Our Story
Nestled in the Laurel Highlands of Western Pennsylvania, Tubmill Creek Farms was officially founded in 2004 by John & Kitty Goodish when they purchased the idyllic property located at 152 Florida Lane in New Florence from Helen and Jerry Swatsworth along with Jerry’s herd of Limousin cattle. Today, Tubmill Creek Farms consists of over 850 acres spanning four separate locations in the Laurel Highlands and serves as home to some of the best Limousin and Lim-Flex beef cattle in the country.
Formerly known as the Hood Farm, the land now known as TMCK’s main farm was purchased in 1885 by Robert and Ella Hood. Over the next 119 years the main farm served as home to Robert Hood and his heirs, all of whom raised cattle on the land. Though the property had a long history with cattle, it was Robert’s granddaughter Helen (Hood) Swatsworth’s husband, Jerry, who started raising Limousin beef cattle on the land and laid the foundation that would become the Tubmill Creek Farms we are proud to share with you all today. It was Jerry and Helen who would change the name of the farm to Tubmill Creek, after the pristine trout creek that runs the width of the main farm, and it was Jerry and Helen who offered guidance to John and Kitty through their early days working with the Limousin cattle on the farm.
Both John and Kitty grew up in Pennsylvania, John in Greene County and Kitty in Houston. At the time John and Kitty got engaged, John was raising Angus cattle in his spare time while starting his career at U.S. Steel. His career took them from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Gary, Indiana and as far away as Kosice, Slovakia but he and Kitty always considered Pennsylvania their home and when retirement was in view they set out to find their piece of paradise to raise a few head of cattle. They fell in love with the beauty of Tubmill Creek Farm, developed a close and lifelong friendship with Helen and Jerry Swatsworth, and have spent the last 18 years building a legacy to pass down to their children as Helen’s family did for her.
Now in their 70’s, both John and Kitty are still very active in the care and management of the farm. Kitty’s favorite job is mowing the grass on one of our fleet of zero turn mowers! John gets his hands dirty any chance he can, playing an active role in everything from harvesting hay to weaning cattle. As the years have gone by John has also sought out ways to expand the business. Our sister farm, Tubmill Creek Equestrian Farm, is the exclusive distributor for Energy Pellets of America wood bedding pellets as well as mineral tubs that are specifically designed to assist cattle in better utilizing the grasses found in our local area. Tubmill Creek Equestrian Farm also serves as seller for the excess hay we harvest so that other livestock farmers in the area including those who own horses and goats can enjoy top quality hay grown right here in the Laurel Highlands.
Working to keep the family legacy going, John and Kitty’s youngest daughter, Amanda, plays an active role in the daily care and maintenance of Tubmill Creek Farms. She regularly assists her mom and dad in keeping the properties looking their best with weekly mowing and seasonal hay harvests throughout the summer months. She also handles the majority of all beef business including website creation, coordinating with the USDA packing house, filing for the licensing needed to sell at farmers’ markets, and even delivering the final product to our customers’ homes. If you order beef from us, chances are you’ll be hearing from her! Amanda lives in Pittsburgh’s Strip District neighborhood with her partner, James Collins, her stepson Maz and their Australian Shepard, Cece.
Amanda’s sister, Emily, will be heading up our farmers’ market operations once we get approval from state and local authorities. If you see our stall at your local farmer’s market, be sure to stop by and say hello! As for the next generation of Tubmill Creek Farms, Emily’s son, Caleb, is quickly becoming indispensable to us here on the farm. He’s a whiz with small engines and anything technology. He helps keep things running and troubleshoots any tech problems we come across on any of our properties. Emily and her three children live in the South Hills of Pittsburgh with their chocolate lab, Marshall.
For nearly two decades our breeding program has focused on the production of sound structured cattle with a strong genetic profile creating what we believe is the optimum blend of muscle and marbling to meet the demands of the United States beef cattle industry. We would not have the outstanding herd we have today without our farm manager, Zeb O’Boyle, and his wife, Kelly O’Boyle. Zeb and Kelly joined the Tubmill Creek Farms family in 2013 and live full time on our main farm with their corgi, Riggins, and heeler, Smash.
Zeb is in charge of herd management, he and John work closely to determine the best breeding options for our cattle each year and determine how many animals are retained for breeding. Though some breeding takes place the old fashioned way, we utilize artificial insemination, which Zeb has received extensive training in, in order to ensure our cattle have safe and successful pregnancies with the best chance at optimal muscle, marbling and sound structure. Zeb is also the success of our hay operation, which we grow across our several properties in the Laurel Highlands. In order to assure our hay is packed full of nutrition we test the soil prior to planting, spread manure several times a year, apply fertilizer as needed, and test hay upon harvesting. We are confident our hay is among the best out there and it keeps our cattle happy through Pennsylvania’s long winters.
Kelly heads up our calving program raising all of our calves, helping them through the weening process, and making sure they start out on the right foot. Kelly also creates the mix of supplemental feed our cattle get in order to keep their hearts healthy and assure their nutritional needs are fully satisfied. Though our cattle are primarily grass-fed, we do use a small amount of grains as well as mineral tubs specifically formulated to help our cattle get the most out of all that glorious grass!
Alexis J. (A.J.) O’Boyle, is Zeb and Kelly’s daughter. Although she no longer lives on the farm she is responsible for a lot of the best images of our cattle thanks to her keen eye and quick shutter finger. She recently got engaged to Tyler Rumford and they currently live in Kansas, though we are hopeful they may make their way back to Pennsylvania and play more of an active role on the farm in the future!
Everyone here at Tubmill Creek Farms is so proud to be the stewards of this beautiful slice of Laurel Highlands paradise, to honor the legacy of this land, and to be able to bring premium grass-fed beef from our family’s farm to your family’s table!
