From Pasture to Plate: Our First Beef Processing Journey 🐄🍂
Welcome to our farm blog, where today we are excited to share the story of our very first beef processing journey - a significant milestone for us and a testament to our commitment to sustainable and humane farming practices.
The Journey Begins: Preparing for Processing Day 🚜🌾
The day before processing, our first cow was ready to embark on its journey. We made sure it was comfortable and stress-free, providing alfalfa hay, water, and several treat buckets to keep it calm. The other cows were kept nearby to maintain a sense of normalcy and to ensure that everything seemed ordinary. We understand the importance of eliminating stress at every touchpoint, as it directly affects the quality of the meat.
In a moment of reflection and gratitude, we gathered around to pray over our animals, thanking the Lord for their lives and the blessings they bring to our lives. It's a solemn practice that underscores our respect for the animals and the role they play in sustaining us.
100% Grass-Fed Beef: A Rarity in Today's Market 🥩🌱
Finding 100% grass-fed beef can be a challenge these days, with many products on the market falling short of true pasture-raised standards. Fast forward 21 days from processing day, and we received the much-anticipated call from Back 40th Butchery – our beef was ready for pickup!
Excitement was an understatement as we headed to the butchery, and we were amazed at the bounty before us when we arrived: 479 pounds of beautifully processed beef. The breakdown was impressive – 170 pounds of ground beef, 240 pounds of various roasts, and 98 pounds of premium steak cuts. The packaging was pristine, the meat color vibrant and healthy, and the marbling surpassed what you’d find in any commercial store. It needs to be said again: you just can't get this quality from store-bought beef.
Reserve Your Share: Spring Processing Dates Available Now 📅🐮
If you've been inspired by our journey and are interested in reserving a share of our 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef, be sure to check out our beef page for more information. We have two cows available for the spring processing dates, and we would love for you to experience the exceptional quality of our farm-raised beef.
To get on the list or for more inquiries, feel free to contact us directly. We're here to answer any questions and help you take the first step toward enjoying sustainable, high-quality beef straight from our farm to your table. 🍽👩🌾
Thank you for joining us on this journey, and stay tuned for more farm updates and stories! Remember, when you choose our farm, you're choosing a path of sustainability, quality, and respect for both the animals and the land. 🌿🐄
Want to learn how pastured beef can save you over $4000/year?
This is how much 1/2 a cow will take up in one of your freezers. You won’t go hungry for a while!
Overcoming the Fear of Food Processing: The Local Pastured Chicken Solution
I often hear, 'I can't buy from you because I can't get over the idea of killing a chicken!' But here's a news flash: every chicken you eat has undergone processing. In the age of mass production and convenience, it's easy to become disconnected from the source of our food. However, we aim to empower local buyers with the knowledge that transparency and ethically raised food are crucial for our community's survival. We understand that for some, purchasing local pastured chicken directly from a farmer can be intimidating, primarily due to the apprehension surrounding meat processing. It's essential that we shift our perspective and focus on the numerous benefits of supporting local farmers and enjoying sustainable, ethically grown, and healthier poultry.
1. A Return to Ethical Farming Practices:
Buying local pastured chicken from us means supporting ethical farming practices. Unlike industrial farming, where animals are often raised in confined, overcrowded conditions, our pastured chickens are given space to roam freely, forage, and express their natural behaviors. The average chicken house has over 10,000 birds. With our pastured poultry, freedom, sunshine, and sanitary living conditions are the bare minimum. We allow full expression of the “Chickenness of the chicken.” Our birds are not subjected to the same stressful situations as their factory-farmed counterparts, which translates to better living conditions for the animals. Do you expect an animal never exposed to sunlight and breathes in ammonia stench from excessive fecal debris to live it’s healthiest life?
2. Know Where Your Food Comes From:
One of the most significant advantages of purchasing local pastured chicken is the opportunity to meet and develop a relationship with your farmer. We have full transparency, which allows any of our customers to gain insights into the farming methods, animal welfare, and food production processes. Have you ever driven by a chicken house? Usually, they are surrounded by 24-hour surveillance, barbed wire, and “keep out” signs. By knowing the people who grow your food, our customers have increased confidence in the quality and ethics behind their meals.
3. Healthier Chicken, Healthier You:
Pastured chicken is ethically raised and nutritionally superior to conventionally produced chicken. These birds feed on a natural diet of insects, grass, and grains, resulting in meat higher in essential nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. By allowing our birds to eat a variety of grasses, bugs, vegetation, and non-GMO feed, we are expressing the animal's optimal health. Pastured chicken tends to be leaner and contains less saturated fat than its factory-farmed counterparts, making it a healthier choice for your diet.
4. Supporting the Local Economy:
Purchasing local pastured chicken isn't just about eating better; it's also about supporting your local community. By buying directly from farmers, you are improving the sustainability of small-scale agriculture and reducing the carbon footprint associated with transporting food long distances. Buying from mass stores means you support the four conglomerates of the food industry: Tyson, Sanderson, Purdue, and Pilgrim’s Pride. If you remember from COVID, bare shelves hopefully made people realize that their lack of connection to their farmers could result in a lack of accessibility to food.
5. Environmental Sustainability:
Factory farming significantly negatively impacts the environment through its use of resources, waste production, and greenhouse gas emissions. Have you ever driven past chicken farms where the stench is so horrible you don’t even want to breathe? Farming should not have a noxious smell if done right. Sanitary conditions should never smell if the appropriate mix of carbon is added. Our pastured chickens always live in hygienic conditions because we rotate daily to fresh grass. These sustainable practices also improve soil health, sequester carbon, and enhance the local ecosystems.
We raise Cornish cross meat chickens. They are bred specifically for meat due to their quick growth and delicious flavor. Each day of their lives, they are exposed to fresh air, fresh grass, and rotated areas.
6. Redefining Food Processing:
It's important to clarify that the processing of local pastured chicken is typically done with great care and attention to detail. Many small-scale farms adhere to humane and respectful processing practices, prioritizing animal welfare. While the idea of processing may still seem intimidating, choosing locally-sourced poultry ensures that these processes are more transparent and humane compared to mass-produced alternatives.
It’s time to shift our focus from the apprehension of processing to the numerous benefits of supporting locally sustainable food. This change not only aligns with ethical, sustainable, and healthier food choices but also rekindles a sense of community and a deeper connection to the source of our food.
By purchasing local pastured chicken, you are improving your well-being and contributing to the betterment of your community and the planet. So, let's embrace the opportunity to make a difference one meal at a time and savor the flavors of ethically grown, locally sourced poultry.
We will have fresh chicken available for pre-purchase here. The chicken will be bagged and ready to eat by October 23rd, or it can be stored in your freezer for later enjoyment.
The processing date is October 20th. The birds will be available for farm pickup October 20th-October 23rd. We can deliver to Greenville on the 23th at a Central pickup location and Anderson on October 24th.
We hope you choose to #supportlocal today.
