Our Four L's

In our last blog, we discussed the importance that a name carries...

While we still believe in the meaning "High Cotton Cattle Co." carries and are proud to represent the brand, we felt it appropriate to rebrand our operation under 4L Ranch in an effort to capture our ethos in a classic western style.

Why 4L?

When considering how to create a brand that matched the purpose behind High Cotton Cattle Co., family remained one of my main motivators. With the core of my mission being to honor the generations before me as a servant to the community and steward of our livestock and the land, it's important to represent both sides of my family. In previous posts, we've discussed the Hendrickson side (paternal) of my family and the cowboy legacy we're fighting to continue, but the Lane side (maternal) of my family has provided just as much inspiration.

Before I was big enough to fit in a car seat, I was headed to my grandparents' farm in Caldwell County, Kentucky. My earliest memories are there... Watching Westerns in a diaper while sitting in a saddle, falling asleep in my Grandaddy's lap on the tractor, and caring for the variety of animals around the property. My grandfather, Dennis Lane, raised Herefords along with a mix of other livestock, but a young Connor had his eyes on something else...

For whatever reason, at an age I'm too young to remember, I asked my Grandaddy for a Belted Galloway bull calf. As far as the story goes, no one is certain how I knew what a Belted Galloway was at such a young age, or why I would want one, but my Grandaddy -- being who he is -- made sure I got one. We bottle fed that calf and raised it until it was simply too large for a toddler to be around, and we should have known then that my life would end up dedicated to serving livestock.

Please excuse the anecdote, as it represents something more than my introduction to life around animals... The Lane family, aside from their representation of southern hospitality, have made their lives through hard work, integrity, and service to the land. I would be remiss if I worked to achieve my mission without acknowleding the contributions they've made to my life in so many ways, so the L in 4L Ranch became part of our vision to include in our new brand.

After committing to the L, we wanted to include some sort of number and began considering what else L could represent to further capture our ethos. If I could break it down simply, why do we do what we do?

We do it for the Lord, to be a steward of His creation and honor the gifts He's given us.

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10

We do it for the livestock, to give them the highest quality of life possible.

"Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;" Proverbs 27:23

We do it for the land, to ensure it can be fruitful for the generations that follow.

“He (God) causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that He may bring forth food from the earth.” Psalm 104:14

We do it for legacy, not only for me to make the Lanes and Hendricksons proud, but to provide quality service to our customers' families so they can further their own legacies with confidence.

"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." Phillippians 2:4

So, that's why we are 4L Ranch. We are here to serve.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us. We look forward to providing more stories in the future.

Cooper (front) is the unofficial mascot for The 4L Ranch. After losing his mom during birth, Cooper was raised as a bottle fed calf at our Robertson County ranch. After being raised around horses, Cooper was relocated to Lincoln County where he quickly integrated with the herd and now serves as a leader when working the herd.