I raise cattle from heritage old fashioned breeds. My heritage cattle are bred, born and, raised with parent stock and herds on my ranches. Each calf is raised on the teat building stronger immune systems. When a healthy calf gets a good start from colostrum it eliminates the use of  vaccines.  In  nature, cattle do not jab each other with needles and vaccines.  Although vaccines are permitted for use by the National Organic Program, this practice does not fit into my holistic operation.   

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

The nourishing beef I produce  comes from cruelty-free cattle and, their hormones have not been altered. It's customary to castrate (testicle removal) calves. This is done for several reasons.

1. to prevent injury to ranchers.

2. Ease temperament.

3. To stop the production of testosterone which, in turn forces the cattle to produce more estrogen, fat and, to grow faster.

 

The reasons why I do not practice castration are simple. Castration is mutilation. Unless it is necessary for medical reasons or to save a life, it's not humane. In addition, castration is a way to alter the hormones of cattle.  In nature cattle do not perform these types of procedures. It's well known that elevated levels of estrogen can feed certain cancer and, this is not considered healthy, holistic or, organic in my opinion. Humane castration also requires a tetanus shot and an antibiotic shot. 

​

I prefer wholesome beef.  Beef higher in nutrient values. I want  better Omega-3 to Omega-6 balance, more prevalent CLA's, DHA and ALA fatty acid profiles.  It's important to note that I do not administer tetanus shots even though they are permitted by the National Organic Program.  Tetanus shots are usually administered after a calf has been castrated and since I do not castrate, tetanus shots are not used.  Tetanus is a type of vaccine. Vaccines have carriers to  cross the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) and this can result in brain tissue damage.  I choose to avoid beef contaminated with vaccines, tetanus, antibiotics, heavy metals and, other toxins. I want pure, clean holistic beef. 

​

When I eat it's necessary that I feed and nourish every cell in my body, properly. My body is my temple and it's my responsibility to care for it in a responsible manner, that I can be proud of.  As you probably already know, there are serious problems with the over-use of antibiotics in the global food supply chain. One of the problems is that antibiotic use has led to "antibiotic resistance" and, this is having devastating results, not only to livestock but also, to people. Since I do not castrate my calves, I don't administer antibiotics. Although perfectly permitted by the National Organic Program (preventive measure), I choose against this method. I believe it could compromise the integrity of my pure, clean beautiful beef. 

​

GRASS-FED IS NOT ENOUGH

All cattle are grass fed. Even those finished or fattened with corn, soy, wheat, old donuts, chicken poop, sawdust and molasses, old bread, candy, rancid dairy, shredded cardboard and, other products. These cows are ALL grass-Fed! Cows eat grass. 

​

My cattle only get grasses. From start to finish they are 100% grass fed. They have very little fat but show a consistent natural marbling. They take longer to grow and for me that's okay. I like slow grown food. 

 

A Note To New Struggling Ranchers

Just because cows will lick the paint off your truck or will eat just about anything, it's not a good reason to feed them those things. I know cows are expensive to feed. I understand the dilemma. I live in the real world too. As a cattle rancher I too have experienced the financial trauma of inflation. Hay producers are selling overseas and our prices have tripled. Have you priced certified organic hay? WHEW!! It's out of this world. Let your customers know that you are experiencing effects from inflation. Share your trials and tribulations and ask for help. 

​

The prices of water usage are increasing. Private wells across the country are being metered and I understand your frustration. Consider butchering excess cattle and control your breeding schedule. Grass feeding and grass finishing is extremely expensive, costly and often cost prohibitive. It takes longer for the cows to reach market weight and you might lose your 23-24 months deadline for USDA slaughter. Be diligent and get creative. 

​

EXPLORE WITH LINKS GET ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS. 

Prussic Acid

Lectins

Routine cattle vaccinations are an accepted "preventative measure" practice by the National Organic Program (Click for Link).

​

​

In nature, cattle get all their necessary antibodies from their parent stock, straight from their own DNA lineage. They get additional antibodies during the birthing process via the birthing canal. More antibodies are in mother's colostrum, the mother's milk and their environment. This is REAL BEEF. How beef is meant to be.

 

Most rancher's who claim that they do not vaccinate, can do so legally. This is because the FDA, USDA and the National Organic Program endorse this practice. I grow my own because I believe that my body, organs and my health  is dependent on what I consume. I do not think that I'm designed to undergo countless hours of filtering heavy metals and,  multi-species proteins (coyote, rabbit, fox, monkey) all at one given time. This process may place a tremendous tax on my kidneys, liver and other organs. There are studies that even suggest multi-species proteins used in some vaccines, can lead to chronic illness and, cancer. I raise holistic beef. I choose to consume pure, clean beef as nature intended. It's easier for me because I am not growing beef to feed the masses. 

​

There are anti-bodies in vaccines either from live or dead sources. Either way, I could imagine that every time I consume vaccinated beef,  my immune system might goes into fight mode. My lymph nodes, primary and secondary immune systems may have to figure out how to identify, destroy and, develop a defense mechanism against those foreign invaders. During this process I'm just not sure if my organs would go into overdrive to try and keep me safe. I do not want to take additional risks. I take enough risks by walking into the cattle fields or, going out into public, breathing the air etc.

​

CASTRATION (I do not castrate)

Most, if not all ranchers castrate their bull calves. This is the act of removing their testicles either by surgical process or by banding. It's illegal to practice chemical castration in the United States. When castration is performed by responsible, humane means, it's followed up by a tetanus shot. Tetanus is also another type of vaccine, another accepted "preventative measure" practice by the National Organic Program (Click for Link).

 

In addition, an antibiotic shot is also administered. After all, this is a serious surgery, that can lead to chronic infection. This too is accepted by the National Organic Program and beef producers can claim "Antibiotic-Free" because the antibiotic was administered before a certain age and, under the preventative measure" of the National Organic Program again, acceptable.

​

I prefer to consume beef from  Intact cows because I consider this holistic and natural. 

​

If I was to consume beef from cattle that have been castrated I'm consuming a higher estrogen meat. The entire process of castration is so that the calf does not take precious energy developing male hormones and, that it develops more fat and, grows to market weight  faster. It also makes daily life on the ranch much easier and less risky for cattlemen. In addition, Cattle ranchers do not have to worry about the genetics of their lines getting mixed up by unplanned pregnancy.

 

Castration is also partly due to the USDA slaughter terms. USDA cattle slaughter plants do not slaughter cattle over the age of about 30 months. This means that most ranchers take their cattle for slaughter from 23-24 months of age.  The cow must be of market weight. ​ My calves are born from 45-65 lbs. Their weight at birth varies and depends on specific breed, the environment, the health and condition of the mother cow, genetics and other factors. Basically each calf needs to gain an average of 2.5-3.0 lbs. per day, from time of birth. That's a lot of weight to put on a grass-fed, grass-finished and pasture-raised calf, especially in that short time frame. Cattle ranchers are under pressure to to get their cattle to market. This is a tough job. Of course all cows are grass fed and grass finished but, how are they fattened before market to ensure they reach market weight on time?

I have an advantage. I am a small time rancher. I raise few cattle for me, my family, good friends and supportive farm members. My cows are old fashioned, heritage breeds and they are naturally smaller than their commercial counterparts. It takes my cows 2-3 times longer to reach processing weight and I don't rely on the USDA plants to process my beef because I do not sell beef to the masses or to the general public. USDA processing is available as required by law and by special request. 

 

Personally, I take into consideration the possibility of side effects from consuming castrated beef.  I think that consuming unnaturally high levels of estrogen in beef might eventually  lead to a hormonal imbalance. Maybe It can also lead to a higher risk of cancer development and, gynecomastia and that's a concern for the men in my family, 

​

MARKET INSIDER (current cattle commodity prices)

"Live Cattle

“Live cattle” is bred primarily in the USA by cattle breeders in Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana. All of these regions share a very cold winter, and so young calves must be born in spring wherever possible, as they require good weather. The calves stay with their mothers for between six and ten months. During this time they reach a weight of between 300 and 500 pounds. Once they have reached this weight they are sold to special cattle breeders who bring the calves up to a mast weight of between 600 and 800 pounds over the next 2 to 4 months. After this, the calves are fattened as feeder cattle at special fattening farms until they have reached the slaughter weight of between 1050 and 1200 pounds. This is the case after between 110 and 250 days. There are two key factors in cattle breeding: The costs of animal feed, consisting primarily of maize, and the number of animals. Consequently, there is a direct relationship between feeder cattle and live cattle, since a shortage of feeder cattle can also lead to an underproduction of live cattle. It takes breeders between 7 and 12 years to assemble a herd of cattle, but only around 5 years to disassemble it." LINK HERE

​