How Could You?

We get asked two questions a lot:

Q: "Do you raise cows for dairy? ...or beef (*stated in a fearful whisper*)?"

A: Beef!

Q: "How could you do that? They are so cute! I could never do that! I'll have to stop looking at your pictures."

A: Read on...

Raising cattle for beef is a sustainable source of healthy food.

We never said it was easy - we LOVE our cows! We love all of the animals we have ever raised for meat purposes. We often shed tears when they leave us, or even thinking about them leaving us. This is "heart" work, and seriously meaningful to us.

Referencing the incredibly wise Dr. Temple Grandin, she states, “I think using animals for food is an ethical thing to do, but we've got to do it right. We've got to give those animals a decent life and we've got to give them a painless death. We owe the animal respect.”

We believe cows should get to enjoy their lives. We believe that our food should nourish us, and that the best food, comes from a happy existence. Well loved cattle, make tender beef.

Another favorite from the ever-wise words of Dr. Grandin, “we raise them for us; that means we owe them some respect. Nature is cruel but we don't have to be."

When the time comes for us to bring any one of our livestock to a processing facility, we will probably be quite somber and just thinking about it makes my eyes well up... But that right there, is the passion - the part where we are willing to provide, the part where we say grace and have gratitude for what this animal will give to us and to families we know. All of the best love stories are filled with roller coasters of emotions - and this is no different. We felt the same when we processed our pigs, turkeys, ducks, and chickens in the past.

There is no simple way to answer the question of "how could we?" other than because we know that we did everything we could to ensure that our cattle live a free, natural life, they know love, peace, and tranquility. They were provided for until they can return the benefits back to us. It is not an easy job, but most certainly one we take a lot of pride in.

To better share our way of life and the possible misconceptions about raising animals for the sake of food, I have enrolled in a Masters of Beef Advocacy course to better voice the truth about raising lifestock, beef cattle, and help to address the concerns of our customers or future ones!

We do it because it brings us joy to know that there are a few less cattle living a life in fear, because we know it will nourish bellies, and bring smiles, and hopefully be cause for meals shared amongst friends and families like ours. We do it because we care.