Hi, and hope all is well! It’s been awhile since I’ve had time to myself to sit down and gather my thoughts. I had PLENTY of time, today, however, to think as I packed away our latest USDA beef…into literally every crack and crevice I could find that kept the temp below 32 degrees! I knew it was going to take a while; the last time did as well. The entire truck bed of my F-150 was filled with premium beef when I pulled out of the processor. Funny thing is…I was actually looking forward to getting home and tearing into each individualized bag that held our livelihood within its contents. Crazy, right? Who the heck would want to spend a Saturday, while keeping an eye on our two year old, knee deep in frozen meat? Yep…that’s me; present!
I equate opening up the packages and seeing the meat for the first time to a kid opening their gifts from Santa on Christmas morning. I can’t wait to see how it marbled, the color of the beef, the color of the fat; I just love it all. Did our different feed regimen work better, or do we need to reconsider? Was there too much fat, do we need to scale our corn percentage down? Did our choice of bull affect the carcass merit of our calves we took? It’s all data. Data that can only make us better at what we do, and getting better is the ultimate goal.
We work every single day to better our business, especially Ryan. I’m more of a fair weather farmer. To be fair, I was right beside him in the bitter cold until Sawyer came around. I mean, someone has to stay inside with him, and I feel like I’m the best suited to assume that role 😉( I don’t know if you can read my tone, but totally kidding…he just knows I hate cold, and he would rather do the chores than listen to me gripe about doing it!) Anyway, I digress. We know the animal that turned forage into protein! From its diet to its temperament, we know everything about that calf. To see the animal, daily, and what we input such as feed, hay, water, shelter, etc, and then to see the finished product, be able to hold that steak in your hand, is what I love most about this business.
I feel like God has bestowed upon Ryan and I, a privilege to care for his animals, with the upmost animal husbandry in mind, and provide quality beef to people in our community. This beef, that was raised, fed, and cared for on our farm, will then go into the homes of others and nourish their bodies. SO COOL! Of course we get asked or told all the time, “I don’t know how you do it, seeing those animals every day and knowing what their destiny is.” Sure. That’s one way to see it. However, these animals live a wonderful life, with free forage to graze and free choice feed to eat. They lay lazily underneath their shade trees in summer and huddle together under their wind break in winter. They’re cared for. But, they have a higher purpose: nourishing our bodies!!
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