How We Do Things 'Round Here
At Hayfield Farm, our cattle are free to roam acres and acres of pasture all day long. We do implement rotational grazing where we keep the cows off a field for at least a month before they make their way around and get back on it again (depending on the season). Here’s a little bit about how we do things.
Soil and Forage Regeneration
By keeping the cows on the field for just a short period of time, they don’t eat the forage down to the root. This allows for the delicious vegetation such as clover, fescue, and alfalfa to grow back nice and strong, which keeps out the weeds and unfavorable plants who jump at the opportunity when the yummy grasses are weak. Rotational grazing also allows the cattle's manure to be spread far and wide as they enjoy the lush pasture. This manure fertilizes the ground and promotes soil and pasture regeneration until the cattle make their way back around again. Additionally, we fertilize our pastures and hay fields with local poultry litter to add dense nutrients back into the soil. Our cattle stay on a rotation until the steers are ready to be finished and pulled into their own pasture, where we can keep a close eye on them and give them our custom grain mix. Plus, plenty of treats and ear scratches.
Access to Grain
We give our beef steers access to grain during the last 90 days. Steers (castrated males) stay on pasture and are given a grain mix when they are ready to be finished out. This grain mix is ground and mixed by us, right here on the farm. It is a mixture of wheat, alfalfa, barley, hay, and mineral. The hay is made right here on the farm and all other ingredients are locally sourced from incredible crop farmers. Measurements and rations of the grain mix are adjusted depending on the weather, season, and cattle requirements. This grain mix gives our finished product delicious flavor, tender texture, dense marbling, and soft fat. It also allows our cattle to go to the butcher at the appropriate and optimal age. Providing premium meats from cattle who live the way they ought to.
Free to Roam
To give you an idea, a large, traditional feedlot in America consists of 3,000-5,000 cattle in a 30 acre parcel. No kidding, check it out on Google. Cattle on feedlots are on dirt, with a trough in front of them and limited space. For comparison, at Hayfield Farm, we have about 150 cattle on approximately 60 acres. We have several pastures, described to the left, that our cattle are given access to. During the winter, our cattle stay on pasture. All summer long we grow, cut, and bale hay right here on the farm. This hay is used during the winter to supplement the limited grasses during the colder months.
Processing of our Cattle
Generally, our cattle go to the butcher between 18 and 24 months of age. Our butcher is USDA-inspected and they are just plain friendly. They are top-notch and hold themselves to a high standard of quality. They go above and beyond the guidelines set out by USDA to ensure that every cut is done right. We wouldn’t go anywhere else.
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