our core values pertaining to raising beef cows
We started our beef herd in the spring of 2014 with seven full grown cows, six male calves and six adolescent females. More than half are black Aberdeen Angus, with a couple of Canadian shorthorns, one Hereford and a handful of English Red Polls. Our bull is a handsome, furry white Galloway named Zephyr.
We chose these breeds because they originated in the northern British Isles – mainly Scotland -- and have been proven over the years to flourish in Canada’s short growing seasons on meadow grasses with hay during our long and cold winters. We particularly like the gentle-natured Galloway, which evidence has flourish in natural conditions such as ours and produce well-marbled beef on grass and hay. Since our first year, we have purchased several more belted and solid coloured Galloway breeding cows.
Many of our customers have told us our beef is the tastiest they've ever had. Raising -- and ‘finishing’ – cattle on grass and hay results in meat that is highly flavourful, textured and with a healthier balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, more closely comparable nutritionally to pasture-raised chicken or even fish than conventional beef.[1] ‘Finishing’ refers to the final stage of a beef animal’s growth when the animals are being readied for the butcher.
Our approach to raising cattle is inspired by Glenn’s pioneering grandparents in Alberta and Saskatchewan who kept small numbers of slow-growing livestock for meat and milk in the early 20th century. The work of Glenn’s dad, Colin, who was an environmentally-conscious soil scientist and farmer have also informed our commitment to protect the soil, air and water.
We are also grateful to have benefited from the shared wisdom of contemporary grass-fed beef farmers in eastern Ontario and western Quebec.
We have use Managed Intensive Rotational Grazing and mob grazing to optimize plant and root regrowth and improves nutritional intake for the animals. Carefully managed forage-based perennial pasture systems like ours have been shown in scientific studies to lessen carbon, nitrous oxide and methane emissions from livestock and even sequester carbon in the soil.[2][3] By comparison, systems in which livestock are either left to graze land until it is barren, or alternatively, where the animals are fed high protein corn, grain, silage with antibiotics and hormones in the close confines of feedlots in order to maximize muscle growth, are known to be major contributors to global carbon emissions.
Over time, we alternate fields between hay production and grazing in order to maintain fertility and prevent erosion. We reapply our winter manure pack onto the land in quantities that can be rapidly utilized and reincorporated into the soil. We limit ourselves to only removing as much forage from our hay fields as is sustainable without the use of artificial fertilizers -- which are another contributor to global climate change[4] and which we are committed to avoiding.
Our animals are fed only grass and hay. Grain is never used, even during finishing. Since January 2016, we have given our animals a small amount of organically certified alfalfa pellets -- which are 100 percent high protein alfalfa hay -- as treats to ensure that our animals come running when we need to move them. During the drought of 2016 we were forced to purchase hay for the first time, choosing farmers that hadn't sprayed their hay crops, including one certified organic farmer.
Each autumn, we have allowed our cows to eat apples that fall from wild trees surrounding their pastures. We have joked that in years when the apple crop is particularly abundant we should advertise our beef as apple-fed, rather than grass-fed.
We make every effort to use sound management practices such as avoiding putting the animals into situations where they are forced to stand in mud and manure.
On the rare occasion that an animal requires medical treatment, we remove it from our organic programme. Most of the animals we send to the butcher have been born and raised on our farm. A few have been purchased as calves from farmers with similar philosophies to ourselves.
By comparison, conventional beef industry practices often involve adding antibiotics to the feed in order to promote faster growth. This is believed to contribute to the emergence of superbugs and antibiotic resistant strains of diseases that can affect both cattle and humans. Conventional cattle feed also commonly contain cheap "protein supplements" including rendered animal biproducts including blood meal, as well as hair and bone meal that we strongly believe should never be fed to cows or other herbivores.
We do not use artificial fertilizers or spray pesticides anywhere on our farm – whether it be insecticides, herbicides, fungicides or even household fly or mosquito killers. Weeds are removed by hand, through mowing or overseeding or, when all else fails, through tillage and reseeding. In spring, we give our cattle access to ‘dust bags’ of diatomaceous earth (DE), a natural and organically-permitted abrasive powder that has long been used by organic farmers to relieve cows from lice, fleas and flies. Our cows have grown to understand the usefulness of DE and can be seen rubbing themselves vigorously against the dust bags when they feel an itch.
We always have mineral and salt blocks available for our cows and occasionally use certified organic molasses, kelp and organic aloe to boost animal health in winter. We have applied organic apple cider vinegar or hydrogen peroxide to livestock water supplies to kill bacteria and promote digestion. All of the above substances are permitted by organic certifying organizations.
Raising cattle in the manner that we do has been time-consuming, laborious and expensive, but it has also been personally rewarding. Our cattle have their own personalities and we know that we are giving them the healthiest and happiest lives possible. It is enjoyable to work with our animals and we feel grateful to know that we are raising nutritious food for our family and others in an environmentally friendly manner that respects the animals and the land.
We welcome questions and are happy to accommodate visitors who would like to learn more about our methods and standards of practice.
[1] Daley, Cynthia; Abbott, Amber; Patrick, S.D. et al, “A review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef.”
[2] Stephenson, Kurt; Darrell Bosch and Groover Gordon, “Carbon Credit Potential from Intensive Rotational Grazing under Carbon Certification Protocols,” 2004.
[3] The Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, “Potential Carbon Sequestration and Forage Gains with Management Intensive Rotational Grazing,” September 2015.
[4] Gilbert, Natasha, “One-third of our greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture; farmers advised to abandon vulnerable crops in face of climate change.”
We chose these breeds because they originated in the northern British Isles – mainly Scotland -- and have been proven over the years to flourish in Canada’s short growing seasons on meadow grasses with hay during our long and cold winters. We particularly like the gentle-natured Galloway, which evidence has flourish in natural conditions such as ours and produce well-marbled beef on grass and hay. Since our first year, we have purchased several more belted and solid coloured Galloway breeding cows.
Many of our customers have told us our beef is the tastiest they've ever had. Raising -- and ‘finishing’ – cattle on grass and hay results in meat that is highly flavourful, textured and with a healthier balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, more closely comparable nutritionally to pasture-raised chicken or even fish than conventional beef.[1] ‘Finishing’ refers to the final stage of a beef animal’s growth when the animals are being readied for the butcher.
Our approach to raising cattle is inspired by Glenn’s pioneering grandparents in Alberta and Saskatchewan who kept small numbers of slow-growing livestock for meat and milk in the early 20th century. The work of Glenn’s dad, Colin, who was an environmentally-conscious soil scientist and farmer have also informed our commitment to protect the soil, air and water.
We are also grateful to have benefited from the shared wisdom of contemporary grass-fed beef farmers in eastern Ontario and western Quebec.
We have use Managed Intensive Rotational Grazing and mob grazing to optimize plant and root regrowth and improves nutritional intake for the animals. Carefully managed forage-based perennial pasture systems like ours have been shown in scientific studies to lessen carbon, nitrous oxide and methane emissions from livestock and even sequester carbon in the soil.[2][3] By comparison, systems in which livestock are either left to graze land until it is barren, or alternatively, where the animals are fed high protein corn, grain, silage with antibiotics and hormones in the close confines of feedlots in order to maximize muscle growth, are known to be major contributors to global carbon emissions.
Over time, we alternate fields between hay production and grazing in order to maintain fertility and prevent erosion. We reapply our winter manure pack onto the land in quantities that can be rapidly utilized and reincorporated into the soil. We limit ourselves to only removing as much forage from our hay fields as is sustainable without the use of artificial fertilizers -- which are another contributor to global climate change[4] and which we are committed to avoiding.
Our animals are fed only grass and hay. Grain is never used, even during finishing. Since January 2016, we have given our animals a small amount of organically certified alfalfa pellets -- which are 100 percent high protein alfalfa hay -- as treats to ensure that our animals come running when we need to move them. During the drought of 2016 we were forced to purchase hay for the first time, choosing farmers that hadn't sprayed their hay crops, including one certified organic farmer.
Each autumn, we have allowed our cows to eat apples that fall from wild trees surrounding their pastures. We have joked that in years when the apple crop is particularly abundant we should advertise our beef as apple-fed, rather than grass-fed.
We make every effort to use sound management practices such as avoiding putting the animals into situations where they are forced to stand in mud and manure.
On the rare occasion that an animal requires medical treatment, we remove it from our organic programme. Most of the animals we send to the butcher have been born and raised on our farm. A few have been purchased as calves from farmers with similar philosophies to ourselves.
By comparison, conventional beef industry practices often involve adding antibiotics to the feed in order to promote faster growth. This is believed to contribute to the emergence of superbugs and antibiotic resistant strains of diseases that can affect both cattle and humans. Conventional cattle feed also commonly contain cheap "protein supplements" including rendered animal biproducts including blood meal, as well as hair and bone meal that we strongly believe should never be fed to cows or other herbivores.
We do not use artificial fertilizers or spray pesticides anywhere on our farm – whether it be insecticides, herbicides, fungicides or even household fly or mosquito killers. Weeds are removed by hand, through mowing or overseeding or, when all else fails, through tillage and reseeding. In spring, we give our cattle access to ‘dust bags’ of diatomaceous earth (DE), a natural and organically-permitted abrasive powder that has long been used by organic farmers to relieve cows from lice, fleas and flies. Our cows have grown to understand the usefulness of DE and can be seen rubbing themselves vigorously against the dust bags when they feel an itch.
We always have mineral and salt blocks available for our cows and occasionally use certified organic molasses, kelp and organic aloe to boost animal health in winter. We have applied organic apple cider vinegar or hydrogen peroxide to livestock water supplies to kill bacteria and promote digestion. All of the above substances are permitted by organic certifying organizations.
Raising cattle in the manner that we do has been time-consuming, laborious and expensive, but it has also been personally rewarding. Our cattle have their own personalities and we know that we are giving them the healthiest and happiest lives possible. It is enjoyable to work with our animals and we feel grateful to know that we are raising nutritious food for our family and others in an environmentally friendly manner that respects the animals and the land.
We welcome questions and are happy to accommodate visitors who would like to learn more about our methods and standards of practice.
[1] Daley, Cynthia; Abbott, Amber; Patrick, S.D. et al, “A review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef.”
[2] Stephenson, Kurt; Darrell Bosch and Groover Gordon, “Carbon Credit Potential from Intensive Rotational Grazing under Carbon Certification Protocols,” 2004.
[3] The Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, “Potential Carbon Sequestration and Forage Gains with Management Intensive Rotational Grazing,” September 2015.
[4] Gilbert, Natasha, “One-third of our greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture; farmers advised to abandon vulnerable crops in face of climate change.”
Pasture Meat Chickens and Turkeys
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Since 2013 we have annually raised between 200 and 300 meat chickens and sometimes also a limited number of turkeys. All of our meat birds are, from the time they are a day old, raised in mobile coops on wheels that are rotated around the pasture to spread their manure and give them a continual source of fresh grass. Our birds on average take twice to three times as long (and much more feed) to reach butcher weight versus commercial birds. They are fed only certified organic grain feed to help them grow, and we believe the grass and bugs in addition to exercise and fresh air that make these slow-growing meat birds particularly healthy and tasty.
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free range hens and eggs
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Each year for the past three we have raised nearly 100 laying hens. They roost and lay their eggs in a spacious, insulated and well ventilated coop. The first year we allowed the hens to roam outside in moveable pens that were rotated to prevent over fertilizing. The hens regularly found their way out so we gave up and have since allowed them to roam where they please, weather willing. The hens receive certified organic feed, diatomaceous earth, oyster shells, occasional kelp supplements and vegetable peelings. Our eggs have been in high demand and, in case of shortage, we try to satisfy our grass-fed beef customers first.
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