Taxes on the land, fences, and labor cost
money!
Commercial cattlemen make their money by producing the maximum weight in the shortest possible time. They do this by raising commercial breeds of cattle bred to gain weight fast. They place the maximum number of cattle on the smallest possible amount of land
and feed supplements. At about 12 months of age they are sent to a commercial
feedlot, usually in the Midwestern corn belt, where the real horrors start. Force feeding corn and other supplements along with growth hormones and steroids make the animals really put on weight
fast. The animals are packed into the pens and can barely
move insuring that most of the gain is in the form of fat. Even
though inhumane this allows maximum profit in the shortest possible time. Typically, feeder calves are sent to the lots at around 9-12 months of age and 500-600 lbs. After they have been on the lot and force-fed for 90-160 days they weigh 1,000-1,200 lbs. Even so, cattle ranching is a high-risk business and most cattlemen operate on
a very thin margin – at today’s market prices they would not stay in business without use of these techniques.
By contrast, raise our cattle on natural forage using grass fed techniques. We operate a farm that is humane to our
animals and friendly to preditors. These techniques designed for sustainability and conservation rather than extracting maximum
profit from the laad.
We market our feeder calves at 14 to 18 months at a
weight of 450-600 lbs. This is lean healthy high-protein meat but we do not enjoy the profits created
by the large weight gain at the feedlot. Currenlty, we are in the process of obtaining organic, humane and
preditor friendy certifications. Our premium allows us to market lean healthy cattle, to keep our pastures uncrowded,
and to NEVER run a feedlot!
