THE PATH LESS TRAVELED
Peter Lehning took the path less traveled into the cattle business and his journey led to leadership. South of Rochester, New York, in the small hamlet of Honeoye Falls, Lehning, his brother, and both their families own and operate Lehning Farms.
Lehning grew up on a small New York hobby farm raising and showing cattle in 4-H, then he joined Reserve Officers’ Training Corps( ROTC) in college and went into the military. He served 25 years in the U. S. Army flying medical evacuation helicopters and then transitioned into healthcare operations and leadership. After both he and his wife, Lisa, retired from the Army, the Finger Lakes region of New York was calling Lehning home, so he and his family returned and decided to raise cattle with his brother, John, who retired from the U. S. Air Force.
The Lehning family started a small, direct-to-consumer beef business and have grown their operation strategically based on demand. The Lehnings raise and finish cattle, process them in a USDA-inspected facility, then sell direct to consumers as whole, halves and quarters as well as mixed boxes of retail cuts. They relish the opportunity to engage with customers
It’ s my responsibility to the beef industry and being part of New York to represent us and engage.
and share with them how cattle are raised and handled.“ We have a lot of fun working together as a family, and we have a great connection with our customers,” Lehning said. On more than one occasion, Lehning made new customers after his cows had broken free of their pastures. As the only beef producers in the area, the cows themselves are great advertising.
“ People in our area are very supportive of what we do, and we rely on word-of-mouth to grow our business,” Lehning said.“ We are still learning and growing, but it’ s been a great opportunity to connect with the local community.”
The Lehnings were quick to understand that getting involved in local cattle organizations would be instrumental to their success, and volunteer leadership was part of that engagement. Lehning joined the New York Beef Producers and served as a region vice president. He then joined the New York Beef Council as a producer member and eventually became vice chair and served as chair before becoming the Federation of State Beef Councils representative. Involvement with NCBA and the New York Farm Bureau is also expanding Lehning’ s horizons.
“ I tell people I’ m a young farmer, really only 10 years into
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Peter Lehning pursued cattle production after a 25-year career in the U. S. Army.
Left to Right: Zachary, Lisa, Peter and Hank Lehning
10 APRIL 2026 www. NCBA. org