2025.
Does it sell beef directly?
Yes. Maplecrest Meats launched in spring 2021, and a Maplecrest Meats and More store serves Highland County.
Maplecrest Farms shows how an Angus seedstock herd can grow from 40 cows to more than 300 by pairing data-backed genetics with its own beef brand. For more about Ohio livestock and the state's other profiled operations, read the Ohio state guide.