Steve Jarvis is a fifth-generation farmer from East Texas. He grew up in an agrarian family, with his father, Bob Jarvis, being the head of the ASCS agricultural office in east Texas and surrounded by dairy, beef cattle, and row crop farming. Steve learned from the old-timers how to maximize farm production and identify optimal times for planting, pruning, propagating, weaning, and castration using the phases of the moon.

After witnessing so many farmers struggling to survive, Steve left agriculture to pursue a construction business, starting his own company at age 17, while still in high school. Steve left east Texas and moved to Burns, Colorado to start a fishing and hunting guide service on the Colorado River. During that time, he helped build the first homes in Vail, Colorado and helped local ranchers push cattle out of the Flat Tops Wilderness area. Steve returned to east Texas and started the first range-fed hog operation and helped write the rules for organic meats for the state of Texas.