Grassfed Beef
Many terms are used to convey the idea of naturally produced beef: organic, grass fed, grass finished, pasture raised, salad bar…. Let’s be clear, our cows eat grass.They spend their summers doing what grazing herbivores are designed to do, they graze. In the winter they are fed the same native perennial pasture plants but now cured by the sun into hay. We even use organic freeze dried Icelandic kelp (which is really just grass from the sea) as our mineral supplement. No grain, feed additives, hormones, growth stimulants or antibiotics, ever.
We use a technique called management intensive grazing to closely mimic the actions of herding ruminants in nature. By bunching them into groups called mobs, similar to the great bison herds of the past, we create an environment very much like the one both the animals and the pasture plants evolved in. The hoof action of the cattle grouped together in this way incorporates the uneaten organic matter back into the soil. Taking a bite and moving on leaves behind a healthier plant to regrow for the next rotation. Daily moves to fresh pasture leave behind the waste and the associated parasites so we don’t need to use wormers.
Chickens follow the cows
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Like the flocks of birds that follow herbivores in nature, we even follow our cows with chickens to help distribute the manure and eat the parasite larvae that would otherwise lie in wait to infest the cows when they return on the next cycle.This practice eliminates any need to use chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. The fertility program we follow is designed by the Creator, and works wonders both in the health of our forage and the animals that eat it. This, in turn, produces a delicious, nutritious and naturally healthy product for our customers. You are not only what you eat, you are what your dinner ate.
707 and her hours old calf
But there is more to it than providing healthy feed. Unlike many ranchers who breed their cows to calve as early as possible in the year so that they have a larger calf to sell into the commodity beef market in the fall, we calve our cows in May and June when the local deer, elk and antelope are having their young. Our calves are born onto fresh grass when their mothers are in the best condition to get them off to a good start. We also use low impact handling methods so the cows remain as calm and stress free as possible.