Hello friends and family!
Bear with me, this is indeed a lengthy email about BEEF. Am attempting to cover all of your questions and provide you with some good information.
As many of you know, Brad and I have been in Atlanta for three years (can't believe that?). However, we still have our farm in Missouri. Our wish was always to raise cattle and provide ourselves, friends and family with beef we raised. We believe it is important to know where your food comes from if at all possible - and darn, it sure tastes better! I've really learned a lot from Brad and his family as well as our farm "neighbors" about cattle and am continually amazed.
We just finished a trip to Kansas City last month and an inspection of our farm (which is being rented by a family taking great care of it! They have about 15 head of their own on "our" land). Our sons were intrigued by them and wanted to see them up close, of course. They were super friendly and loved to be petted. I will admit, like many of the gals here - I don't think I could look at these guys every day and then eat one? But Brad said, "Katie, wouldn't you rather eat the meat from this happy friendly cow that you KNOW instead of some feedlot cattle living a miserable life?" Point taken. They say there is a huge link to the flavor of any meat with how content and happy the animals are. Stress changes the flavor of the meat. Not hard to imagine!
Since our farm land is rented, we purchase calves from our neighbor and great friend, Jay. Jay's family has been in that area for over 100 yrs, and was an invaluable help to us when we were building our barn. Jay and Brad became fast friends and we trust Jay explicitly. He LOVES raising cattle and prefers that to anything else. Vacations are not really possible for farmers, as cattle are like family - and they need to be tended to morning and night. I couldn't believe Brad never took family trips as a kid, but I have grown to understand they don't - they can't - leave the cows. Jay's farm is about 1/2 mile from ours and he raises primarily Angus cows. I took pictures of a few of them and am happy to share with you. Some of you, I know, don't want to see a face!
In 2010, we had 3 cows (yields 12 "Quarters") that we sold quickly last December. So my apologies to those of you who missed out and wanted some - when it came up in conversation and someone said "me, please!" we put them on the list. This year Brad purchased 12 calves (48 "quarters") so we have much more to share with you. We ask, and would appreciate, if you would share this info with any of your family/friends/neighbors who may be interested in farm-raised beef. Please email me for an order form. Some of you have inquired about smaller quantities of meat, I wish we could accomodate that. However, we aren't equipped to handle excess stored meat, however I have people wanting to split quarters, or suggest you contact your family/neighbors as well.
Just imagine not having to stop in the grocery for beef for a year! It is wonderful, and the taste - I think you'll get hooked. Have also attached a copy of an article this week about the future of our meat supply - and we are heading toward test tube, grown in a lab, meat. Disturbing to say the least.
Just imagine not having to stop in the grocery for beef for a year! It is wonderful, and the taste - I think you'll get hooked. Have also attached a copy of an article this week about the future of our meat supply - and we are heading toward test tube, grown in a lab, meat. Disturbing to say the least.
We thank you in advance for taking the time to read this, I know I have bombarded you with information. PLEASE share it with your friends and family who may be interested. We appreciate your support !!
Brad, Katie, Mack and Gus Town
email: baublesbykatie@aol.com
FAQ
How much beef is in a QUARTER?
Just like humans, cattle can be varying weights! Many factors determine their final processed weight. However, last year each QUARTER averaged 115 lbs. So that would be approximately 2 1/4 lbs of beef per week for your family for the year. We recently heard a fact that Americans eat approximately 61 lbs of beef per person in a year. So its not unlikely that your family would eat 115 lbs in a year. The QUARTER contains approximately 20-25% STEAKS (you can only get so many "steaks" in a QUARTER) about 10% in ROASTS and the rest is 1lb. packages of GROUND BEEF (which contained more of the yummy roast meat - we just decided to grind more of that meat since many families need quick meals using ground beef). The QUARTER fits in a 120 qt. cooler which is approximately 4 cubic feet.
What is the COST?
Again we cannot tell you EXACTLY, as this year the QUARTER could be 110 lbs, or 125 lbs. It will cost approximately $5.25/lb so APPROXIMATELY $600.00 - We encourage you to check the grocery store prices. We purchase the calves at market price which was up 25% over last year! We still think it is an affordable price for knowing where/how your meat was raised, having it packaged and available in your freezer for the year. We are asking for a $100.00 deposit to secure each QUARTER. You are welcome to split with a family, we just ask that we deal with ONE family.
When will it be ready?
Approximately the end of December. The cattle are slaughtered late November (all things going according to plan) and are hung to "age" for 30 days in a temperature controlled environment. This removes moisture, tenderizes the meat and further concentrates the flavors. Factors affecting this schedule include how tough the weather is (freezing/snow, etc) over the Fall/Winter. Below is a GREAT article on aged (appropriately) beef. Will make you question what you purchase in the supermarket.
What do they eat?
The cattle graze in open pasture. They have approximately 40 acres to roam and eat. They are also fed GRAIN. The grain significantly helps flavor the meat, as entirely grass-fed beef can tend to be bland. The cattle are not given any steroids or hormones and the grass is not treated with herbicides or pesticides. Only fertilizer to stimulate grass regrowth. They are born on this farm and stay on this farm. They are never transported to a "feed lot".
Fat content?
We request the butcher to provide our ground beef 90% lean. You need SOME fat to again, add to the flavor. Brad met with the butcher while we were picking up a hog we had butchered, as it is equally important to know WHO is processing your meat, what their facility looks like, etc. Brad was more than impressed. This is a family business taking great pride in what they do. FYI, a 4 oz. burger with ground turkey can have up to 17 grams of fat, which is 13 grams more than a burger made with 94% lean groundbeef.
Special Requests?
Yes, if you have certain requests (we'd like as many 3 lb. ROASTS as we can get, a brisket, etc) We will certainly accommodate. I will reiterate - there are only so many "steaks" in a quarter, we give you as many Ribeyes and T-bones as are possible. Filets are located within the T-bone cuts.
Yes. We are asking for all deposits in by July 31st, as Brad will sell the remainder of the cows not spoken for by August 15th. There are 40 QUARTERS remaining of the 48 available. First come, first serve and your DEPOSIT is your security for the QUARTER.
How much freezer space does this require?
We have 20cu. ft. upright freezer in our garage and it held our TWO QUARTERS (one HALF) as well as a hog, and all of our other frozen foods. Some families purchased a small deep freeze from Costco - again, you would need approximately a small chest freezer of 4 cu. ft for ONE quarter.
Article on the future of .....
The test-tube burger is coming soon
Posted on Jun 27th 2011 by David Gomez
Scientists claim the first test-tube burger will be ready in about a year.
According to The Daily Mail, the scientists think the engineered burgers would lead to consumers being able to eat meat without animals being killed.
But you have to wonder, will beef mince grown from stem cells be popular with the burger crowd?
The Dutch scientists behind the meat-like development are predicting that the world’s population will increase tremendously over the next couple of decades. They don’t think that there will be enough livestock to feed everyone.
They say that the livestock shortage could cause laboratory-grown beef, chicken and lamb to become a normal occurrence at mealtime.
Right now the scientists are working on a burger that will be grown from 10,000 stem cells taken from cattle, which are then kept in the lab to multiply more than a billion times. The multiplying cells produce muscle tissue that is similar to beef.
They call it "in vitro" meat.
Mark Post, professor of physiology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, who is behind the project, said: "I don’t see any way you could rely on old-fashioned livestock in the coming decades.
"In vitro meat will be the only choice left."
"We are trying to prove to the world we can make a product out of this, and we need a courageous person who is willing to be the first to taste it. If no one comes forward then it might be me.”
He said to Scientific American magazine that he thought the first burger could be produced within 12 months.
Scientists from the same university cultivated strips of pork using the same method in 2009.
They acknowledged that it was not very pleasant, seeing as how it was grey with a comparable texture to calamari. In a New York laboratory fish fillets have been grown using cells taken from goldfish muscle tissue.
The scientists are convinced that the public will get used to laboratory meat, even if it tastes like crap. Why? Because they don’t think that people will have a choice soon.
A colleague of Professor Post said: "When we are eating a hamburger we don’t a dead cow.' And when people are already far from what they eat, it’s not too rd to see them accepting cultured meat."
It’s predicted that the world’s meat consumption will double by 2050 as the population increases.
The current world leader in artificial meat production is Holland. The Dutch government has put $2,398,200 into the research. The scientists involved in the lab meat think that the test-tube burger is just the first stage in a food revolution that might be able to solve the problem.
At Utrecht University researchers have calculated that ten stem cells could produce 50,000 tons of meat in two months.
A study at Oxford University found that this method would use 35-60 percent less energy, 98
percent less land and create 80-95 percent less greenhouse gas than traditional farming.
Still, it sounds pretty awful for many reasons. What do you think?
