Beef Harvest

At the time you order beef from us your animal is still grazing here on the ranch. Your deposit secures your “share” of the living animal, quite literally transfering ownership of that animal to you. This is how on-farm slaughter works. ⁣
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Leading up to today’s harvest Jeremiah and I did what we do every single time, we hand select the animals that are fully “finished” out of the larger herd and the names of everyone who is scheduled for that particular harvest start to float around the entire scene. ⁣
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The cows are breathing steadily in that warm earthly way that cattle do, and we are making sure we are present for them as the shift towards you quickens. ⁣
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I take notes while they are still with us, and then after they are weighed at the butcher (before they are aged and then cut and wrapped) I look at the weights of each animal and start to match them with your name - I always use paper, pencil and an eraser. I love this simple process. ⁣
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A few weeks later we pick up the boxes at the butcher, organize them in our large freezer by location (some re-arranging is inevitable as we move your chicken next to your beef) and then usually quite quickly after delivery, we get a photo like this one. At this point the shift has occurred, and now the ranch is at your table. ⁣