Alderspring Ranch Production Methods
History. Our beef is born to mother cows here at our ranch. We know the history of our animals from start to finish.
Feed. Cows and calves are grazed on pasture from mid to late April through October. At the beginning of November, calves are weaned from the mother cows using our unique low-stress weaning technique. Mother cows feed on either stockpiled dry matter (tall dry grass we leave in the pasture in the fall) or hay. When on stockpiled pastures, mother cows are usually supplemented with alfalfa to provide adequate protein. Calves are fed chopped hay through the winter months, once snow covers green grass. Our grass fed beeves have never been fed any grain, providing you with the benefits of grass fed beef while protecting you from BSE- mad cow disease (one concern of some researchers is that contamination of feed meant for livestock may occur at the feed mixing plant; see our BSE page for more info).
Humane Treatment. Our animals spend their lives in pastures, not in feedlots. They can move freely, breathing fresh mountain air, drinking clean water, and eating our high quality grasses and legumes. We manage our animals quietly and carefully, with respect and a sense of stewardship.
Pastures. We use “intensive management grazing,” a technique by which plant health and quality is protected by moving cattle rapidly through a paddock system. Cattle are moved every 1-3 days, depending on the management objective for each paddock. We do not use pesticides or insecticides on our pastures.
Hormones. We use no hormones either through implants or feed additivies. Hormones are often used in beef production to speed up growth and weight gain. Faster gain equals shorter time from birth to finishing. This means more money for the producer. Some scientists are concerned, however, that hormones consumed in meat may impact the human hormone system.
Antibiotics. We use no feed-grade nontherapeutic antibiotics. Low-level antibiotics are routinely administered in commercial feedlots to enhance feed efficiency and reduce illness. The Union of Concerned Scientists estimate that up to 70% of all antibiotics produced in the U.S. are used in animal production, raising concerns that such use may be promoting the evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. We treat sick animals occasionally with antibiotics, but will not sell that animal as Alderspring Grass Fed Beef. (These animals are available by the quarter or half at a discount. We will describe the date and type of treatment these animals have had so you can make an informed decision.)
Feed additives. Animal byproducts (e.g., broiler litter from chicken houses) are used by some feedlots as cost-saving feed ingredients. Our grass fed beef have never eaten animal by products. The only meat safe to consume in England during the “mad cow” crisis was grass-finished, English beef!
Insecticides. We use no internal insecticides to control for flies or internal parasites. This includes pour-on applications that are actually absorbed through the skin and then permeate the entire animals system (and we believe the meat). We do use a topical pyrethroid spray on wounds to prevent colonization and subsequent infection caused by flies during hot weather. We also use a pyrethroid-based ear tag on the mother cows and yearlings (a synthetic form of a chemical isolated from Chrysanthemum flowers) to reduce irritation from face flies. Most commercially raised cattle are treated with organophosphate-based insecticides as well as pour-on parasitides to treat internal parasites.
Processing. All our animals are processed one at a time by a family-owned small-scale local facility. A USDA inspector evaluates each animal individually. Our facility does not process wild game. Large packing plants process up to 400 animals per hour per line, resulting in errors causing injuries to workers, inhumane treatment of animals, and unsafe and unclean products.
Irradiation. We do not use irradiation. Beef raised on clean pastures and processed carefully in clean facilities does not require irradiation to be fit to eat.
Environmental protocols. We do not raise our beef in confinement conditions. We strive to keep all nutrients on pastures where they can fertilize plants, and out of the stream. We fence our riparian areas to improve water quality, wildlife habitat, and aesthetic values. We manage weeds using grazing techniques and biological controls. We do not kill predators. We cooperate in efforts to restore salmon runs.
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