The magnificent Biltmore Estate is a property like no other. Billed as America’s Largest Home®, it’s an 8,000-acre estate built in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina by George Vanderbilt nearly 130 years ago. Today, it’s a showplace that welcomes more than a million guests annually to tour the spacious 250-room mansion and the stunning gardens and grounds that surround it.
Sustainability has always been at the heart of Biltmore. George Vanderbilt began building this grand estate for his family in the 1890s with a goal of nurturing the land and its resources for generations to come. He envisioned Biltmore to be self-sustaining, much like the grand estates of his day in Europe. That dream has become a reality as the estate is still owned and managed by the descendants of George Vanderbilt and his wife, Edith.
Equestrian Center
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Biltmore has its own equestrian center. “Back in George and Edith Vanderbilt’s day, horses were the way to view the estate. That’s the way it was designed to be seen,” says Elizabeth McLean, director of equestrian activities at Biltmore. “The love of horses stayed in the family up to the current generation. They are still very involved.”
While there are carriage and trail rides available to visitors, it is the boarding stable that is home to 70 horses and their owners, as well as a lesson program and annual pass program for riders to haul in and ride the trail system. It fits right in with the vision of Mimi Cecil, who was married to George and Edith Vanderbilt’s grandson, William Cecil, and is the late mother of Biltmore’s current chief executive officer.
“Mrs. Cecil was an eventer but recognized the value of endurance rides,” McLean says. “She encouraged well-rounded horsemanship.” As a result, in addition to three endurance rides, the Biltmore Equestrian Center hosts 10 to 15 events annually, including natural horsemanship clinics, dressage shows and hunter jumper shows.
“Education is very important to us. We believe in lifelong learning,” McLean continues. It is evident by the age range of the participants. Four-year-olds ride in the hunter lead line classes, an 11-year-old won the 2022 Biltmore Challenge 100 and octogenarians are spotted in the dressage ring.
The Biltmore Equestrian Center not only hosts riders of all ages, horse lovers of all skill levels are also welcome. International competitors and members of U.S. Pan American and World Equestrian Games teams have participated in the endurance rides. However, McLean says, “There are local schooling opportunities for people starting out on their equestrian journeys. This is a safe place to get their feet wet and learn. We strive to fill niches needed in the local horse community.”
It is also a way for those in the community and from across the country to experience the majestic beauty of the estate. For the participants in the shows and clinics, the drive to and from the Biltmore Equestrian Center is a treat, but the endurance riders get to see far more of the 8,000-acre estate and its more than 120 miles of trails.
The nationally sanctioned Biltmore Challenge Endurance Ride, held in the spring, features a one day 100-mile ride as well as rides as short as 25 miles. The fall rides are also nationally sanctioned with the American Endurance Ride Conference and the North American Trail Ride Conference, respectively.
Along with lifelong learning, Biltmore, past and present, models sustainability. That shows in their choice of the Equestrian Center’s tractors: a
New Holland WORKMASTER™ 60 and a
New Holland PowerStar™ 120.
Obviously, where there are horses, there is horse manure. Clay Vick, operations manager of the Equestrian Center, says they use the 38-hp WORKMASTER 60 to haul manure to dump trailers, where it is then hauled to Biltmore’s central composting facility.
The PowerStar 120 also ranks high in sustainability. Vick says, “It is very fuel efficient. We use it for mowing, loader work, spraying and road maintenance. We do a major grading twice a year and every time we get a big rain.”
There are miles and miles of equestrian trails to maintain. These are some of the last Blue Ridge Mountain trails that remain free of hikers and bikers. As the PowerStar 120 plays such a big role in trail maintenance and other chores, Vick and the other employees appreciate the ease of use and comfort of the PowerStar. Vick says he particularly likes the telescopic linkage which takes much of the muscle work out of hitching up implements.
Farm to table
While the Equestrian Center shares the beauty of Biltmore by hosting endurance rides, shows and clinics, the Biltmore livestock operation takes the famous Vanderbilt hospitality a step further.
Biltmore started its farm-to-table program long before it was fashionable. In George Vanderbilt’s day, the self-sustaining farm at Biltmore provided food for the family, guests and workers. Now, meat from Angus cattle, White Dorper sheep and Berkshire hogs raised and finished on the estate is served at all of Biltmore’s restaurants, from elegant four-star dining to more casual options.
Until 1983, it was the estate’s large Jersey herd, used for the estate’s successful dairy, that took center stage. George Vanderbilt established dairy operations to supply dairy products to Biltmore House, providing an example of how to run a successful farm and to generate income through commercial product sales. When the market ultimately shifted with the advent of chain grocery stores becoming a more efficient way to purchase milk, the door-to-door dairy delivery which Biltmore was involved in became obsolete. The dairy business was sold to the Dairy Division of Pet, Inc.
The estate’s CEO at that time and grandson of George Vanderbilt, William A.V. Cecil, made the decision to transition the estate to beef cattle. Dr. Ted Katsigianis led this effort and purchased 29 Angus heifers for the estate. Now, the descendants of those heifers have grown to a 300-cow herd. Their offspring are marketed both as breeding stock and finished beef.
Biltmore‘s current director of agriculture, Kyle Mayberry, says the Angus cattle are the pillar of the farm-to-table program. “They are maternal and sustainable, they produce a really good end product, and like Biltmore, they are associated with quality.”
In keeping with Biltmore’s emphasis on sustainability, the cattle are on pasture their entire lives, even during the finishing phase when grain is added to their diets. “We’re committed to a pasture-based system,” Mayberry says. “We rotate the pastures every few days during the grazing season, so they have fresh forage.”
Mayberry also relies on the American Angus Association’s extensive database to ensure the beef is tender and flavorful. He studies Expected Progeny Differences (EPD), Dollar Value indexes ($Values) and the results of genetic testing when he makes the selection decisions of breeding stock. Between the conscientious selection and management, he says the cattle finish out at the equivalent of the upper two thirds of Choice and Prime grades.
The 150 White Dorper and Dorper-Katahdin ewes are another key part of Biltmore’s livestock program. Vanderbilt favored Southdown sheep, which he imported from Scotland. However, with their wool coats, they didn’t thrive in western North Carolina’s heat and humidity. In trips to New Zealand and South Africa, Katsigianis discovered White Dorper sheep, a hardy, fertile meat breed with a light covering of hair and wool. Now, Katahdin sheep are crossed with part of the White Dorper sheep.
“We’re really excited about the White Dorper-Katahdin crosses,” Mayberry says. “They are a natural fit and produce a high-quality product.”
Berkshire hogs were originally introduced when George Vanderbilt imported them from England, then the Cecil family re-established the heritage breed, which now numbers nearly 20 sows.
“They are a staple in our farm-to-table program and are known for their docility and product quality,” Mayberry says. Like the cattle and sheep, the hogs are not kept in confinement and are allowed to forage in pastures and woods, where acorns and forbs help contribute to their diet and the unique flavor of their meat.
Mayberry can’t help but highlight the role of the cattle, sheep and hogs at Biltmore. “We deliver the highest quality product we can, the restaurants deliver the meat to our guests in a storied way, and we get instant feedback,” he says.
It all adds up to products that Biltmore Chef Mark DeMarco serves with pride. “As executive chef, it’s important to me that my team serves the very best. A large part of that is knowing where our beef, pork and lamb is sourced and how the livestock has been fed, raised and processed. It is with certainty that we can say our animals are treated humanely. We also know raising our food in this responsible way creates a top-quality product.”
“To ensure quality, we regularly put our Biltmore® Grown items through blind tests with our restaurant chefs to judge marbling, appearance and, most importantly, taste,” he adds.
While farm-to-table dining was in place at Biltmore before it was trendy, the estate was also practicing regenerative agriculture before the phrase existed. Even better, the two concepts are a natural fit.
Noted 19th century landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed the elegant gardens surrounding the main house, urged George Vanderbilt to raise livestock so their manure could be applied to the river bottom land along the French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers.
“The land was a victim of slash and burn farming,” Mayberry explains. “The soil quality was poor, and the local farmers were really struggling to get out of poverty. Olmsted had that regenerative focus and wanted to improve the land.”
New Holland equipment plays a key role in the regenerative focus. One of Mayberry’s most valued workhorses is the C345 compact track loader. “We use it every day of the week,” he says. Scraping up the manure from the sheep barns, where it is transferred to wagons, then hauled to Biltmore’s composting facility, is one of the loader’s main jobs. It also earns its keep running the hydraulic post driver. “The machine is extremely reliable and user friendly,” Mayberry says.
The farm’s
New Holland T6.160 tractors are paired with a no-till drill also contribute to the farm’s sustainable mission by planting cover crops including wheat, rye, triticale, sundangrass and crabgrass.
Whether it is composted manure from the equestrian facility and livestock operation, carefully planted cover crops, or farm-to-table dining, George Vanderbilt’s vision of a sustainable estate that would nurture the land and its resources has come to pass. Biltmore is a place of great beauty that has delighted guests for generations and will continue to do so for years to come.