Good Morning from your farmer,

Before I share our exciting news let me update you on beef!

You may remember that we communicated our intent to combine April & May custom half orders and process them late March. That way we could increase the amount of inventory we are able to sell through our website.

This week our team spent three long days cutting and packing eight beef that was added to our store late Friday afternoon. That represents two beef extra than typical to satisfy the demand we have for our beef.

Now, for the exciting news. For some time I have been wanting to add to as well as upgrade our beef herd. I have held off until now to allow our Regenerative Practices to kick in so our pastures can support more cows.

Additionally, four of the last five bulls I have purchased frankly did not hold up - less than a year later their semen test came back negative (not fertile).

Two important critieria in selection are: 1) do not buy cattle bred for the feedlot business as they typically do not make efficient grass finished beef; 2) buy Red Angus genetics as close to the original herd as possible - even better if from a "closed" herd. That means the ranch raises their own bulls to breed back their cows vs. bringing in the latest overpriced fad bulls.

The best bull I have had was born here on our farm. His sire (Kaycee Hobo) was a bull that had more than 69 pedigree connections back to the Chief Red Angus cattle of George Chiga, founding member of the Red Angus Association in the mid 1950's. Following is a picture of Kaycee Hobo's sire Sodak Oscar 0366.

The sad thing is when George Chiga passed away, his cattle were sold to a professor at Texas Tech who now breeds them for feedlots.

I was able to find what I was looking for by making a lot of phone calls starting with the gentleman who sold me the semen used to breed my cows back in 2015 (where I got my current lead bull from).

Building a network is very important. It increases your sphere of influence.

The first ranch I contacted whose herd met my criteria came from George Chiga's herd back in the early 1960's, but unfortunately had just sold the cattle they had for sale this year. But, there is next year! And, she introduced me to another ranch that had cattle that came from her ranch who were having to sell because the land they were using was being sold.

That connection is where my cows are coming from.

Friday afternoon I had the privilege to meet the owner of the cattle hauling truck that will pick up our cows (they are 7-8 months bred) Saturday morning (April 20th) and unload them directly on our farm early Sunday afternoon.

Getting ready for this has been a new learning experience. You have to make sure all the I's are dotted and T's are crossed. Many details like: Confirm pregnancy check, health exam/paperwork, brand inspection (this is the legal ownership transfer document), make sure the trailer is throughly cleaned (these cows have not been vaccinated), banking so you can pay the seller, and how to unload them when they arrive.

All has gone really great - except the bank. Even though I discussed what I was doing Monday and then sent a "test" transaction to make sure everything goes smoothly..... well, there was still last minute issues that required me to drive into Hattiesburg Friday afternoon to the bank. UGH!

But, we are all set now.

Here is a quick video from a few days ago.

Can't wait to see them on our farm.... and the calves they will have come May.

At Nature's Gourmet Farm, our intent is to create a community that evolves around one of the most intrinsically important things of the ages, and that’s the provision of sustenance. That's our passion - to raise healthy food to nourish families and strengthen immune systems.

If you are new to our farm then maybe you have been looking for premium ALL NATURAL GOODNESS of beef, pork, chicken, and eggs raised on pasture as God intended - with emphasis on Regenerative Principles and NOT conventionally raised animals (with growth hormones, drugs, chemicals, and antibiotics) - and where animals are treated humanely - then you have come to the right farm. Our delivery schedule and product availability are listed below along with order buttons that will take you to our website where you can browse over 90 product choices and place your order from the convenience of your home. It's that simple!

** Product Availability Update **

NOTE: Restocks are made about 6 PM on the dates indicated below!

Chicken - Next restock will be April 24th
.
Turkey - Whole turkeys are sold out. Restocked Ground, legs, thighs, and wings Jan 31st. Added six whole turkey breasts for pre-order.

Eggs - Restock each Wednesday. We are well stocked on eggs - especially large at this time.

Beef - Restocked April 19th.

Pork - Restocked fresh cuts April 10th. Restock cured cuts about April 22nd.

Lamb - I am hoping to have some lamb April 17th for slaughter and restock prior to May deliveries.