|
Beef Update – Beef prices continue to increase and hit a new All-Time high AGAIN this week. You have probably heard some of the same reports I have - the US cattle herd is at its lowest level since 1951. The USDA has halted cattle imports from Mexico because of the screwworm. Of course, tariffs. And, how about the theory elites are manipulating prices to elliminate cattle because of climate change (they fart).
There are a lot of implications to high retail beef prices especially when compared to stockyard prices. For example, this week at the Hattiesburg stockyard the high bid for a 350# calf was $5.60/lb or $1,960. Summers are typically slow as folks take vacations. However, this year it is worse than typical for local processors like Homestead who has had to lay off workers and told me Wednesday that his business is slow and more is needed soon. I suspect farms that would normally raise their calves to "finished" and sell as retail meat are instead selling them and taking the high prices the stockyard offers. After all, who can predict what prices will be in two years when that calf is ready to harvest?
Where will prices go from here? Good question!
Last month when a returning half beef customer picked up her order she commented "sure is good to have a freezer full of beef again." Another returning customer commented he had run out of his prior order and bought some "grass finished" beef from Sam's and said "that beef was slop and was very glad to have some good beef again."
If you are ready to have some good beef and fill you freezer (maybe as a hedge against higher prices) then consider our next custom half & whole beef processing for September. If you are interested, our next harvest will be September 2nd with pickup on September 22nd. If you want to be included then please email me your name, email, and cell number to be added to our wait list - and be the first folks contacted and guaranteed to receive an order.
Taste Test -
Greetings Ben and Beth,
I'm really looking forward to my next order pick up. I'm trying to improve my cholesterol numbers, thus eating more chicken, and ran out of your chicken products. I ended up buying some industrially produced chicken, and man was that a mistake!
It smelled terrible raw, also while it was being sauteed, and also later when I reheated it to put into an otherwise healthy salad. I have enough of this subpar stuff to last until I pick my order, but I don't think I can ever buy this CAFO stuff again.
There is nothing like clean eating to show you just how bad industrialized, processed food really is. Yuck!!!
Thanks for providing such excellent food products.
So, why does our chicken taste great? It starts with being raised on pasture not sprayed with chemicals, daily moves so they have fresh grass, sunshine, fresh air, and feed not sprayed with chemiclas - raised in sync with nature. At processing we do not "bleach" the meat so your chicken does not smell or taste like bleach. Yep, industrial raised chicken is just the opposite. It may be cheaper in the short term, but not in the long term health wise.
Who do you trust for clean food? How about the government? Corporate CEOs? Plant labor? How do you know where your food comes from and how was it raised?
For most of our customers these are critical questions that need answers as they seek to improve their health through real farm food.
It is always important to know your farmer and his/her farming practices. Do they welcome visits? Are they transparent with how they raise and process the animals?
Take chicken, for example. Our process line speed averages about 50 chicken per hour. The big plants rate is 175 chickens per minute! Our employees care about product quality and are also consumers of our products.
This week Joel Salatin digs deeper into his FOOD EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION that simply offers a choice for those who want to take responsibility for their lives and not be dependent on conventional food masters to be able to do so. You can read (and subscribe) at this link. Check out the comments from readers as well.
Eggs - Last week I said "Eggs are the one item we seem to go from excess to out of stock on regularly". Heat has drastically affected our hen lay rate. However, we may have found a solution. Seems they are not eating the DRY feed because they are not drinking enough water to handle the dry feed. When I was discussing this with a farmer friend he said he was soaking his feed before giving it to them in a trough type container.
We started this Friday afternoon, August 1st. Take 50% water/feed and mix well before pouring into the trough. We are doing this twice per day. Since then our lay rate has improved about 100 eggs per day. Mark suggested it could take 9 days or so before seeing a big improvement.
Raw Milk - last week Gloria sent me this article titled "How The 1987 Ban Came About in America and What It Means to Your Food Security Today" by Lew Rockwell. Its important to know that raw cow's milk contains the same ACTIVE Enzymes, Probiotics, Antibodies, and many more nutrients as raw human milk. And, that pasturized cow milk contains NONE of these as they were all destroyed by high heat and temperature during pasturization. Active means easily digestable and not destroyed or changed from processing. Our bodies thrive most on active, unprocessed nutrients because it is natural.
If you know of anyone interested in starting a herdshare raw milk operation or attend a regenerative soil health field day, let me invite you to contact Jennifer at Mt Creek Ranch in Florence. She will host a 1-day event at her farm led by Dr. Allen Williams. Cost is $250 per person and space is limited. Her email is jennifer.warren13@yahoo.com
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.
Our Beef is always grass finished with NO grains. Additionally, our animals are free of mRNA, GMO's (chemicals), Antibiotics, and Hormones. We ethically raise them on diverse forage pastures that regenerates our soils and protects the ecosystem.
** Product Availability Update **
NOTE: Restocks are made about 6 PM on the dates indicated below!
Chicken - Next Restock will be August 13th
Turkey - Hatchery is now taking orders. Have poults scheduled for July 10th (arrived) and August 20th. Additionally, Thanksgiving whole turkeys are on order for late October delivery.
Eggs - Restock each Tuesday prior to your delivery date.
Beef - Next restock will be August 24th
Pork – Next restock will be August 13th
Lamb - Restocked March 27th. Next Restock will be September 2025.
|
