What does grassfed mean?
At Covered-L Farm, grassfed means 100% GRASSFED, just like you and I think it means; it’s common sense. The cattle graze on grass for as much of the year as possible, then we feed quality hay until the grass sprouts again in the Spring.
However, at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), ‘grassfed’ means the cattle have ACCESS TO GRASS and can be fed untold amounts of supplements as long as a gate is open to some semblance of pasture.
How can this definition be so corrupted by USDA? The foxes are in charge of the hen house. The Big 4 beef packers control 85% of the beef market and they make sure the USDA staff is populated with a number of their own people so it’s very easy to control/change definitions. It also helps that the Big 4 have a lot of money to slip to politicians so they will accept USDA corrupt definitions.
Not a pretty picture but that’s how much of our government operates, unfortunately, imho.
Why aren’t we certified organic?
Being grassfed and not using antibiotics, hormones, insecticides nor herbicides make us near organic. The hay we feed in winter is high quality but not organic and the Redmond sea salt portion of our mineral is the only organic ingredient. So we are very close.
Organic initial certification is expensive, in addition to periodic re-certification. We work hard to keep our prices low (compare us to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods). The added expense of organic certification is something we don’t want to pass along to you.
How do we know that we are providing you with great nourishment?
Several years ago we hired an independent agent to purchase several samples of ground beef on the open market. He then removed the labels and packaging and designated them as samples A, B and C. I took these three samples to the University of Missouri meat lab for analysis. With the results in hand, the agent then identified the origin of the three samples, two of which were truly grassfed and one which claimed to be grassfed per the self-serving definition from the USDA.
Bottom line: Covered-L beef had the best omega6/omega3 ratio. Dieticians and others in the know tell us this ratio should ideally be between 1:1 and 2:1. Ours was 1.27:1, followed by the other truly grassfed sample and much better than the other party claiming ‘grassfed’ per the USDA definition. For comparison, samples from grain-fed cattle in mega feed lots can be in the range of 15-20:1. Grassfed is best for your health!
In addition the CLA analysis showed that ours was the best of the three.
Eat healthy, eat grassfed!
What are the details for bulk purchases?
Okay, you’ve made the decision to purchase a half or whole beef (for quarters, please see below) and if you are a first time purchaser, you’ve also mailed us your deposit check. Then we send you a cutting instructions sheet for you to use in making decisions about how you would like your beef cut. If this is your first time completing a bulk purchase, I suggest we chat via phone for 15-20 minutes about how to approach getting what you would like. It’s not rocket science but I have a few suggestions/hints to make it easier for you.
About one week after a set of beeves is harvested, Sherry and I will test a small portion of each animal to assess whether it is customer quality for tenderness and taste. For the best beeves, I go to the reservation list to see which half the first person would like. We continue to match people and beeves until we have covered everyone on the list for that month. (Note: occasionally a beef is not particularly tender so we ask Swiss Meat or Central MO Meats to grind it.)
When we have identified which half or whole has your name on it, it’s time for you to call Swiss Meat or Central MO Meat (CMMS) with your cutting instructions. For Swiss Meats, Vicki at 573.486.2086, is the person you will probably talk to. If it’s CMMS you are calling, you may be talking to Jason, Briana or Tonya. All are patient and helpful. Don’t forget heart, tongue, oxtail, liver or broth bones (marrow and knuckle) if you are interested.
For halves or wholes, you are responsible for picking up your beef after it’s ready. You can drive to Swiss Meat, about 29 miles south of I-70 on Hwy 19 or to Central MO about 10 miles south of I-70 exit 148 on US Hwy 63. But here is another option: I am almost always picking up beef for store sales and I can also haul your beef back to the Conumbia area. I can usually deliver to your home or meet at a mutually agreeable location in the Columbia area. I pay the processer for your processing, then you write me a check or pay cash at delivery for both the beef and the processing. Then enjoy your fine 100% grassfed beef.
Quarter of Beef
The whole industry works with a half of beef as the standard unit. So we need to give the processor cutting instructions for the entire half. I may be able to match you with another customer ordering a quarter but usually I split the half with you. So we chat on the phone and agree on cutting instructions.
The half will be split equally meaning we both receive equal amounts of every cut. That does not mean, however, that we must cut our shares the same way. There is a lot of flexibility: for example you may choose to have your half of the chuck in 3 lb bone-in roasts and I might opt for ground beef from my half of the chuck.