MEET THE FAMILY
Bryan & Krista Harris
We married in 2009, and at the time, we both worked for Don, Bryan’s dad, at his buying station. Don had to close the doors in 2011 due to a cancer diagnosis, and we were left with a six-month-old baby, a mortgage, and no jobs. Needless to say, we were highly motivated! In 2012, with the help of Krista’s stepdad, Jerry Callan, as co-signer, we opened the buying station with a $50,000 line of credit and not a penny to our names. With Krista handling finances and Bryan handling operations, we worked day and night, holidays, and birthdays to stay above water. We gave it everything we had, making plenty of mistakes along the way, but learning from every one of them.
A few years later, Krista was promoted to stay-at-home mom while Bryan ran the buying station. During this time, dairy after dairy went under, and we vividly understood the importance of our business, both to our community and to our family’s legacy. It was time to make some big changes.
Bryan hired mentors to help him improve business practices and optimize the buying station – and it worked. Today, we have two fully running businesses: Harris Cattle Buyers and Harris Transport. And for our next exciting step, we are gearing up to launch Harris Premium Beef on August 31, 2025!
We are motivated by so much more than just work. We are passionate about animals and the gifts they are to us. We enjoy slower-paced country living and giving back to our community. And, first and foremost, we love participating in a movement far beyond ourselves that positively impacts the world. We want people to experience what health can look and feel like in all its varieties. We want people to have an opportunity to give back to their communities by helping their local farmers and dairymen/ranchers. Finally, we want people to feel good about the products we provide to their dinner tables.
As we build a brighter future, we take every opportunity to share and teach this movement to our own children, Chelsea, Brooklyn, and Stetson. Family and God are everything to us, and we take every opportunity to teach our kids traditional Christian values, including the importance of working hard and finding gratitude in their labors. Every day, we feed and water the horses, steers, chickens, dogs, and cats, clean pens and chicken coops, and collect the eggs. We grow our fruits and vegetables in the summer and freeze-dry and can for the winter. We believe in remaining grateful for the things Earth gives back to us. Farm life has a way of slowing things down, allowing us to pay attention to what really matters in life – God and Family. This is the future we see for our kids.
Don Harris
Don operated the Harris Buying Station until 2011, earning a lifetime of friends and a stellar reputation within the cattle industry. In 2010, Don and his wife, Nancy, were honored for their work in the livestock and agriculture industry and were inducted into the Cattleman’s Hall of Fame. A beloved father, grandfather, and true cowboy, Don also enjoyed the outdoors and hunting in the Idaho Mountains with his hound dogs.
Orville Harris
Orville Harris began his career working with his father on a sheep and cattle farm. In 1945, he moved to Nampa and opened a dairy business, traveling far and wide to gather top-quality dairy heifers, which he used to help local cattlemen build back their weak stock. In 1959, he opened the Shoshone Sale Yard, ultimately growing into one of the largest weekly dairy sales in the west. Orville helped install and used the first pipeline milker in Idaho, supported local FFA and 4-H programs, mentored young farmers, and built a reputation for hard work, honesty, and the ability to get along with all kinds of people.
4H BRAND HISTORY
4H symbolizes 4 generations of Harris’ in the cattle industry: Grandpa OJ Harris, Dad Don Harris, Bryan, and now, our kids. Keeping this tradition alive is important and challenging, but tenacity lives in the Harris gene. Krista’s family is also full of true cowboys, starting with Grandpa Jerry Callen Sr. Jerry taught his son, Krista’s stepdad Jerry Jr., all about runnin’ cattle and a feedlot – not to mention rodeoing!
Cowboying is who we are at our core. The ability to adapt and grow as the world adapts and grows, while still holding to traditional country values, is what we were taught from a very young age, and it’s what we are passing on to our children, the next Harris generation.
EMPLOYEES INTO FAMILY
When adding employees to our Harris Family businesses, we look for those interested in learning and growing with us. For example, we cover the cost of a CDL for employees of Harris Cattle Buyers, a $5,000 value. Together, we can keep history alive, pass on traditional values, and continue to innovate within the cattle industry.
Sayings Heard Around the Farm
Whether from Krista’s farmer stepdad or Bryan’s cowboying grandpa and father, it wasn’t uncommon to hear these sayings, and we’ve adopted them into our own little family, too!