Why the grass matters, and why local is the check on it

We know you. You want food you can trust, and you are right to be careful. We can help you sort what “grass-fed” actually changes, and what buying it from this farm adds on top of the words.

During a grazing school this spring, a quote was shared from Wendell Berry who wrote: “I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable to feed me. If I am going to eat meat, I want it to be from an animal that has lived a pleasant, uncrowded life outdoors, on bountiful pasture, with good water nearby and trees for shade.” That sentence is the standard we are trying to meet.

Cattle finished on pasture, outdoors, eat grass and forage. Beef from that life is usually leaner than beef finished on grain in a feedlot. The fat it carries typically holds more omega-3 fatty acids, a lower share of omega-6 next to those omega-3s, more conjugated linoleic acid, and more vitamin E from the green forage. That is a difference in the meat.

It comes back to the cow. She eats the pasture, outdoors: leaner beef, more omega-3s, more CLA, more vitamin E. We raise cows in this process knowing the claims full well. By partnering with our farm directly and joining our family of core customers — you have that trust knowing Leonard L & L was your producer and that it can continue well into the future the same way. Checking with us each time you need meat ensures that same quality product again in the future. Let’s keep it going! Thank you

Now, let’s ask, if there really are differences in the food based off the inputs and process involved…? Then it’s an honest reason to care how an animal was raised and who you are supporting to raise that animal for your needs. A steak from our pastures is food we will account for, and that is the claim we stand behind.

Local is how you test the claim. A package can say grass-fed and still leave you unable to ask whether the animal had space, shade, and water. Our cattle are in Adams County, IL on some of the most beautiful farmland the USA has to offer.

To reach our grazing goals and better steward resources, we have creatively restored some land back to native grasslands (hoping to do more) with the plan for rotational, multi-species grazing. To accomplish full 365 days grazing, we manage multiple farms so each pasture gets enough rest and recovery before it is grazed again. The beef is custom processed the way you want it at The Country Butcher Shop in Palmyra, Missouri, or at Dawning Day Processing in Clayton, Illinois. You choose the steaks, the roasts, and the ground beef. If you custom order within a reasonable distance, we can deliver.

I could not do what I do without you. I think of a motto, If it is to be, it is up to me — and the “me” includes the families who choose us.