Owner Mike McMillan

• As first generation cattle and beef producers Mike and Lynlee McMillan know what it takes to provide the best for your family. Rooted in historical Hot Springs Arkansas, nestled in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountain range, lies the beginnings of Hot Springs Beef. 

• What began as a simple desire to educate himself on cattle, Mike proved to be a quick study. “I drank the Kool-aid, I fell in love with cattle and specifically the Hereford with their striking red hide and beautiful white face” says McMillan. 

• With his desire to make the earth a better place, Mike was able to see that by properly managing a cattle herd, one could upcycle the earth. “Cows are excellent recyclers. They take land that is otherwise unusable and even unbuildable and turn that into a high value protein”

• Through Mike's land management and water conservation practices, the locals took notice. “We’ve had birding groups tour and record birds that are only found with our cow herd that are not found in any other portion of the birders' geographical area. It is a huge honor to hear that from outside groups”

• As the McMillan family grew their cattle herd into a seedstock cow/calf operation, the consumer led requests for local beef, from someone they know and trust skyrocketed. “We don't like to say no to people. ‘What can we do to facilitate the yes’ is something me and my family live by. So, we harvested a steer and the meat, its flavor, palatability, eye appeal and marbling was fantastic.” 

• “The consumer leads the conversation. As their request, from far and wide, kept coming in we saw an opportunity to launch a direct-to-consumer, direct to their door, personable service. We like to hear our customers' stories, they love to ask us questions. Having a cup of coffee with a potential customer and discussing their concerns is a unique and perhaps even a lost way of commerce. We make the time to build personal relationships with our customers. We get to restore those lost traits in our area of American society”

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• Industry:

• As the McMillans journey into the cattle industry began to unfold Mike found himself in more and more positions of learning and expanding his knowledge of all things cattle. “It was the Arkansas Cattlemen's Association (ACA) that welcomed me in with open arms and taught me so much about the industry.” After graduating from the Arkansas Cattlemen's Leadership Course in 2020, Mike was asked to be 1 of 4 cattlemen to help launch and develop a syllabus for the Arkansas Cattlemen's Graduate Course and is a proud, inaugural graduate of the 2022 class. 

• Mike continues to stay involved with the ACA, helping as a committee member for the Annual Convention and Trade Show, Building Committee, and Cattlemen's Leadership Course and overall request for advice from his 20 years in senior level and corporate ownership roles. 

• As Mike started his journey with the ACA he also became a member of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA). Mike's dynamic, charismatic, can-do attitude was quickly noticed by NCBA industry leaders and his involvement with them grew. Mike and Lynlee introduced the Hot Springs Beef brand to the NCBAs brand wall and are proud to be the only brand from Arkansas on display in our nation's capitol. The NCBA is the oldest and largest trade organization in the nation and an essential tool in the nations capitol for keeping cattlemen at work back on their farms and ranches. 

• Many times Mike's skills are called upon for consultation work. His years of quick decision making with long term effects of decisions, and his unique ability to see the larger picture come into play and bring strategic value to his clients goals. This crosses many business avenues and is not necessarily specific to the Ag and Cattle Industries.  “I see ripple effects. No matter how big or small a decision is, I can see it playing out. That unique skill and perspective has invited us into some very interesting conversations with global leaders who are in place to facilitate the change”

• Reach out to us and sample our beef, ask about having that cup of coffee or how you might be able to join or support the Cattle & Ag teams we hold so near. We look forward to visiting with you!

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• Member:

• Arkansas Cattlemen's Association 

• American Hereford Association

• National Cattlemen's Beef Association

• Arkansas Farm Bureau

• NCBA-PAC

• ARFB AG-PAC

• Master of Beef Advocacy Graduate 

• Beef Quality Assurance Certified