Where Does Your Meat Come From?
We feel it is important for anyone who chooses to eat meat that they know where the animals were raised and how they were treated. We pride ourselves on treating our animals with care, feeding them without resorting to chemicals and antibiotics, and giving them plenty of access to grass, sunshine and room to run and play. Although these animals are destined for the table, we feel it is our duty to provide them with a high quality of life while they are with us. We pride ourselves on raising all our animals, whether they are permanent members of the farm or raised for meat, with humane treatment and quality surroundings. In doing so, we feel that we have done right both by our animals and our customers.
Our poultry is hand processed right here at the farm. Our other animals are sent to Hirsch's Meats in Kossuth, as required by government regulations. Hirsch's is a USDA inspected slaughter facility, local, and family owned and operated. We have a long standing relationship with them and can assure our customers with confidence that the meat we sell is the animal that was raised here- even when it is processed in part off-farm.
The cuts of meat we have available represent the best way for us to make use of the entire animal. We sell it at our stand priced by the pound. Our poultry is available as a whole bird only. Cuts of beef, pork and lamb are generally bone-in with the exceptions of items like ground or stew meats or sausage and bacon. If you are not familiar with a cut, please feel free to ask us and we can recommend a suitable cooking method. Or you can let us know what you're trying to prepare (and how many you're feeding) and we can help you select the appropriate cut.
Our poultry is hand processed right here at the farm. Our other animals are sent to Hirsch's Meats in Kossuth, as required by government regulations. Hirsch's is a USDA inspected slaughter facility, local, and family owned and operated. We have a long standing relationship with them and can assure our customers with confidence that the meat we sell is the animal that was raised here- even when it is processed in part off-farm.
The cuts of meat we have available represent the best way for us to make use of the entire animal. We sell it at our stand priced by the pound. Our poultry is available as a whole bird only. Cuts of beef, pork and lamb are generally bone-in with the exceptions of items like ground or stew meats or sausage and bacon. If you are not familiar with a cut, please feel free to ask us and we can recommend a suitable cooking method. Or you can let us know what you're trying to prepare (and how many you're feeding) and we can help you select the appropriate cut.
Beef
The beef for sale at our farm stand comes from our herd of registered Dexter cattle that live right here. Our cows are pasture raised and finished. A cow takes 18-24 months before it is ready for processing. Over the winter months, they are fed quality organic hay made right here on the farm. As soon as spring arrives and the fields are green again, our cattle return to pasture. Our beef is always pasture finished and never spends any time in feedlot conditions. This gives you a healthier meat, lower in fat, with a better cholesterol ratio. It also makes for a safer meat. Finishing cows on an unnatural all-grain diet has been shown to raise the levels of E. coli and other harmful bacteria it their system at the time of processing. Our cows are eating what nature intended, so not only do they not have the quantity of harmful bacteria in their system, it also allows us to raise them without feeding antibiotics, hormones, or growth enhancing chemicals.
At the farm stand, you'll find a selection of cuts that enables us to best utilize the whole cow. We offer lean ground beef, roasts (chuck, English, tip, R. B. and rolled rump), steaks (Porterhouse, T-bone, sirloin, rib eye, and round) as well as stew meat, plate boils and soup bones. If some of these cuts are unfamiliar to you, don't be afraid to ask about them! We're happy to help you select the one that is right for the dish you have in mind.
At the farm stand, you'll find a selection of cuts that enables us to best utilize the whole cow. We offer lean ground beef, roasts (chuck, English, tip, R. B. and rolled rump), steaks (Porterhouse, T-bone, sirloin, rib eye, and round) as well as stew meat, plate boils and soup bones. If some of these cuts are unfamiliar to you, don't be afraid to ask about them! We're happy to help you select the one that is right for the dish you have in mind.
Chicken
Broiler birds enjoying the summer sunshine
We raise Cornish-Rock broiler birds. Although we prefer to raise heritage breeds or non-industrialized animals, we find that we can't equal the production of these birds with anything else. We get them as day old chicks from a hatchery and they gain weight at such an amazing rate that they are ready to process in 7 to 8 weeks. Our birds are raised outdoors in "chicken tractors", which are bottomless pens which we move to fresh grass daily. This gives our birds the nutritional benefits of pasture raised meats, while also providing our flock with a sanitary living space. We raise them near our gardens, so we are able to enrich the soil with the manure, and the chickens enjoy eating the bugs that would otherwise feast on our vegetables.
Each bird is hand-processed here at the farm. This allows for the maximum in quality control, as we go over each one thoroughly. Our chicken is available as a whole bird only, averaging between 3.5 and 6 pounds. We offer fresh and frozen birds periodically all through the summer and early fall, but they sell out quickly. We're happy to take pre-orders so you don't miss out!
Read more about why our chicken is different (and superior) to commercially raised birds here on Emily's blog: http://www.localharvest.org/blog/27987/entry/why_so_much
Pork
Large Black sows and their piglets
We currently raise heritage breed Large Black hogs, born right here. It generally takes about 6 months to raise them to processing weight. By law, like our beef and lamb, we must have them sent to a USDA inspected facility for initial processing. With our pork, however, we do most of the processing ourselves. While Hirsch's does smoke and cure the ham and bacon for us, we do the rest. Once we pick up the sides of pork, we bring it back to our custom butchering kitchen, where we cut and package roasts, chops and ribs as well as the sliced bacon, ham steaks, bone-in hams and ham hocks.
We also make four varieties of homemade sausage; our bulk sausages come in sage and breakfast (a secret family recipe sweetened with non-GMO brown sugar) varieties. We make rope style sausage in natural casing in both hot and mild Italian. (Mild is also periodically available in bulk as well). We're often asked why our sausage is so lean and flavorful. It is because we start with real farm-raised pork- no fillers, no organ meat, no byproducts. We then add only fresh herbs and seasonings, never any preservatives or other artificial ingredients.
We also make four varieties of homemade sausage; our bulk sausages come in sage and breakfast (a secret family recipe sweetened with non-GMO brown sugar) varieties. We make rope style sausage in natural casing in both hot and mild Italian. (Mild is also periodically available in bulk as well). We're often asked why our sausage is so lean and flavorful. It is because we start with real farm-raised pork- no fillers, no organ meat, no byproducts. We then add only fresh herbs and seasonings, never any preservatives or other artificial ingredients.
Lamb
We maintain a breeding flock of Katahdin sheep. They are a great heritage breed which is known for producing flavorful meat on pasture, while shedding out their wool naturally each spring. This eliminates the need for shearing and eliminates a big farm chore! Our lambs are born each year beginning in January. They start out life nursing from their mothers, and by the time they are ready for solid food, the fields are green again. These lambs are 100% grass fed and pasture raised for the next six months or so. Lamb is typically available by the pound during the farm stand year, and whole freezer lamb is sometimes offered in the fall. Contact us for price & availability.
We offer lamb in a variety of cuts; lamb chops, leg of lamb, half leg of lamb, chops, roasts, ground lamb and stew/kabob meat perfect for making gyros. We also offer heart and liver.
We offer lamb in a variety of cuts; lamb chops, leg of lamb, half leg of lamb, chops, roasts, ground lamb and stew/kabob meat perfect for making gyros. We also offer heart and liver.
Eggs
A rainbow of farm fresh eggs!
While not really a meat, we also think it's important you know why farm raised eggs are better. When you buy eggs from us, they are no more than a week old. Store bought eggs are usually over a month old by the time you take them home, with the expiration date being seven weeks after the eggs are packaged. Also, a hen laying eggs for a typical factory farm literally never sees the light of day and spends her entire life in an individual cage about the size of a regular sheet of paper, without room to turn around or even extend her wings fully. In contrast, our girls have permanent access to outdoor pens. This housing allows them to run, stretch their wings, take dust baths, and chase and eat bugs and grass as well as roost on perches above the floor at night. They live in a flock where they are able to interact and socialize with other hens and a rooster. These are all natural behaviors, and we allow them to express that by giving them the space and freedom to act like a chicken. The result for you is fresh eggs with firm yolks, unbelievable taste and the nutritional benefits of pasture- namely, more good cholesterol than a factory egg as well as naturally occurring Omega-3 acids!
All photos here are our animals and taken here on the farm.
They are our copyrighted property, please contact us if you would like to use them in any way.
