Restock Dates: Please see our Farm Blog where we post our weekly newsletter for the latest updates

Work Starts Monday

written by

Ben Simmons

posted on

December 4, 2022

After at least an eight week delay so the DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) and the MS Health Department could determine what the effect of our wastewater from building a red-meat slaughter plant would be - we are now ready to start construction.

In the end, we ended up right where we started... with a permitted septic system. The DEQ finally decided our plant would not generate enough wastewater to be of any concern. And, we already have a permitted septic system that will handle the wastewater generated.

So, our contractor will arrive Monday morning and begin laying out the slaughter building and covered holding pin area.

Yep, that is right! Our cows & pigs spend their entire life out on pasture, however, the USDA requires a covered shed with a concrete floor to hold them overnight before harvest. That is about a $20,000 investment for a small holding pin. On a positive note - this will be much better for the animal than being loaded & hauled to a processor and put into a crowded pin with other unknown animals and the possible drama that can cause.

Hopefully, the work will only take 2 months to complete. The building, shed, and holding pins have been ordered and will be delivered before year end. The goal is to complete all the concrete work before they arrive. And, be well on the way with building the inside pieces like railing that is needed.

Thankfully, the building cost have not increased since first quoted last Spring. In some cases, the cost have come down. Leadtime's and availability have not been a problem either.

I will not go into all the reasons we feel the need to add this capability to our farm. However, the underlying motivation is so we can service our customers with quality, all natural, pasture based meats.

For example, have you considered what is actually in the commercial ground meat from grocery stores (and it does not matter which grocery store - they all get their beef from the same FOUR major packers)?

First, the ground comes from culled Beef & Dairy cows and bulls. Most are purchased through local stockyards and shipped to the packers that slaughter up to 6,000 head per day. The carcasses are deboned and ground in very large grinders where the meat is all mixed together.

I have read where ground meat contains DNA from hundreds of different cows in a single pack sold at a grocery store. Now, follow that backwards and consider all the different farms (hundreds) that are involved in selling their culls and what, if any, practices they use on their farm. The point is - Who knows?

Fortunately, we are not like that commercial model. Our animals are all raised on Regenerative pasture, and when it comes time for harvest will be slaughtered in a local facility where the only DNA comes from our farm. Our customers really like knowing this! And, it is the best way "To Know" what is actually in your ground beef - or any other meat for that matter.

pea-pickers.jpg

"People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food." Wendell Berry

Have you 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 is 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!

Lastly, Beth & I thank you for trusting us with your food dollars.

Yes, I want to Place My Order


** Product Availability Update **

Chicken -Restocked Thursday, November 10th. Next harvest date is December 13th with restock the following day

Eggs - Eggs are still tight. New hens arrived September 16th. Still very slow getting started...

Beef - Restocked November 23rd early afternoon. Next harvest is December 5th with restock about December 22nd

Pork - Restocked all the fresh cuts this week. Bacon & hams are in the cure and will be smoked middle of next week

Lamb - Next harvest date was MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14th. Restocked Friday Nov 25th.

More from the blog

Customer's Speak Out

Last week's newsletter really struck home to many customers based on very positive responses received. Jennie, one of our Mobile customers (1st order April 2022 and has completed 18 nice orders since then) gave me permission to share her comments. “Maybe it will encourage others to get started,” she said. Jennie writes, “Wow, Ben, your newsletter really struck a chord with me today. Back in 2019 I was going through some personal trials that were causing me extraordinary stress, anger and frustration. I took up gardening as therapy. You may remember my t-shirt that said "I garden so I don't choke people." LOL! I had no clue how to garden so I started with a few pots of various greens that fall. They didn't do well, but

What Would You Say To This Headline?

What would you say to the following headline? Kellogg's CEO Tells Cash-Strapped Consumers That Cereal For Dinner Is A 'Great' Option — Meanwhile, Pepsi's CEO Encourages Struggling Gen Zers To Make Meals Out Of Chips And Pretzels I liked the comment from one man who said,

WOW!!!

Last week I shared our team processing ground beef for our farm’s March sales. This was after two days spent cutting and packing steaks, roast, etc. from eight beef. Once all the beef was stacked into our freezer I made a short video that you can watch by clicking HERE This video represents 8-beef. 1.5 beef were custom orders and 6.5 beef (about 1.5 more than our typical amount harvested) were for our farm store sales.