Eileen Napier

At Ramstead Ranch, Eileen Napier (pictured left with co-owners Stan and Jean Hayes) believes good meat starts with good people, healthy land, and a deep respect for both.

Tucked away in Washington’s quiet Pend Oreille River Valley, Ramstead Ranch is home to Eileen and her co-founding team, who’ve been raising pasture-raised meats with intention and transparency since 2007. What started in their 2-acre backyard—with a few chickens, some borrowed ideas from Joel Salatin, and a whole lot of heart—has grown into a thriving regenerative ranch. While the ranch now runs with the help of an incredible team, Eileen remains deeply involved in guiding its mission: to heal the broken food system and offer customers a clear, honest look at where their meat comes from. For her, it’s not just about selling pork chops—it’s about building trust, restoring land, and making every meal a little more meaningful.

Where do you live/work?

Ramstead is tucked away in the quiet Pend Oreille River Valley in far NE Washington state. Our small town is Ione, WA.

What is the name of your farm/ranch/meat operation and what is your role there?

Ramstead Ranch is our name, and we are the three founders and co-owners of the ranch.  We’ve had our hands on every aspect of our farm as we were building it, more recently we’ve been able to focus on the higher level aspects of the operation as we’ve developed an awesome team who help with a lot of the boots on the ground, and day-to-day work.

How long have you been involved with the operation?

Since we started it in our 2-acre backyard in 2007.

What do you raise/sell in terms of livestock or meat?

We’ve always focused on pasture-raised and grassfed proteins. It started with chickens, turkeys and sheep. We expanded to cattle and pigs. As we’ve grown we started partnering with other amazing regenerative ranchers to raised poultry and lamb, and we’ve focused on beef and pork.

In one or two sentences can you describe the approach/practice/philosophy of your operation?

It’s part of our mission statement: Heal the broken food system by offering our customers a transparent look at how their healthy, pasture-raised meats were raised with kindness, in harmony with nature.

How do you approach customer service in your operation? How much priority is it given and what are some key factors you focus on?

For us, customer service is a big focus. It’s one of our distinguishing features that helps separate us from the Costcos and Butcher Boxes of the world. You can call or write us and you are going to connect with someone who is passionate about the animals, the land AND the delicious pork steak that you have a question about how to cook. In order to help our customers, we focus on giving them consistent answers from educated team members.

How do you define your Good Meat® values?

Transparent, Welcoming, Empowering, Accountable, Life Long Learners

Why do you raise meat that aligns with those values?

Ramstead was born out of a desire to feed our family clean meats that we knew were contributing to the health of the land, were free from unnecessary pharmaceuticals, and had been treated kindly throughout their lives. We saw a need for more of the same in our community and across the country, so we’ve chosen to grow our operation to what it’s become today. Many people KNOW there is a problem with our food system, and they are willing to learn more and support “Good Meat” farmers and ranchers. We just have to do a better job at meeting them where they are through education, convenience, and by delivering in a consistent way that builds their confidence.

Where and when did your journey into Good Meat® start?

We added home-raised meat to our table after reading Omnivores Dilemma and watching Food Inc. We were introduced to Joel Salatin and chicken tractors, and it really just took off from there. We plowed up the front yard and planted pasture grass so we could graze more animals, and that really kickstarted this delicious adventure.

What is one thing you wish more consumers knew about raising livestock for food?

We wish they knew just how BIG even their smallest efforts impact small farmers. There is a misunderstanding that you are either “all in” with supporting local, or you may as well just stick to the grocery stores. And that’s just not realistic or true. Supporting local happens one small purchase at a time, one direct-to-farmer connection at a time. One mention to a friend at a time. All of that is impactful and helps small farms gain traction to transition into viable businesses.

What meat, or meat dish, do you eat most regularly and what do you eat for a special occasion?

Most regularly…pork steaks. They are just so reliably delicious. But for a special occasion, lamb shanks, slow cooked with curry spices. Good lawd!

What is one of your biggest challenges as a Good Meat® producer?

The biggest challenge is learning what to say no. As passionate producers who enjoy a challenge and new opportunities, it’s easy to get spread thin with many interests.

What are some songs you listen to while doing morning or evening chores? (Song Title and Artist)

Haha, great question. Our playlist is called Personal Power Ballads. The first three songs are Dreams by the Cranberries. Human by the Killers. And Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield.  But we don’t listen while doing chores. We want to hear the animals. It’s important feedback, and also calming.