Elvira, a red-coated, hay-chomping heifer, is the official mascot of Three Arrows Farm & Cattle Company in Flat Rock. She was the first calf born at the farm and is memorialized on T-shirts, coffee mugs, and business cards. Although she is no longer with us, she represents the journey— and perhaps the unorthodox success—of the Shealy family.

Now run by Wells Shealy, the youngest of Fred and Susan Shealy’s three children, Three Arrows (one for each child) raises registered Black Angus cattle and provides the community with high quality, all natural beef products.

“Dad actually started the farm as sort of a hobby,” Wells says. It was in the late 1970s when Fred, a vascular surgeon by trade, bought the 200 acres which left his wife a bit bewildered. “She wasn’t quite sure what Dad had in mind when he bought the farm,” says Wells.

Their faith in Fred’s decision to buy the property was greatly rewarded. The farm has been generous to the Shealy’s, giving Fred the much-needed rest and relaxation he sought, creating a close family bond, and instilling a lasting appreciation for the land. “We all enjoyed growing up here,” Wells says. “I learned to drive the tractor and we were always outside.”

Wells took to farm life easily and, after graduating from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Animal Science, he was ready to take the helm. He began researching organic beef farming, and soon realized his dad had been practicing organic farming principals all along. Wells, his faithful dog Diets (pronounced: deetz), and a few volunteers manage the 75 head of grass-feed cattle that are rotated on 150 acres. The remaining 50 acres are used to grow hay to sustain the herd through the winter months.

Fred has been promoted from farm worker to farm mentor and is a great help to Wells. “It’s nice to have someone to ask for advice,” he says. “It’s funny because he’ll ask me a question about something I’m doing with the farm, and I’ll think, ‘Why did he ask that,’ then later, I’ll realize that he was motivating me to think about it differently.”

The farm offers individual cuts, variety boxes, quarter, half, and whole beefs at the farm store located on the property as well as at area farmers markets in Hendersonville, Flat Rock, and Saluda. The extensive offerings include filet mignons, T-bones, sirloins, chuck roasts, rump roasts, short ribs, stew beef, ground beef, soup bones, and even bones for the dogs.

Wells is building a new barn that will allow him to diversify and sell breeding stock. He says the wood used to build all the farm’s structures (including the new barn) is harvested and milled onsite.

He enjoys sharing the farm with the community and often hosts events, fund-raisers, tours, and works with local 4H groups to provide educational opportunities. From the front gate to the miles of fence line, Wells keeps everything in immaculate condition. It’s obvious the farm and the cows are receiving the very best of care. “I like people to be able to see where their food is coming from,” he says. “I was lucky to grow up here and being able to share that is important.”

For more about the farm, visit threearrowscattleco.com or call 828.674.2528 to schedule a tour.