A Note on Processing Beef
It is nearly impossible to trace the life cycle of beef you buy in a grocery store. So many questions go unanswered- what did the cow eat? How long was it transported? What was the butchering process like? When you buy directly from a rancher you can get answers to all of these questions.
Our grass-fed beef is processed in a couple different ways right here in Western Colorado.
No-Stress Field Harvest
When you pre-order a quarter, half or whole cow we use a State Inspected Facility for several awesome reasons.
The first reason is that the processing costs are kept down.
Another great reason is that the butcher comes to the ranch to do a no-stress field harvest, which means no travel time for the animal.
The butcher takes the pared down carcass back to their facility, and any extra remains are composted right on the ranch.
Usually the meat is hung and dry aged for 2-3 weeks before butchering, BUT we do offer another option.
Non-aged Beef. When you pre-order a half or whole you can opt out of the aging process and have your beef frozen within hours of harvest. This option accommodates the needs of low histamine diets. The short time from harvest to freezer eliminates the opportunity for bacteria to thrive. Pre-order your low histamine non-aged beef today!
Low-Stress Harvest
When you buy a ready-to-ship Rancher’s Choice bundle on the website, this beef was processed at a USDA Inspected Facility in Montrose, which is 2 hours away from the ranch. This is a relatively short distance for an animal to travel be processed. In the US, it is not uncommon for animal to be transported 8,10, or even 14 hours to be processed. That’s a long time and a stressful proposition. Our cattle (like most) are accustomed to being transported a few times if not more throughout their life. But we only haul them short distances, never more than a couple hours. When it comes time to be transported to the butcher, the 2 hour drive proves to be easy and low stress as they load right into the trailer.
The animal is harvested the same day it arrives, then the beef is dry aged for 2-3 weeks before butchering.
If you still have questions please do not hesitate to reach out.
