Answer to all your questions about why we farm the way we do, and how shopping here works.
General Questions
How is the meat shipped?
We ship in insulated, fully recyclable liners, and we use dry ice to ensure that everything is frozen when you receive it.
Are you certified organic?
The chicken we sell, raised exclusively on a nearby farm with which we work closely, is certified Organic.
Though we are not certified organic, we adhere to organic standards in the management of our farm. We never use synthetic fertilizers on our land or antibiotics on our animals.
The exception is feed. We feed our pigs non-GMO grain grown by a friend, and we feed our cows hay grown by neighbors we trust. We never feed genetically modified alfalfa to any of our animals.
Is dry ice safe?
Left alone, dry ice evaporates into an inert, harmless gas. However, it is VERY cold, and can quickly cause burns. Extra dry ice should be allowed to evaporate on your counter, out of reach of kids and pets.
Questions About Beef
What does grass fed mean?
Some farms and brands get weaselly with labels like grass-fed, using it to describe animals that are fed some grain or other decidedly not grassy substances. But we mean it - our cows only eat grass in the summer and high quality hay in the winter. Well, they also like clover and a bunch of other plants they find out in the pasture, but they are absolutely never given one speck of grain.
What does grass finished mean?
Ideally, we wouldn't ever even need to say grass-finished. But some brands label their beef grass-fed while still feeding some amount of grain to fatten up their cows. Grass-finished is just a way of emphasizing that we never, ever feed any grain to our cows.
What do your cows eat in winter?
In the winter our cows eat high quality hay, which is simply the same grass and clover they eat in summer dried down and bailed.
Questions About Poultry
Where do you source your chicken?
All the poultry we sell comes from our friends at Wrong Direction Farm in nearby Canajoharie. They do an incredible job. Their chickens are moved to fresh grass daily, and all the feed they eat is certified organic.
Is your chicken grass fed?
The chickens are fed certified organic grain. The chickens we sell also eat grass, and like our cows the chickens are moved to fresh pasture every day. But unlike cows and other ruminants, chickens are not well suited to a diet of exclusively forage.
Is your chicken organic?
Yes! All chicken and turkey from our friends at Wrong Direction Farm is certified organic.
Questions About Pork
Is your pork grass fed?
Like chickens, pigs cannot be raised on only grass. Our pigs get lots of grass in the summer and hay in the winter, but in addition to this they receive a ration of local, non-GMO grain from Acrospire Farm in nearby Cherry Valley.
Do you use farrowing crates?
No. While we do not raise our own piglets at this time, we purchase weaned piglets only from farms that never use farrowing crates.
What does 'pastured' mean?
Pastured means living out on the past from spring to fall and access to hay in the winter. Unlike cows and sheep, our pigs eat grain as well as grass.
Questions About Lamb
Is your lamb 100% grass fed and grass finished?
Yes! Like our beef, all the lamb we raise never eats anything other than grass. That means growing pasture spring through fall and high quality hay over the winter.
Does the lamb have a very strong flavor?
The sheep we raise have a flavor that is mild yet complex. Our sheep flock is Katahdin, a breed known for high quality meat. An all-grass diet gives lamb a distinct depth of flavor.