Ranch to table

Don and Rachel Linquist invite people to be curious about their cattle company.

The couple own and operate DH Longhorn, a Page-based business that provides pasture-raised Texas Longhorn beef from their ranch to people’s tables.

“The ranch-to-table process is just that – right from our ranch/pasture to our customers’ tables,” Rachel said.

The beef is dry aged for three weeks at Wausa Lockers and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Our beef goes into the locker right from our pasture,” Rachel said. “We deliver our customers’ order right to their table.”

The company’s No. 1 priority is to provide its customers with good quality, healthy and affordable beef.

“We always want to make sure our customers know where their beef is coming from,” Rachel said. “We also want people to know that we take pride in caring for our herd, and that the health of each and every cow is important to us.”

She noted no hormones or additives are ever added to DH Longhorn’s beef.

“Due to the hearty nature of the Longhorn, we rarely require the use of antibiotics, but if we do, our records are always available for our customers, and we make sure to let them know if we’ve had to sell a treated steer,” Rachel said.

DH Longhorn sells whole beef, half beeves, packaged kits and single packaged cuts of beef, as well as beef sticks, beef jerky, summer sausage, hot dogs and beef brats.

“We want to be able to offer a variety of longhorn products to our customers,” Rachel said. “Our best-selling products are our beef kits – the starter and family kit – second only to our hot dogs, beef sticks, beef jerky and summer sausage.”

She explained why the company sells Longhorn beef.

“It is extremely lean beef,” Rachel said. “It is higher in omega-3s and lower in cholesterol than conventional beef.”

“It is also lower in cholesterol than some cuts of dark meat chicken or turkey,” she said. “It’s truly a lean, healthier option for beef eaters everywhere.”

Rachel handles customer service, sales and marketing, shipping and handling and accounting for the business.

Don helps out where needed when he is not busy working as an advanced farming systems consultant for Mitchell Equipment, an agricultural dealership located in Atkinson.

“It’s really hard to pin us each down for particular roles, honestly,” Rachel said of what they do for DH Longhorn. “We help each other out in every aspect of the business.”

While Don and Rachel live in Page, their ranch is located about 15 miles northeast of the community.

Their ranch is located on 1,400 acres of land, with 500 acres dedicated solely to their roughly 70 head of longhorns.

The couple’s longhorns are registered with the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America and the Nebraska Texas Longhorn Association.

Don, a 51-year-old O’Neill native, and Rachel, a 42-year-old Chickasha, Oklahoma, native, have not always owned and operated DH Longhorn.

They met in 2001 when they were working for CBS affiliate KWTV in Oklahoma City.

Don worked as an engineer for the TV station from 2001 to 2005 and Rachel was employed there in the video editing department from 2000 to 2007.

After he left the TV station in 2005, Don worked in contracting and technical support for Trilogy, a company that specialized in missile defense and homeland security.

The couple moved in 2007 to Huntsville, Alabama. Don continued to work for Trilogy while Rachel was employed by NASA as a video technician/contractor and video teleconferencing operator.

“When we lived in Huntsville, we were both extremely busy with our careers, each moving up in our respective businesses and traveling with our jobs more each month as time went on,” Rachel said.

Don and Rachel relocated in 2009 from Alabama to Nebraska.

“We decided we didn’t like being part of corporate America, which was fast paced and high pressure,” Rachel said.

The couple moved to Don’s home state to be closer to both of their families.

“It’s a move we’ve never regretted,” Rachel said. “We are so happy that we came back and had time with our families, each before our fathers both passed.”

DH Longhorn was originally started in 2013 as a hobby for Don Linquist Sr. – Don’s father – and as a way for the family to raise their own healthy beef.

“Don Sr. and his daughter, Terri, decided to purchase three bred longhorn cows – Tinkerbell, Blue and War Paint,” Rachel said.

“He had recently retired and decided he needed something to do out on our land, and he liked them so much he decided to purchase a few more, and the business grew out of the original three,” she said.

Don and Rachel eventually took over as the sole owners and operators of DH Longhorn.

“As far as the business is concerned and being married, we’re not just husband and wife, but we’re business partners as well, and that’s helped strengthen our relationship in every aspect, not just the business part of our relationship,” Rachel said.

She noted she and Don feel that being in business together has strengthened them in many ways.

“Our faith is stronger than it’s ever been, and we are so fortunate to have been able to meet our current customers through DH Longhorn,” Rachel said.

The couple enjoy the customer aspect of their company.

“We both like meeting new people, and always look forward to new customers,” Rachel said. “That’s the part we enjoy the most – meeting new people.

“People always ask us about our Longhorns, and I love to tell stories about them,” she said. “They are really part of our family, and we’re always happy to answer questions about our cattle.”

Don and Rachel appreciate when people purchase their products.

“People like to buy local, and we want to provide our customers with the best beef we can, while building customer relationships that are comfortable and easy,” Rachel said.

“Our customers are our top priority,” she said. “We truly feel blessed on a daily basis and look forward to continuing to be able to bring good quality beef to our customers.”

TO PURCHASE PRODUCTS:

All of DH Longhorn’s single packaged cuts of beef, beef sticks, beef jerky and hot dogs are sold at Wildflour Grocer in O’Neill.

The beef sticks and beef jerky are sold at Gokie’s Fast Mart in O’Neill and Norfolk, and the beef sticks and summer sausage are sold at First Stop in Atkinson.

The business also sells its products every other Saturday during the Bellevue Farmers’ Market at Washington Park in Bellevue and on Wednesdays during the Plainview Farmers’ Market at Chilvers Park in Plainview. The farmers’ markets run through early October.

Orders may also be placed by calling DH Longhorn at 402-340-7690, emailing [email protected] or visiting the business’ website, http://www.dhlonghorn.com, to order its products.

DH Longhorn, which also may be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, ships its products all over the United States.