Find a Local Grass Fed Beef Subcontract

A directory of farms and how to know yous've establish the right i

You probably constitute this page while looking for a good, local source of grass fed, grass finished beefiness. Peradventure yous entered "grass fed beef almost me" only to exist shown a bunch of national brands, ads from meat subscription services, and farms from the other side of the country. Don't worry! This is an hands searchable directory of actual farms and ranches that sell grass fed, grass finished beefiness.

How to use this map to find a subcontract in your backyard

Information technology couldn't be easier – only zoom in click a nearby pin for some photos and a link to that farm's website and its contact info. Simply before you pick out a subcontract, go along reading to find out what to ask, and what to look for, when you're trying to figure out if the grass fed beefiness is the existent thing.

How beefiness is sold: by the pound, by the cut, by hanging weight

I affair you're probable to discover as you start looking for grass fed beef is that different farmers sell it different means.

Grass fed beef

First, you lot might see it sold by the pound. This is simply similar the style you purchase meat in any store – yous pay for the exact weight of the cuts you lot buy, nada more or less. I similar this arroyo. Everyone is familiar with it, and there'due south no gamble yous're going to cease upward paying more than than y'all think you're being charged.

2d, you might pay by the hanging weight, especially if y'all're ownership a half or whole cows. This means you lot'll pay for the weight of the cow after it'due south been killed and had its head and hide removed merely before it'due south been butchered. The weight of bodily cuts will be significantly less – wait 35-45% loss, depending on the beast and butchering method. You may also exist expected to pay the butchering costs, depending on the farmer.

There'south zero wrong with this type of pricing, merely you should ask for clear numbers on the boilerplate per pound cost of the beefiness you lot will end upward with.

Third, some farmers sell by the cut. Then you'll pay $24.00 for a strip steak. Hopefully y'all'll at to the lowest degree be given a range of weights – perhaps .7-ane.00 pounds in this case. While information technology makes inventory easier for the farmer, be careful. The smaller the range, the more certain you are of the actual toll you'll pay.

Finally, some farmers (too as many of the big national brands) sell past the serving. This is okay if the the per pound cost is as well prominently visible, only if it's cached. deep in the description, I suggest looking somewhere else. The only reason to sell "past the serving" without besides including a per pound price is to play a joke on people into thinking they're getting more meat than they really are.

Ultimately, I'd avoid anyone who won't be upfront about the existent cost of what yous're buying.

It's free, and it always will be.

Brand sure it's really grass fed beef

I've merely included farms that explicitly claim to sell grass fed beef on the map. Merely starting with ane of them gives you lot a much ameliorate chance of success than random googling. But an unfortunate fact is that the term has become a scrap elastic as it'due south gained popularity. Sometimes people use it when they just feed a little grain, or have not fed grain for some portion of a moo-cow's life. (This is why you should exist very skeptical of supermarket beefiness with a pretty characterization.)

Unfortunately, even well pregnant farmers don't always agree. To my mind, grass fed beef should come from cows that take only eaten grass or hay (which is just dried grass), plus minerals and salt. That'southward it. No exceptions for bad conditions or a bad growing year, no grain based 'supplements,' no grazing of standing grain, no beet lurid, no seed meals, and and so on.

100% Grass Finished, Grass Fed Beefiness

In that location are farmers out their with different ideas, and that'due south fine! It's possible to raise succulent beef that isn't entirely grass fed. Merely if your definition is the same as mine – grass, salt, minerals, and nothing else – then information technology's worth asking a few questions.

Questions for a farmer

  1. Tin can I visit? The whole idea of local agriculture is to build stronger connections betwixt rural and urban, between people and the country, between fields and dinner plates. Most small-scale farmers can't adapt unannounced visits, but anyone worth ownership from should be more than than happy to schedule a fourth dimension to show you effectually if you give them a call.
  2. What's your definition of grass fed beef? This gets right at the heart of it. Y'all can follow upwards with questions about grain or seed supplements, but the farmer should exist upwardly front with you about what they do and don't feed.
  3. How often do yous movement your cows? While it would be possible to raise a cow on grass without moving it, best practices involve much more active management. Ideally, a herd of grazing cows moves to fresh grass every day of the growing season, though anything upward to three days is fine.
  4. What's your farming philosophy? Fine, this i isn't strictly necessary if you lot're only trying to effigy out whether or not a local farm has real grass fed beefiness. But it might kickoff an interesting conversation!

Why local is best

While this map should make it easy to notice a local subcontract that raises real grass fed beef, no subcontract tin exist equally convenient every bit going to the grocery store. But I hope you will take the time to find an actual farm to buy from. As I said a minute ago, it'southward hard to be confident that anything from a big concatenation is what it claims to be.

Across that, nearly small farmers really do want to brand the world ameliorate. Nosotros want to raise healthy food from healthy animals on healthy state. From grain subsidies to feedlots the entire nutrient system is stacked confronting the ethical production of real food. To succeed, a meliorate type of farming will need a lot of support!

Concluding thoughts

I've done my best to make this equally user-friendly equally possible. But if y'all don't see what you're looking for here, I advise checking out eatwild. Information technology lists more than farms than I have here, only they are not restricted to grass fed beef. Also, the site can exist atrocious to navigate, especially on a phone or tablet.

If at that place are any questions I can respond, delight don't hesitate to write info@cairncrestfarm.com.