WAPATO, Wash. — Janelle Moses comes from a long line of family farmers, so it only made sense that she would want to start her own livestock operation.

She was running a Central Washington property management business in the early 2000s and, at age 50, she was looking to rekindle her agricultural roots.

But when Moses told her father she was thinking about opening a grass-fed beef farm, he responded, “Holy cow, girl! Didn’t you learn anything from when you were growing up? We never had any money. You’ll never make it.”

Moses knew it wouldn’t be easy, but she decided to purchase 129 acres near Wapato, Wash., and give it a try. Twenty years later — with the help of her husband, Roy — Holy Cow Grass-fed Beef is still going strong.

“I told my dad that I wanted to help people eat healthier so they could live into their 90s like our grandparents did,” said Moses, a fourth-generation farmer. “Most Americans don’t eat very healthy, and they don’t know what’s in the food they’re buying at the grocery store. I wanted to give families a better option.”

The couple, now in their early 70s, manages the entire operation by themselves, although they have downsized to 40 acres in recent years. The operation features 38 Angus cows, one bull, four milk goats, 12 hens, a rooster, a draught horse, a riding horse, four Great Pyrenees guard dogs and a hunting dog.

They also raise and sell pigs and goats for meat.

“We try to do business locally whenever we can, and that includes buying all of our fruits and vegetables from the local farmers,” Moses said. “It’s important to us to help the local economy instead of going to the big-box stores. It’s also a lot healthier.”

While most of Holy Cow’s customers are in the Seattle and Portland areas, the couple has regular clientele in the Yakima Valley and the Tri-Cities. What keeps people coming back year after year, Moses says, is the quality of the meat.

“All cows are grass-fed, but what really matters is if they are grass-finished,” she said. “Grass-finished beef can be sliced thinner and it’s easier to digest. We also believe in doing everything all-natural, with no antibiotics or steroids. That makes a huge difference.”

Moses and her husband believe in providing a “no stress environment” for their animals. The cows roam freely, and they feast on homegrown hay and the best-quality grass available in the valley. But it’s not just about the end product; caring for their cows — along with their goats, pigs and chickens — is what truly matters to the owners of Holy Cow.

“For us, it’s not about the money; it’s about the lifestyle,” Moses said. “Some folks don’t get it, but we believe in living life in a simple way. We have everything we need right here.”

The couple knows they won’t be able to keep up their current pace forever, and with no family members interested in taking over the business, they will keep going for as long as they can.

Age may eventually intervene, but Moses knows the farm life is her true calling.

“God has been a driving force in my life, and I believe caring for animals is what he put me here to do,” she said. “It’s all I’ve ever known, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”