Featured in The Magnoila Tribune, July 16, 2026
Just thirty minutes south of Hattiesburg, near Highway 49 in Wiggins, Mississippi, Black Jack Ranch is changing what people expect from a farm-to-market store. With around 600 head of cattle, a careful breeding program, and some of the top Wagyu genetics in the United States, the ranch has become a destination for real steak connoisseurs.
Wagyu simply means “Japanese cow,” and while that might not sound fancy on its own, these cattle are famous for beef that’s evenly marbled with rich, buttery fat — resulting in juicy, tender meat every time. You can really taste the difference. When Mississippi restaurateur, author, and food expert Robert St. John visited the ranch for his live podcast and later wrote about it in his weekly column, demand for the ranch’s Wagyu hamburger meat took off — so much so that the farm store sold out and had to start a waiting list.
Beyond the beef, the Black Jack Ranch farm store is home to fresh-baked breads, side dishes, and every cut from the ranch’s top cattle, plus a line of soap and natural beauty products made from beef tallow. The ranch raises three types of cattle — elite Wagyu, Black Angus, and F1, a 50/50 cross of the two — each with its own distinct flavor and texture, tracked with meticulous genetic recordkeeping. That means Black Jack Ranch can trace any steak sold in the store back to its actual mother and father, so if a customer ever has a concern about a cut, Kim knows exactly where to look!