Jay A. Hersch, entrepreneur, author and farmer who followed a winding path from the urban sprawl of Chicago to the mountains and farmlands of Virginia, died peacefully at his home in Reston, surrounded by the love and support of his family and friends on October 28, 2025. He was 83 years old.

Ignited by two years in the Peace Corps, where he and his volunteer colleagues organized an agricultural co-op for Colombian farmers, Jay channeled his deep energies into dedication to public service, a growing love of nature and agriculture, and his family. Soon enough, the synthesizing kernel of his grand idea took root: why not pursue his dream of turning to the land in launching a family-run business enterprise?

This he did, against all odds. While flying on government work after more than a decade of public service, Jay stumbled upon an article that mentioned a breed of cattle called beefalo (a genetic hybrid of domestic beef cattle and bison). It piqued his bottomless curiosity and interest, particularly since beefalo did not require a grain-fed diet: this was a time of depleted global grain reserves. In beefalo, Jay envisioned a breed that could have a positive impact on challenged farmlands, and he foresaw a way to help raise living standards in rural Virginia - an area especially dear to him thanks to the Hersch family farm in Highland County. He also sensed beefalo meat’s special qualities would generate a customer base, and he experimented for a few years to optimize the genetics of his herd to bring out the best meat qualities. In 1978, Jay and his wife launched the Highland Beef Farms brand. It was a turning point for them and for so many others.

Turning a vision into an ongoing business called for deep thinking, planning and teamwork; unbounded energy; and, soon enough, creative meat and summer sausage recipes. Starting only with a small, refrigerated truck, Jay traipsed the tri-state area around Washington D.C. – often with his young sons in tow. Initially, he sold meat from the farm to local grocery chains, store by store. After several years building the business, he shifted the vision into summer sausages and meat snacks. The operations began to expand throughout Virginia, then throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed area, and ultimately across the United States to become the national enterprise it is today.

As the market for Highland Beef Farms products grew, serving the demand called for moving beyond beefalo and into beef cattle. In the ensuing decades, the company continued to grow into the major purveyor of shelf-stable meat and cheese snacks that it is today. In 2020, as Jay’s health began to decline, his wife Patricia, their son Eric, and Highland Beef Farms’ core staff increasingly took over day-to-day responsibilities of the company. To his great satisfaction and joy, Jay lived to see the business expand and evolve through family initiative.

Jay Alan Hersch was born on September 25, 1942, in Evanston, Illinois to Bernard and Edith Hersch. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1964 with a concentration in political science and agricultural economics. He continued his education at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, subsequently accepting an offer to become a management intern for the U.S. government. He saw his government work helping the disadvantaged in the US - first in the Organization for Economic Opportunity, and then with the Public Health Service - as an extension of his Peace Corps work.

In 1967, Jay met his future wife, Patrica (née LeKashman). They married on August 10, 1968, beginning an unbroken partnership of exploration, devotion; of the building and sustaining of a life of love and meaning for 58 years.

A figure of an almost mythological toughness, humility and single-mindedness, Jay inspired the devotion of others. His was a single-mindedness born out of positivity, purpose, and a firm sense of right and wrong. His life was lived fully, contoured by love of family, the land, social justice, and following dreams. Jay’s spirit was indominable.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia, his brother, Lee, three sons, Michael, Jamie, Eric, and six grandchildren, Abigail, Mirabel, Lianna, Jonah, Elsie, and Landon.

Jay’s determination and belief in dreams is captured in his book Railroad to the Sky, where he describes his adventure on his farm laying down 155 feet of track, building a replica of a train station, and miraculously even getting a surplus caboose on the tracks. Jay infused life itself into that railroad, writing: “I love what I have become. Instead of rusting away at some salvage yard for cabooses, I am now a permanent part of nature, cold in wintertime, warm in summer, but always marveling at the wonders of nature. I have become part of that land. And there is no place in the world I would rather be.”