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- How a 300-acre purchase grew into McBee Farm & Cattle Co.
- Family ties and fractures: marriage, divorce and new ventures
- From reality TV to retail: the McBees on screen and in commerce
- Federal charges and the fallout for the farm
- Personal milestones amid legal turmoil
- Public disputes and relationship turbulence
- Business expansions, brand strategy and the road ahead
- Where things stand: reputation, restitution and recovery efforts
The story of the McBee family reads like a modern Western: a small Missouri farm turned into a multi-business operation, a reality show that put them in the public eye, and a criminal case that upended life on the ranch. As cameras tracked their wins and setbacks, legal and personal storms tested their bonds and the future of McBee Farm & Cattle Co.
How a 300-acre purchase grew into McBee Farm & Cattle Co.
- 1998: Steve McBee bought his first 300-acre plot in Missouri. It was the spark for a growing operation.
- 2005: After problems with an outside contractor, the family took farming in-house.
- 2009: The property expanded to include cattle, and later buffalo, as livestock operations increased.
- 2018: Steven McBee, one of Steve’s sons, went full-time and launched Apex Protein Snacks.
- 2023: The McBees opened a processing facility in Lamoni, Iowa, to vertically integrate meat production.
- 2024–25: The family broadened retail footprints, including coffee-and-carwash locations and a branded meat line.
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Family ties and fractures: marriage, divorce and new ventures
Steve and Kristi McBee spent nearly three decades together before their marriage ended. After 28 years, Kristi moved to divorce in 2019 following revelations of infidelity.
Their four sons—Steven Jr., Jesse, Cole and Brayden—played active roles in the family business.
Kristi’s next chapter
Post-split, Kristi launched Lan-Tel Communications, a company focused on communications and construction services. She later described growing the business well beyond critics’ expectations.
Next-generation entrepreneurs
Steven Jr. pushed product development with Apex Protein Snacks. Other family members helped scale retail and production channels.
From reality TV to retail: the McBees on screen and in commerce
The family’s story moved to streaming and cable. Their Peacock series debuted, then seasons continued on Bravo, raising the McBee profile.
- Television exposure led to brand extensions and a podcast called “Meet the McBees.”
- They opened multiple McBee’s Coffee N’ Carwash sites. By September 2025, there were eight locations in Missouri and three in Arkansas.
- McBee Meat Co. aimed to link farm production directly to retail offerings.
Federal charges and the fallout for the farm
In November 2024, Steve McBee pleaded guilty to a federal count related to crop insurance fraud. Prosecutors said records had been falsified to misstate yields and crop use.
The legal outcome was severe: in October 2025 Steve was sentenced to two years in prison, ordered to pay $4,022,124 in restitution, and faced roughly $3 million in additional fines. Court filings set a self-surrender deadline of 2 p.m. on December 1.
The family described the case as ongoing for months and said they hoped for closure so they could move forward with business and personal life.
Personal milestones amid legal turmoil
Life on the farm continued alongside the courthouse drama. New family members arrived and relationships evolved.
- In December following the charges, Cole and his partner welcomed daughter Blair, the McBees’ first grandchild.
- April 2025 brought Jesse and Alli’s daughter, Summer.
- Cole proposed to Kacie in November with their daughter involved in the moment.
- By March 2026, Cole and Kacie announced they were expecting a second daughter.
Public disputes and relationship turbulence
Media attention intensified when Steven publicly accused a partner of inappropriate conduct at a music festival in 2026. The accusations sparked social media debate.
His then-girlfriend responded, calling the public airing of private matters unfair and painful. She asked for privacy and said she would step back to process the situation.
Despite conflict, she appeared on the family’s reality series and shared intimate moments on camera in a later season.
Business expansions, brand strategy and the road ahead
The McBees have pursued several growth avenues to diversify farm income and build a lifestyle brand.
Key initiatives
- Apex Protein Snacks: packaged meat snacks and on-the-go products.
- McBee Meat Co.: a processing and distribution facility to control quality and margins.
- McBee’s Coffee N’ Carwash: a hybrid retail and service concept that multiplied locations in two states.
- Podcast and streaming exposure: content used to promote products and boost consumer recognition.
These moves aimed to protect the family enterprise from single-revenue risks. Legal penalties and reputational damage, however, created new hurdles for growth and financing.
Where things stand: reputation, restitution and recovery efforts
The combination of criminal penalties, public scrutiny and internal family change forced the McBees to reassess operations.
Financial obligations include multimillion-dollar restitution and fines. Those liabilities complicate cash flow and expansion plans.
Family members say they are taking a measured approach to rebuilding business and personal stability. They continue to operate multiple ventures while navigating court-ordered consequences and public opinion.
