By Marlee Jackson

Perched on a corner in quaint downtown Fayette, Cattlemen & Co. Meat Market offers customers a cut above — from its selection of scrumptious beef, pork and poultry to quality service rooted in the Golden Rule.

“I get to be the hands and feet of Jesus through this business,” said owner Amanda Baker. “The store has opened many doors for our family to serve this community.”

Agricultural entrepreneur Baker began Cattlemen & Co. in May 2025. The grand opening came after two years of hemming, hawing and running from God’s call, Baker said.

“Even if you put off something God is putting in your path, He doesn’t always throw you in the whale,” said Baker, referencing the Biblical story of Jonah. “When you finally listen, He will honor what He told you to do.”

For Baker, that meant diversifying her work portfolio. In addition to raising four sons with husband Mikey on their cattle farm north of Fayette, Baker makes her bread and butter traveling the nation ultrasounding cattle. Ultrasounds detect pregnancy and reproductive health, plus help farmers analyze carcass quality before harvest.

She’s spent a decade honing her craft, crisscrossing the country in an SUV bearing a tag that appropriately reads RIBEYE. Familiarity with marbling, fat and muscle planted the seed for her beef boutique.

“I have the most experience with carcass,” said Baker, a member of Agricultural Leaders for Alabama (A.L.F.A. Leaders) Class VII. “I see it from the inside out wherever I go. I know meat.”

Since opening Cattlemen & Co., she’s carefully sourced quality protein for the fledgling business.

Coolers display expected offerings for a small-town meat market — stacks of steaks, towers of beef tips, pounds of pork sausage, beefy hot dogs and bountiful burgers.

Rarer fare lines shelves, too. Those items expand customers’ horizons and include bacon-wrapped quail, oxtail, beef tongue, short ribs and soup bones. High-dollar cuts such as porterhouse and tomahawk steaks are often available.

While much of Baker’s clientele is local, repeat customers travel into Fayette County from nearby Tuscaloosa or Birmingham.

Reviews underscore Baker’s knack for above-and-beyond service, with one customer sharing on Facebook, “We enjoyed our shopping experience so much! Amanda has a vast knowledge of her products, and the quality of the meat is unbelievable. So thankful to have this business in our area.”

In addition to quickly answering customers’ messages online, Baker warmly welcomes visitors to her downtown storefront. Housed in a retrofitted service station, Cattlemen & Co. boasts forest green walls, floors strewn with cowhide rugs and the aroma of custom Cattlemen & Co. candles, available in soothing scents such as Sippin’ Cider. Art pays homage to Baker’s background, from family photos to posters of prize bulls she ultrasounded.

Baker said Cattlemen & Co. has given her a rare opportunity to expand her work while impacting the community she calls home.

“Life is short,” Baker said. “If you want to do something different, do it now.”