From Farm To Fork: Here's How Our Farm Is Changing Ethical Meat Consumption

One of the hardest questions I get asked is "How can you eat the animals you raise?"

As an animal lover, this is the hardest part about what we do.

I know animal welfare is important to you, and that's why I want to address it today.

Our butchering season is underway for the year and it's always so bittersweet.

It’s sweet because my freezers are nearly empty, but I still have hungry mouths to feed.

It’s bitter because our animals give the ultimate sacrifice for the health and wellbeing of my family and yours.

I hear you when you say it's hard to think about killing an animal so you can eat.

I still get a lump in my throat when I see these animals in the trailer on their way to the butcher.

But, I believe God put them here to nourish us and the meat they provide is exactly what our bodies need.

Many of our customers are ex-vegans that come to us after their health started to deteriorate after cutting out meat.

They know their bodies need meat, but the thought killing an animal always causes an internal struggle.

Now they only eat meat that's been raised in the best way possible - locally, regeneratively, and humanely.

That's where we come in.

I understand eating meat is not for everyone, but here's what makes our meat a better option for those who want to eat it:

1) Our animals are at least 24 months old at slaughter compared to many feedlot animals who are 14-18 months old.

To get their animals to grow so quickly, they're given growth hormones and fed a diet of mostly grain which causes them to gain weight quickly.

Our cows are never fed grain or given hormones so it takes longer to raise animals this way.

We believe it's the most natural for them, the healthiest for you, and best for the environment.

2) We work with small, local butchers who are very skilled at what they do.

We recently drove past a hog processing plant on our way to pick up our baby piglets.

The plant processed 20,000 hogs/day.

All I could think of was a horror movie...I can't even imagine what goes on inside those walls. 

As much as we would love to have a butcher come right to our farm to process animals, we are unaware of anyone offering that service.

Instead, we use small, local butchers who only process a handful of animals each week.

As important as it is to make sure our animals have a great life, it's equally important their final moments are handled with care and dignity - something we trust each of our butchers to do.

3) Every summer we offer farm tours for our customers so you can see exactly how your food is being raised.

Rachel came to our tour this summer and said  "I was so so so impressed with your farm when we were out in July.  I'm honored to support you!"

You get to see the animals, ask questions, and make sure our farm aligns with your values.

Unfortunately, there's no way around having to take the life of an animal to eat meat, but please know our promise to the animals raised on our farm is a wonderful life with just one bad day.

Knowing where your meat is coming from and that it's raised in a way that aligns with your values can help ease the ethical burden of eating meat.

Cheers,

Sarah