Believe in Your MeatArthur ’76 and LauraClosson Hyde ’78 haveturned a country home into aprospering cattle farm and findthat it’s a wonderful life.By Julia Feldmeier ’99
Alumni FarmersWhen a man has a loving wife and three sons, a successfulcareer on Wall Street, a lovely home in atony Manhattan suburb and a country home toretreat to on weekends, what more could he really want?Meat, perhaps—and lots <strong>of</strong> it. For Arthur Hyde, thatmeans ground beef, New York strip, filet mignon andLondon broil—all from what he considers the finest BlackAngus cows in the business: his cows.“We like being in the meat business,” Arthur says <strong>of</strong>the cattle farm he now owns with his wife, Laura. “We likehaving a quality product so we can share it with family andfriends and customers.”Mostly, though, they just really like cows. “We like allanimals,” he says, “but cattle are something I’m especiallyfond <strong>of</strong>. <strong>The</strong>y’re wonderful.”j j jb Henry, Arthur ’76, Laura ’78, “Lefty,” Asa, and Arthur Hyderaise cattle at Prospect Hill Farm in New York State. <strong>The</strong>ir friendBridget Starr Taylor ‘77 created the farm’s logo.Once you buy your first Angus cow, “it’s all over,” says Arthur.“You get addicted, and that’s what happened to me.”<strong>The</strong> Hydes bought their first cow in 1997. It was a whimsicalpurchase, a fun accessory for the old dairy farm that thefamily purchased six years earlier.It’s not all that surprising that the couple chose to embarkon an unconventional business. “We’ve always done our ownthing, regardless <strong>of</strong> what everyone else is doing,” says Laura.Though they knew <strong>of</strong> each other at <strong>Taft</strong>, the couple didn’tdate until college, when Laura—at Hampshire College—attendeda fraternity party at nearby Amherst College, whereArthur was a senior. <strong>The</strong>y married in 1982, had their first <strong>of</strong>three sons in 1985, and in 1991 bought 140 acres <strong>of</strong> pastureand woodland for use as a country home—two hours north<strong>of</strong> Manhattan.Today, Prospect Hill has more than 250 Black Anguscows and 700 acres <strong>of</strong> farmland for the animals to graze.Operations are overseen by Arthur, who left his job as a bondtrader in 2003 to explore the cattle business.Though their meat is popular—Amherst and Bard collegespurchase Prospect Hill beef, as do local restaurants—it’sonly 10 percent <strong>of</strong> their business. <strong>The</strong> rest comes from the sale<strong>of</strong> female cows and their embryos.A female cow with the best pedigree and the best performance(that is, her ability to grow muscle and to marble,which makes better meat) can trade for as much as $400,000.Because her eggs are valuable, too, top-ranked heifers are periodicallyflushed <strong>of</strong> their embryos, which are then implantedinto less genetically desirable females.It’s likely that the Hydes know more about the ancestry <strong>of</strong>their cows than most people do about their own family tree.Each calf is registered with the American Angus Association,so they know the animal’s lineage and medical history as farback as seven generations.While Prospect Hill’s male cows are castrated at birth andlater sold as meat, their female cows are artificially inseminatedby bulls from around the country. Arthur researches abull’s lineage and stats, looking not only for cows with greatability to muscle and marble but also those with low birthweight (so the calf won’t put too much stress on the female)and a fast growth rate.It boils down to genetic prediction—a numbers game,really. Which is why, when the whole business began, Laurawasn’t worried about her husband’s switch from banking tocattle breeding.“<strong>The</strong> math end, I knew Arthur would have a good head forthat,” she says. “He understood the whole thing from day one.”Besides, having a family business has been fun. Laura,who has a background in art design, creates the brochures andprint items relating to the farm.“It was great what Arthur did before, but he did thatalone and I did my thing alone,” she says. “Now we get to doit together.”Next year, when their youngest son is away at college, thecouple anticipates spending even more time at Prospect Hill.For now, Arthur commutes from their home in Bronxville,New York, three days a week, and the family spends mostweekends on the farm.Several times a year, the couple heads West to attend cattlebreeding shows, and they held their own show last August.More than 350 ranchers from around the country turned upat the farm—testament to the appeal <strong>of</strong> Prospect Hill cows.It’s a close-knit industry, and ranchers routinely call one anotherto compare notes and swap cow stories. After all, Arthursays, “You either like the smell <strong>of</strong> cow manure, or you don’t.”As for Arthur, he loves it. <strong>The</strong> smell, the chores—mowingthe hay, feeding the animals—and, yes, the steak, though hesays he never eats beef more than once a week.“My idea is to raise the animals, and for them to have awonderful life,” he says. “And I love being on a farm. I loveevery minute <strong>of</strong> it.”Writer Julia Feldmeier ’99 lives in Washington, D.C.For more information, visit www.believeinyourmeat.com.<strong>Taft</strong> Bulletin Spring 2007 29
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