Grass-Fed Beef
Overview:Our grass-fed beef is raised the natural way on our organic-certified pasture. Our cows are Angus crosses for superior quality meat production in our local climate that resembles England and Scotland where these beef-producing breeds originated. We cut no corners -- carcasses are aged to perfection at extra expense before butchering. All our cuts are USDA-inspected, labeled and vacuum-packed for maximum long-term freshness.
See our Beef price list page for current pricing.
We also have a small Scottish Highland herd producing their particular brand of exclusive, succulent beef which (due to their slow maturing nature) is only available on rare occasions.
Most beef in the USA is produced from steers fed on corn, in crowded feedlots, to maximize fat and carcass weight in the minimum time. Corn is not a natural food for cows, so to force digestion and combat insanitary feedlot conditions, hormones, antibiotics and other substances have to be fed to prevent casualties. The result is an artificial product that deserves the bad rap that "red meat" has acquired in modern dietary science. Our grass-fed beef, on the other hand, comes from cattle that roam freely, foraging their natural diet of grass and browse at will. The resulting beef is much leaner, with far more Omega-3 fatty acids, the type of fat that is considered good for you! It is also high in cancer-preventing conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs ) and has 4 times as much vitamin E. In short, it is the type of food our bodies were originally designed for!
USDA Processing and Packaging:
We purposely avoid the questionable practice of many modern direct-marketing meat producers who sell you what is theoretically a quarter, half or other fraction of the live animal in an effort to circumvent the expense and legalities of USDA - inspected processing. When we first started in the business we thought USDA inspection was just a random sampling process that qaplied to one or two percent of the carcasses processed. However we soon found out that the USDA inspectors are on site at all times in even the smallest plants, and inspect every part of every carcass relentlessly. The rejects are numerous!
Bypassing this process will save you little if any money -- the base price per lb quoted by the USDA-quality-avoidance producers may seem cheap, but is usually based on "live weight" which is 2 1/2 to 3 times the weight of the final cuts you end up with. After adding their processing and butchering fees, you are not saving much, if anything. Furthermore you are forced to buy at least a quarter of beef at a time (around 120 lbs), for which you will have to fork over about $600, as well as finding space for it in your freezer. To cap it all, your meat is not inspected for possible problems so you are not really sure what you are buying.
By contrast, we use exclusively USDA-certified processing plants and butchers, in which inspectors check every part of every carcass, so every cut carries the USDA label. Our state-of-the-art vacuum packaging means that the oxygen that supports spoiling bacteria is virtually eliminated, and the meat can be preserved almost indefinitely in the freezer. This is in sharp contrast to the brown paper used by non-USDA butchers. Furthermore the vacuum process makes attractive packages that actually allow you to see the meat you are buying! Also there is no minimum purchase -- instead of spending bundreds of dollars at a time you can buy individual cuts for as little as $5 at a time as you please,
Prices and Availability:
See the Beef Price List page for detailed pricing of individual cuts.
Our USDA-inspected grass fed beef is available year-round. Call us at (707)876-1808 or email info@salmoncreekranch.com to have an order shipped or delivered, or to schedule a visit to the ranch and pick up meat from our on-farm store. We also patronize local Farmers Markets.