Cattle.
Allowed to Be.
Our cattle are raised in a way that feels good to the soul. Looking out across lush pastures, healthy plump cattle peacefully grazing, songbirds singing... it’s the stuff our dreams are made of. They get to express their cow-ness fully. Together in a herd, grazing and moving, enjoying the sunshine and clean water, listening to the rustle of the grasslands, and lounging in the shade of the native oak trees.
Our cattle are completely grassfed, always on pasture, and never ever given hormones, steroids, grain or sub therapeutic antibiotics. This beef program is not something comparable to any large grassfed beef company. We keep the program high-quality, premium, as a private batch that would simply lose its integrity if it were scaled any larger than we could manage right here, on foot, in Sonoma County.
Not all grassfed beef is the same. Our beef differs in how it was raised and how it tastes from conventional grassfed beef. The most important factor in palatability of meat is intramuscular marbling, which is more challenging to achieve in grassfed beef without a high attention to detail. We give this cattle program all our attention. We keep the cattle on a high plane of nutrition, always providing them with green quality feed. We harvest the cattle at the peak grassfed finishing time of year, once a year.
Not all cattle are equal. We take pride in finding animals whose genetics have been raised for generations to specifically finish fat on pasture in California’s climate. Our cattle’s frames tend to be stout and sturdy. These stocky cattle are superior for climbing hills and seeking their forage. Conversely, cattle that have been raised for generations to finish on grain or in a feedlot, tend to be large framed and simply can not hit the high plane of nutrition their bodies need to finish fat on grass.
Low Stress.
Keeping the Cattle Calm
All handling of the cattle, called stockmanship, is done in an intentional low-stress manner. We've found this is safer for our employees, and often produces the results we want from the cattle faster than rushing them. It has also been shown in studies that stress affects the way the meat tastes in the animal. We work our cattle on foot, with ATVs and Australian Kelpie dogs. Our cattle have a wonderful life and then yes, they have one bad day at the end. We are always open to talk more about this particular last day with anyone who has more questions, but know that it’s done locally by the hands of an expert and it’s swift and stress-free as possible. We give gratitude to each animal and look them in the eye as they depart. We say a little thanks for each meal of Grounded Grassfed beef we have, for the plenty they provide and all the bellies they fill.