J&L Farms · Italy, Texas · Est. 1880s
Our Story
Main Office
Fourth-generation Texas ranchers raising beef the right way.
Pasture raised, hand cut, no shortcuts.
The Hooser Family
Rooted in Texas Ranching
James & Lisa Hooser, Owners
James Hooser is a fourth-generation farmer and rancher who grew up in Frost, Texas, working the land alongside his parents Jimmy and Kay Hooser at Hooser Farms, carrying on a legacy that has been passed down through generations.
In the 90s, James and his wife Lisa started J&L Farms, a growing operation spanning thousands of acres of crop and pasture land in central Texas with several hundred head of cattle. Every animal is pasture raised, without hormones or routine antibiotics.
The Hoosers have been raising cattle to feed their family from the start. Wanting to share that same quality with their community, they launched Hooser Custom Meats in 2023, bringing ranch-raised beef directly to families across Texas and beyond.
Raised On Pasture
How Our Cattle Are Raised
Our cattle are raised on pasture at J&L Farms in Italy, Texas, the same ground our family has worked for four generations. They live outside on grass with fresh water, room to roam, and a stock tank they like to swim in. They are not confined to a feedlot.
Along with the grass, our cattle get hay and a grain supplement. The hay is all ours, cut off our own ground. J&L Farms is about 10,000 acres of farm and ranch where we raise corn, cotton, wheat, and soybeans. We haul what we grow to the gin about 2 1/2 miles up the road, and so do the other farmers around here. It gets mixed there and comes back to the ranch as feed. Our beef is grass and grain fed, not grass finished, and that feed is grown right here by us and by the folks farming around us.
Our cattle receive the standard vaccines a veterinarian recommends for herd health. They do not receive mRNA vaccines.
Like most working farms in Texas, we spray for weeds and insects as part of managing our land and crops. We are not a certified organic operation and we will never tell you otherwise. What we can tell you is that our family lives on this land and eats this beef too, and we take care of it like the fourth generation of a family that plans to hand it to the fifth.
Have a question we did not answer here? Call or text the cell at 903-519-0848, email HooserCustomMeats@gmail.com, or come see the ranch for yourself at 2408 Hamrock Road, Italy, TX 76651.
What We Raise
Two Premium Product Lines
Every cut starts with cattle raised right here on the ranch.
No shortcuts. No fillers. Just real beef raised the way it should be.
F1 Wagyu
A cross between an Angus cow and a full-blood Wagyu bull. Rich marbling, buttery texture and bold beefy flavor. Steakhouse quality, straight from our ranch to your table.
Hooser Reserve
Our Angus Cross beef. Consistent, dependable and full of flavor. The everyday beef your family deserves, raised with the same care and commitment as our Wagyu line.
All meat is processed at government-inspected facilities, dry aged 21 days or longer, hand cut, vacuum sealed and frozen to lock in freshness. We are a whole-animal operation.
The People Behind the Ranch
Meet The HCM Team
The Family
More Than a Ranch
James and Lisa have two children. Their daughter Carly Williams lives in Frost with her husband Joseph and their kids Brayden and Collyns, and works at Cook Children's Hospital as a nurse. Their son Samuel Hooser lives in Austin and works for Microsoft as a game designer.
This is a family operation in every sense of the word, and that shows in every cut we sell.
Straight Answers
Questions We Get Asked
Are your cattle grass fed and grass finished?
Our cattle live on pasture and eat grass, plus hay and a grain supplement we grow ourselves on the farm. So they are grass and grain fed, not grass finished. Everything they eat comes from our own ground.
Do your cattle get mRNA vaccines?
No. They receive the standard vaccines a veterinarian recommends for herd health, and no mRNA vaccines.
Do you spray herbicides or pesticides on the pasture?
Yes. Like most working farms in Texas, we spray for weeds and insects as part of managing our land and crops. We are not certified organic. Our own family lives on this land and eats this beef.
Where can I see the ranch?
Come by the shop at 2408 Hamrock Road in Italy, Texas, or call the office at 903-688-1446 to set up a visit.
Ready to Order?
Ranch to Your Table
Pasture raised. Hand cut. Family owned.
Ships anywhere in the United States.
Written By Tori Moses
