GRASS-FED/ GRASS-FINISHED BEEF:

• Raised on pastures never treated with chemical fertilizers or herbicides
• Never treated with antibiotics or growth hormones
• 100% grass-fed, 100% grass-finished
• Never given grains or corn of any kind
• Closed herd of Red Angus
• We do not buy animals from a sale barn

What's the difference between grass-fed beef and grain-fed beef?

 

A cow's diet was intended to consist of only their mother's milk in the beginning and grass throughout their lifespan. Conventional methods have lost sight of this known fact in order to mass produce beef by pumping cows full of grains and other harmful foods. These methods have also been known to include packing cows tightly in small areas. This cultivates an environment that produces sick unhealthy cows where standard treatments of antibiotics, vaccines, and growth hormones have become the norm. Feedlots are designed to finish cows off on all sorts of substances and grains that they weren't created to digest resulting in abnormal weight gain and sick cows at the time of butchering.

 

We have a closed herd of 300 Red Angus momma cows that provide us with calves each year to butcher. All of our calves are right here in Fayette County on several lease pastures of roughly 4,000 acres that we have for our cows to graze. We have a strict culling program where we try to cull around 10% of our cows each year and replace them with young heifers from our herd. This allows us to maintain superior genetics for grass-fed/finished calves.

 

We strive to produce the highest quality, grass-fed beef possible, and after doing this for nearly 7 years, we have found that this comes by butchering calves at a younger age. Most farms will harvest calves at 24-30 months of age- yielding bigger calves. Oftentimes if in a drought year, this produces poor quality calves due to insufficient forage. This has led us to harvest calves at 14-18 months of age, usually yielding a carcass weight of 400-500 pounds.  

 

Our grass-fed beef can be purchased in bulk or by individual retail cuts. A full description of products along with prices can be found by clicking on “SHOP”.

 

PASTURED PORK:

• Humanely raised and finished on pasture
• Birthed and finished on our farm. We do not buy adult pigs to finish out.
• Supplemented with our very own Custom-Milled, NON-GMO Feed with NO CORN OR SOY
• Never treated with antibiotics, growth hormones, or vaccines
• Heritage Breeds including: Mangalitsa, Red Wattles, Berkshires, and Spots. The more diverse the better for us.
• 18 to 20 sows that naturally breed, deliver, and raise their litters on pasture.

 

By raising pigs on pasture, they are allowed to do what pigs naturally do - root, dig, and graze. They have free reign to a variety of plants and dirt filled with minerals not available to confinement pigs. They seasonally have access to tons of acorns from oaks in the pasture from October to January.

 

Pigs aren't ruminant animals such as cows. They scavenge eating roots, bugs, worms, and other things found within nature. A pig has the ability to eat 18 inches above the ground and 18 inches below the ground because of the shovel aka “a snout” on the front of their face. Their diet is crucial to the outcome of their meat. Pigs eat virtually anything you put in front of them. Traditional pig farmers take advantage of this by feeding pigs anything available at cheap prices.  This is not what we do!

 

Have you heard the phrase "sweat like a pig"? Contrary to popular belief, pigs don't sweat. This is one of the reasons they need access to mud in order to cool themselves and the primary reason we need to consume pork from pigs raised on a diet rich in plants, roots and quality grains.  A healthy diet for a pig is critical to producing healthful and delicious meat.

 

On Yonder Way Farm, our pigs are raised on pastures from beginning to end. They are birthed and finished on our farm, eating only what is available to them in nature and supplemented with our Custom-Milled NON GMO Feed, with no CORN and no SOY. Our hogs are never given any growth hormones, antibiotics, vaccines, or medications.

 

They are free to root, make mud holes, and graze just as the life of a pig should be. Our pigs are free of confinement and humanely-raised. It’s truly a sight to behold looking out into the pastures and seeing pigs roaming and rooting instead of being cooped up in houses.

 

We invite you to taste and experience the difference of pastured pork. Our pastured pork can be purchased in bulk or by individual retail cuts. A full description of products along with prices can be found by clicking on “SHOP”.

 

THE PERFECT PASTURED EGG + PASTURED CHICKEN

• Never confined- chickens on pasture at all times
• Supplemented with our very own Custom-Milled NON GMO Feed, with no CORN and no SOY
• Guaranteed fresh eggs- we sell eggs within a few days of being laid!
• Never given growth hormones or antibiotics or vaccines or medications

On our farm, we raise our laying hens and meat birds on pasture at all times. By being free to roam the pasture, eat insects, and dust off in dirt- our hens are the definition of 100% pasture-raised chickens. They are never confined. Our chickens are also supplemented with our Custom Milled NON GMO Feed, Corn and Soy Free. Our Hens are never given growth hormones, antibiotics, or medications.

 

We’re in the process of “slow food” which means bigger and faster is not the model that we follow. We actually slow the growth process down. Rather than taking 5 weeks to finish a meat bird out, it takes our farm 12 weeks.

 

There is much to be said about a true free-range pastured egg. In order to be a store bought organic egg, the laying hens must have only access to outdoors, but not be raised outdoors. The result of this has been to raise organic layers much like normal layers within confinement. Most certified organic hens never see dirt or grass.

 

At Yonder Way Farm we have exceeded these standards set in place by the government, by raising our hens on pasture at all times. This is what sets us apart by truly making our eggs BEYOND free-range eggs. They’re the “Perfect Pastured Egg”.