Archives for June 2019

Fly control for cattle is something that many farmers need to think about.  On our farm we stay away from chemical treatments so I’ve been thinking about way to control flies naturally.  Perhaps nature is the best natural fly control for cattle.

I have noticed over the past several years an increase in bird population on our farm.  Lately when I go out in the mornings to check my cattle I notice swallows and other birds swooping through the air catching flies and other insects near the cattle.  I enjoy seeing this each day because nature is keeping a good balance so that flies do not get out of control.  See the video below to watch swallows on our farm naturally controlling flies all around our cattle.

Dung beetles are another way that nature controls fly populations naturally.  I haven’t seen any yet on our farm, but I expect to see them in the future as the biology of the soil recovers from conventional agriculture. Dung beetles take manure and quickly incorporate it with the soil which minimizes fly larvae activity in manure patties.

I’m looking forward to seeing how the biology on the farm continue to improve and bring problems like flies into balance.

“Your burgers are the best I’ve ever tasted”.  That’s something one my customers told me recently when they came back to buy more burger patties.

Our customers love our burgers because they taste great!  Our burger patties are made from 100% beef with no filler or flavorings.  You will notice that our 100% grass-fed burgers have much more flavor than a conventional burger.  Most burgers require toppings to get a great flavor.  Our burgers have a great natural taste!  I still enjoy a burger with bacon,ketchup, mustard and pickles, but a burger should have great flavor rather than almost being tasteless.

Why is our beef so jam packed with great flavor?  Our cattle are raised only on pasture and grass which gives the beef a great flavor.  The flavor of beef even varies based on the land the animal was raised on.  In a similar way to the ‘terroir’ of wine, beef takes on unique, distinct flavors based on the environment it was raised on.

We offer two sizes of pre-made burger patties 1/2 pound and 1/4 pound.  You can also make your own burgers from our ground beef.

Interested in purchasing 100% grass-fed beef burger patties?  Click here for our purchasing options.

I recently went to my first Farmer’s Market selling frozen beef. It went better than I thought it would. I have a few tips for success that I learned so far.

One concern I had was how to keep my beef cold and frozen. Freezers normally freeze at well below the freezing point, but you can turn many chest freezers down to the lowest setting to get your meat as cold as possible. I used 3 normal sized coolers and filled them completely with beef. Because they were full they stayed frozen the whole market. 6 hours after I put the meat in the coolers, it was rock solid. One reason I brought multiple coolers was so that I could consolidate beef as I sold it. For example, if I sold 1/3 of the beef in each cooler I could eliminate one cooler and have 2 coolers that were completely full. I also brought a white blanket I could drape over the coolers to keep the sun off of them and provide more insulation.

In order to keep things simpler, I chose only a handful of beef cuts and products so I could quickly find things for customers. Since it is the summer grilling season, I focused on burgers, hot dogs, steaks, and ground beef. Because I kept things organized., it was very easy to find everything in each cooler and close the cooler quickly after each sale.

I think it is important to strike up conversation with people walking by your stand. This can feel a little awkward, but most people are happy to talk to you. I usually started of greeting them and explaining that we sell 100% grass-fed beef. This was important since we could not easily display our frozen beef. I did however display other products I had for sale that were not frozen like our beef sticks and beef jerky. Those products sold very well. I am guessing that they sold well because the customer could see the product easily and if they were doing other errands they did not have to keep them cold.

Our total sales was surprisingly good at the last market and I look forward to selling at more farmer’s markets in the future.