Blog - Nature's Gourmet Farm

A Common Customer Theme

Hey, this is Ben. A common theme from customers we hear is "We are so glad we found y'all! Many go on to explain family health problems they are trying to solve or now grocery store food just does not taste like it is suppose to as well as concerns about all the chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones (and other stuff) that industrial grown "food" has. That is why our farm exist - to provide a healthier food choice to support your family's need for beef, pork, chicken, and eggs. It's hard work and long hours, but our reward comes when families express how much our farm makes a difference in their family. We really appreciate your kind words. Many customers have learned to ask the right questions. Like Matt did Friday, he asked

Check Out This New LOCAL Eating Experience!

Hey, this is Ben. You may remember me sharing a short piece on Kyle Bass a few weeks ago. Kyle is a local Petal fellow who went to Austin, TX after high school and worked in the high end restaurants there that sourced their food from local farms. He told me that many customers eat at certain restaurants because of the farms that provided the food. Now, Kyle is back in town and has a new food truck. He has visited our farm and is great at communicating his needs. September 1st he made a dish that used our pork shoulder roast, lard, and eggs. For this Sunday, he has purchased our grass fed beef chuck roast to make "Beef Grillades & Grits". It's braised and stewed beef served over stone ground grits with a Nature's Gourmet Farm fried egg. Kyle will be serving this Sunday from 10a-2p at the Equinox Coffee Shop located at 1901 Hardy Street

September Sale & USDA Poultry Plant Update

Hey, this is Ben. We have a September sale on ALL Beef Roast - now 15% off. Additionally, we decided to extend the sale on our #1 selling item - the 25# Ground Beef Bundle - save $10. Sale is good through midnight September 16th. Now is a great time to take advantage of sale prices on great tasting beef. If you have already placed an order for these items - no worries! I have edited your order for the sale price. USDA Poultry Plant Update - numerous times per week someone contacts me looking for Non-GMO Pastured Chicken. It is disappointing to have to say we are sold out for the year because MS regulations limit us to only 1000 per year. The good news is this is about to change! Exactly one year ago this month Beth and I attended a regional pastured poultry meeting where we toured a small on-farm USDA poultry processing plant. The month prior I had presented

HEALTH: The #1 Reason Customers Choose NGF

Hey, this is Ben. HEALTH: The #1 reason folks choose Nature’s Gourmet Farm products. Research confirms more and more consumers are choosing “Real Farm Food” vs. processed food stuff to improve their health. They know something is wrong when chronic disease has increased from 4% of U.S. citizens in 1964 to more than 50% of U.S. children today. We hear you loud and clear! That is our life’s work - to raise healthy, nutrient dense beef, pork, chicken, and eggs that are GMO FREE, Chemical FREE, and antibiotic & hormone FREE.

Farm Stories

Hey, this is Ben. Some days (actually most days) you never know what the day will hold for you at the farm. This week after I moved the steers to the new pasture I heard one mooing from the pasture they were suppose to be out or. So, i went to investigate the situation and found a heifer with her head stuck between two trees. I tried all I could to coax her to lift her head high enough to get loose - after all she had to raise it high enough to get it in there! It soon became clear she was not going to cooperate so

Consumers Hold The Key!

Hey, this is Ben. Consumers hold the key to changing agriculture in America by voting with your food dollars. Currently, more then 95% of the beef sold through grocery stores, restaurants, and meat markets is raised in a feedlot on a corn diet. For pork & chicken it is even higher. Research has documented the impact different farming practices have on our environment. The following chart shows the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere pound per pound of production.

Hello from Beth

Hey, this is Beth. If you have followed our newsletter for a couple of years, you probably read my article about my health issues with prediabetes. Just to quickly summarize, I have been prediabetic for over 10 years. My numbers (HbA1c) had actually gone over into diabetic range, but my practitioner gave me a chance to lose some weight and get it back down so it would not be on my medical record which would follow me the rest of my life and which could affect things like getting insurance or having to pay more for it. She told me about Trim Healthy Mama. I had never really followed a “diet” before, but

Remember Your Farmer

We often hear about the “dog days” of summer but few know what the expression means. The Dog Days of Summer describes the most oppressive period of summer, between July 3rd and August 11th each year. But where did the term come from? And what does it have to do with dogs? The phrase is actually a reference to the fact that, during this time, the Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth and part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog. This is why Sirius is sometimes called the Dog Star. During this time of year we typically experience our greatest

Around The Farm Happenings

What a really nice day Wednesday was for order delivery. I really appreciated the cooler temperatures in the mid-80's for July and the sunny sky. Everyone was in a good mood. Gentlemen were helping the ladies tote their orders and in Picayune we have a new customer that is not shy engaging folks in conversation. It was really great to see the sharing of experiences, suggestions, and questions. One person asked me what we do about popcorn trees?

Video-Commissioner Gipson's Visit to NGF

Hey, Ben here. Hope you are well and enjoying some summer vacation time with family and friends as well as weekend grilling time. We are basically complete with our on-farm poultry processing plant. Wednesday, Commissioner Gipson visited our farm to see first hand how things looked. His team made this video to help promote MS Raised food to consumers and hopefully grow the MS Agriculture Economy in our state. This is very important! As you may recall several facts I have shared in the past are 1) MS imports 90% of the food consumed in our state 2) MS AG economy is less than 10% in dollars as compared to North Carolina per square mile. One of the key points Commissioner Gipson makes is he is for anyone in MS who wants to farm for a living. It does not matter

round The Farm Updates

Hope you are well and enjoying some summer vacation time with family and friends as well as weekend grilling time. We are basically complete with our on-farm poultry processing plant. Just a few items left. It looks really good. Next week I'll try to have a video tour for you in our newsletter. You Shouldn't Have To Wonder If Your Food Is Safe! Are you frustrated by confusing & misleading food labels? Tired of supporting a food system that puts profits ahead of animal welfare and your health? Unsure about where to turn for a food source you can truly trust? I just read an article this morning titled "What's In A Name? The Pastured Poultry Label Is Getting Controversial And Consumers Are Paying The Price."

Seeing Is Believing!

June 17th I delivered 4-beef to Homestead Packing for processing. About a week later I was in the area and stopped to see how the beef looked. The beef you see hanging on the rail to my right are our beef. The steer you see in the picture to my right dressed 885 pounds! That means his live weight was about 1425# at 27 months old. Look at all the fat down his side, shoulders, and rump. There was plenty of body cavity fat as well. This is what we are shooting for! It is not just about age (most slaughter way to young) or weight. It is about "is he finished"? And he is not finished until there is a good fat profile - which takes time and good nutrition. Stages of growth tell the story. Regardless of age, the first requirement from grazing is to satisfy their daily maintenance needs. Nutrition left after maintenance needs are meet go to build structure or frame. When the frame is complete then extra nutrition (after maintenance) goes to adding muscle to the frame. Finally, once muscle fills the frame then any extra nutrition goes to fat and marbling. The amount of marbling helps determine the "grade" of steak. Now, contrast our beef with the beef hanging over my left shoulder

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

Nature's Gourmet Farm