Tucked into the rolling hills of Southern Indiana, Fischer Farms is a fifth-generation family operation doing something rare in the Midwest: producing premium beef raised and processed entirely in-state without overusing antibiotics — and getting it directly onto restaurant plates, grocery shelves, and front porches across the region.
The vertically integrated operation is owned and operated by the Fischer family, who acquired the land in St. Anthony, Indiana — 10 miles southeast of Jasper, Indiana, in Dubois County. Joseph Fischer manages the farm’s business development while his parents, Dave and Diana Fischer, handle farm operations and order fulfillment. “We all play to our strengths,” Joseph says. “Dad raises the cows, Mom oversees the processing, and I’m out in the field with chefs, buyers, and institutions.”
The Fischers began shifting from traditional cattle auctions to direct-to-consumer and wholesale sales in the early 2000s when they realized the commodity market didn’t reward the extra care they put into raising natural, high-quality beef. “My dad gave his best pitch at an auction once,” Joseph recalls, when he was just a child tagging along, “and the buyer said, ‘Don’t worry about any of that. Just bring me the biggest calf you can.’ That’s when we knew we had to find a different way.”
Fischer Farms’ focus on premium, natural, local, and sustainable beef has since set it apart. Its herd of 600 mama cows is raised on its 750-acre farm using carefully managed genetics — mostly Black Angus with some Shorthorn — and without growth hormones or routine antibiotics. “Cattle don’t need antibiotics every day, and neither do we,” Joseph notes.
In fact, earlier this year, Fischer Farms became the first beef producer in the U.S. certified by the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center for responsible antibiotic use. Their process includes dry-aging all beef for two weeks to ensure optimal tenderness and flavor, delivering a steak that chefs seek out and diners remember.
That commitment to quality extends beyond the cattle. The farm uses regenerative agriculture to build soil health and manage weather variability. Over the past two decades, they’ve tripled their topsoil depth and introduced innovative practices like rotational grazing, natural pest control, and constructed wetlands for water management.
The result? A lean operation with a short supply chain that serves some of the region’s top restaurants, including North of Bourbon in Louisville, Kentucky, and Big Jones in Chicago, Illinois, as well as institutions like Indiana University and IU Health. Half of the farm’s sales comes from restaurants, with the rest split between universities, grocers, direct-to-consumer orders, and specialty processors like Smoking Goose Meatery in Indianapolis.
Joseph is also quick to credit Fischer Farms’ processing partner, Sander Processing & Family Meat Market in Celestine, Indiana, noting that it is a real asset to the business to be able to work with a trusted processor so close to home. Celestine is about seven miles northeast of St. Anthony.
“Our chefs love that they can call in a custom order, and we’ll have it cut and delivered the next day,” Joseph says. “It’s just-in-time delivery — local and fresh.”
In addition to its own beef, Fischer Farms offers natural Duroc pork raised in Indiana by the Gutgsell family without the use of growth promotants or antibiotics, poultry (chicken and turkey) naturally raised in Indiana, as well as Indiana eggs, cheese, seasonings, and other products.
Newburgh, Indiana-based grower Beautiful Edibles began working with Fischer Farms in 2020. Mary Winstead says she and her husband, Roger, met Joseph Fischer at an Indiana Uplands Food Network Winter Food Summit hosted by the IU Center for Rural Engagement and discussed his work as a value chain professional in the region. Fischer Farms offered to list Beautiful Edibles mushrooms and produce on its wholesale distribution mailings statewide. In 2021, Fischer Farms was a founding producer with the Local Source online market.
“Our family has enjoyed the quality meats provided by Fischer Farms for years,” Mary says. “We first purchased theirs and other local products from the since-closed Elbert’s Natural Food Market. Our farms have continued Elbert’s tradition of working cooperatively to support a local food system.”
Though Fischer Farms isn’t set up for daily agritourism, the family welcomes interested chefs and customers by appointment. And while Joseph Fischer’s two-year-old daughter might be too young to join the business just yet, she already loves the cows — offering hope for a sixth generation.
So, what is his favorite way to eat his family’s beef? He says it changes, but adds, “I’m a big fan of the New York Strip. Right now, I’ve been doing a lot of reverse searing, putting it in the oven first to get the juices going, then searing it.”
Bon Appetit!
Where to Try Fischer Farms Products
By Kristen K. Tucker
About three years ago, I began ordering Fischer Farms meats from Local Source. The Fischer Farms name was familiar to me — I had noticed it on restaurant menus in Indianapolis and Louisville, Kentucky. Local Source — founded in 2021 by Evansville entrepreneur and retired University of Southern Indiana program coordinator Scott Anderson, Newburgh, Indiana-based growers Roger and Mary Winstead of Beautiful Edibles, and Tim and Kristi Schulz of Evansville Countryside Orchard — is an online marketplace for fresh, locally grown and crafted food. Local Source connects farmers and food producers with consumers in our region, making it easier for them to collaborate and meet the growing demand for sustainable, local products.
In Evansville, and throughout Indiana, Fischer Farms meats can be purchased at Fresh Thyme Market. Products can also be ordered direct from the Fischer Farms website (order by Monday for delivery by Friday) or locally from Local Source for pick up (in Downtown Evansville or Newburgh) at no charge, or low-cost home delivery. (Order by Tuesday night for Thursday pickup; this is what I do.) Mary Winstead notes that Fischer Farms was a founding producer for Local Source and has provided support for its cold storage and delivery services.
Joseph Fischer suggests interested patrons check the company’s website for restaurants offering Fischer Farms products. Joseph is on the road meeting with prospective chefs and establishments weekly, so the list is growing. I have ordered Fischer Farms meats in menu items at Upland Brewing Co. in Indianapolis, Convivio Italian Artisan Cuisine in Carmel, Indiana, French Lick Springs Hotel in Indiana, and North of Bourbon in Louisville, Kentucky.
