Journey into Grass-fed Beef

I'm not an animal person.  But, when my dad died suddenly in February 2008, I found myself with about 60 cows on my hands.  I'd been trying to talk my dad into raising grass-fed beef for quite some time.  Now, it was up to me. 

After letting the shock of dad's death settle, I began reading everything I could find on raising grass-fed beef.  I finally happened upon Joel Salatin's book, Salad-Bar Beef.  This is the model I hope to follow.  My oldest son Brandon has been taking care of the cows and continues to help me learn as we transition part of the herd to grass-fed. 

Rotational grazing seems to be the key raising healthy grass-fed beef. This spring we set aside part of the pasture land to implement the rotational grazing system for our grass-fed beef.  This requires a larger time committment on our part as the herd needs to be moved each day to fresh pasture.  The benefits are beef that is higher in omega-3's and lower in saturated fat.

The herds have always had full access to pasture, with continuous hay and some supplemental grain in the winter, from hay and corn raised right here on the farm.  With some long-time customers preferring the flavor of grain-finished beef, Brandon and I have made the decision to maintain a portion of the herd as fully pastured, but grain-finished. This beef has always been hormone-free and will continue to be so.

With these transitions in mind, we decided to offer our full-flavored Black Angus beef at the Oxford Farmers Market Uptown and from the farm.  We are now offering ground beef and ground beef patties in convenient 1# packages.  Individual cuts of beef will be available beginning in the late fall of 2009.

Thank you for your continuous support as I branch out into a new direction, still committed to healthy, natural food.  Suzie.