Our Story

Flying E Ranch was built on a dream that began long before we ever owned land. Rich and Jodi were both raised in eastern and southeastern Iowa, where faith, family, and agriculture were woven into everyday life. They were married in March of 1998 and spent the early years of their marriage working on a cattle ranch in Nebraska, learning firsthand what it meant to steward livestock and land with care and intention.

In 2003, they returned to eastern Iowa with their two young children and purchased what would become Flying E Ranch, named for their registered Flying E brand. While Jodi worked as a high school teacher and Rich as a welder and fabricator in a nearby town, the farm grew steadily alongside their family. Over the years, Flying E Ranch has been home to cow/calf pairs, chickens, horses, and crop ground—some of which is now enrolled in CRP as part of our commitment to land stewardship.

Their daughter, Emma, was raised in the rhythm of farm life—helping her dad with the cattle, tending a large garden, and learning traditional skills like canning, sewing, crafting, and taking on responsibility. While still in high school, Emma bought her first cows and officially joined the cow/calf operation. She later earned a degree in Agricultural Business from Iowa State University, bringing both education and hands-on experience back to the farm.

In October 2023, Emma married her husband, Dakota, and in the spring of 2025, they welcomed their daughter, Laura. It was during pregnancy that something familiar took on new purpose. What began years earlier as living naturally and preserving food, evolved into creating beef tallow skincare—simple, nourishing products made with transparency and care. From there, Flying E Ranch naturally expanded its business, Flying E Traditions, into thoughtfully handcrafted goods, including fabric microwave steam bags, bowl cozies, quilts, beeswax food wraps, and, soon, beef tallow candles. 

Today, Flying E Ranch is a multi-generation family operation rooted in faith, family legacy, and sustainability. Everything we create reflects our desire to replace disposable goods with intentional, safe, and reusable products—made the way things used to be, for homes that value what truly matters.