Welcome to the Ranch!

“Beef, it’s whats for dinner,” is a catchy slogan.  It is also how I was raised.  We did not have beef every night for supper, but we consumed it more than any other meat.  I know that some people hesitate from ordering a quarter or a half of grass fed beef from Cross Creek Cattle Company because they are not that familiar with cooking beef.  For some families cuts other than hamburger are considered a luxury.

On our website we have an entire page devoted to recipes using grass fed beef.  We have a recipe for chili, stuffed mushrooms, vegetable soup, and roast.  Today I wanted to post two more recipes.  The first one uses the round steak.

Round steaks come from the same section as the rump roasts.  They are thin cuts of meat.  You can get them tenderized or plain.   Round steaks are very versatile cuts of meat.

I use round steaks in a variety of ways.  My family eats them as fajita meat.  We use round steaks when making chicken fried steaks.  But, today I am going to use them in a wok.

Grass Fed Teriyaki Beef

1 pkg grass fed round steak
3/4 cup onion, diced
Teriyaki Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tsp ginger, ground or freshly grated

Take your round steaks and slice into long strips about 1/2″ thick.  Mine are usually about 3-4″ long.  The meat can still be a little frozen.

In a separate bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, oil, garlic, and ginger.  This is your marinade.  Marinate the strips of beef in the mixture for a couple of hours or longer in your refrigerator.  For the last hour, set it out on your counter.

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan or wok.  When the oil is hot, place only enough beef strips to cover the oil.  Do NOT put too many in at one time.  Turn once to brown the strips on both sides.  Remove onto a plate.  Repeat until all the beef is brown.  Save the marinade.

Begin to saute the onions in the wok.  Add all the beef back into the pan.  Pour the marinade over the beef and allow to cook covered on low for 8-10 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Serve over rice and with steamed vegetables.

This dish is relatively easy to make and delicious.  It is a good way to use round steak.  If you like the teriyaki flavor, you can also use it to make great hamburger patties.  If you plan ahead, you can reserve 2 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce from the above recipe to make your burgers.

Grass Fed Teriyaki Burgers

1 pound grass fed ground beef
2 Tablespoons of teriyaki marinade

Combine the beef and marinade.  Divide into four equal sections.  Form into hamburger patties.  Grill to your liking.

Eating beef can be part of a healthy lifestyle if it is grass fed.  There are many health benefits to eating grass fed beef. Check out this blog for more information on the health benefits.  Begin with the article, “Heart Healthy Foods.”

I hope that your family enjoys these recipes for grass fed beef as much as mine does.

It is calving season on Cross Creek Cattle Company.  Through many years of experience, we prefer to have our calves born in the winter.  First of all in our area, winters are generally mild.  Even this year with its many nights of hard freezes and two days of snow, it is still a relatively mild winter compared with other regions of the United States.

When a calf is born in the coolness of our winter weather, its mother cleans it up quickly.  The calf is very anxious to warm itself; therefore, it nurses vigorously.  One of the most important things for a calf to do is nurse within the first four hours of its birth.  The first milk is not milk just like in humans.  It is colostrum; however, a calf will die quickly of illness if it does not receive enough colostrum at the onset of its life.

Colostrum is full of antibodies that prove critical to the calf’s health and well-being.  Unfortunately without it, the calf will die.  In humans, colostrum is important, but it is not a matter of life and death.

Temperatures soar in the summer to well above 100 degrees.  When a calf is born in the summer, the temperature is usually very similar to the temperature in the womb.  On extremely hot days, newborn calves grow listless.  They do not feel the urge to get up and begin nursing.  It is just too hot.  When this happens, we try to intervene.  We tube the calf with store-bought colostrum.  If possible, we milk its mother and tube it that colostrum.  We do what we can, but we prefer the winter when less intervention is needed.

Another reason that we prefer to have calving season in the winter is because fire ants are not a problem.  In the heat of the summer, fire ants build mounds along the surface of the ground.  The tunnels underground reach far and wide under the soil housing millions of ants.  Usually the summer is our driest season.  Therefore, ants will be searching for water and food all along the ground.

When fire ants bite you, it hurts.  A tiny amount of poison irritates your skin.  If you are allergic, it can be life-threatening.  If you are not allergic, too many bites can make you sick or kill you without proper medical attention.  Unfortunately, fire ants have been known to kill calves.  We have not lost a calf to fire ants, but neighboring ranches have.

Soon, I will tell you about the one time we almost lost a calf to fire ants.  Today, I thought I would leave you with pictures of some of our calves.  So far we have had more heifers than bulls.  I just love how cute baby calves are.

A cow and her calf sunning on a warm, February day.

Another cow and calf pair.

A small group of calves.

Angus in the snow.

I could not believe the weather forecast early this week.  Meteorologists were predicting snow.  They were not just saying that there was a chance of snow, but they were predicting anywhere from 2-6 inches of accumulated snow.  It was hard to believe.

We already received snow on December 4th, which was the earliest recorded snowfall in our area.  Then not too long ago, we awoke to find a light dusting of snow had fallen overnight.  This winter has been one of the coldest winters in over the last decade.  We don’t know what to think.

It began raining mid-morning on Tuesday.  Before we knew it, the temperatures began falling and so did sleet.  About 1:30, the first flakes intermingled with the rain and sleet.  It was a real messy mix of precipitation.

The view from the dam.

I decided to stay home instead of traveling to College Station to drop my children off at violin lessons and dance class.  I am glad that I did.  The rain and sleet dissipated as the snow fell heavily.  I have not seen snow like this since my family skied in Colorado.  It was amazing.

Something magical happens when it snows.  There is silence as everything seems to quietly enjoy the beauty of the fallen snow.  Our horses did not mind the snow.  They were dressed warmly in their horse blankets.  I think that they enjoyed the change in scenery.

The cows stayed in the woods.  They enjoyed staying under the natural cover of the evergreen branches.  By the end of the night even the pine trees were covered with snow as if someone lightly flocked them.

The deer were moving at dusk as usual.  Watching a herd of seven does cross the county road, leap across our fence line, and amble across one of our pastures was a beautiful sight.  My husband saw a grey fox earlier that morning in the same pasture.  Our family takes great pleasure in co-existing with wildlife.

Cross Creek Cattle Company is a great place to live any time of the year.  Each season brings about different activities.  Because snow is such an uncommon occurrence here, we tried to enjoy it as much as possible.  The inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York reads, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers of the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

The ranch could have a similar motto, too.  Regardless of the weather, a rancher must take care of the animals.  The herd has to be checked.  The horses need to be fed.  Hay has to be put out to both in the winter.  Ranchers never get the day off.  There is always something that needs to be done.  It just goes with the territory.

For many years it has been customary for farmers to give their livestock antibiotics regardless of the health of the animal.  Proponents argue that antibiotics promote growth and prevent disease, which in turn creates cheaper meat.  They insist that this is good for the consumer.  Whether you agree or not, most farmers do not have a choice in the matter.  Antibiotics are included in most feed on which both big-scale and small-scale farmers depend.  Therefore most of the meat in the United States has traces of antibiotics.

A few weeks ago on “Oprah,” she interviewed Michael Pollan.  I showed a portion of the show which included a Food IQ Quiz in an article called “Food, Inc.“  According to this quiz the amount of antibiotics administered to livestock was staggering.  It was 28 million pounds of antibiotics a year.  These antibiotics are given to healthy and sick market animals.  These are animals being raised for meat.

After years of being exposed to antibiotic-laden meat, doctors and health officials are beginning to see a correlation with antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.  Denmark is one of the first nations to discontinue the widespread administration of antibiotics in all of its farm animals.  Of course, farmers can give medicine to sick animals.  Katie Couric recently reported about antibiotic-free animals.  Watch the report for more information.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

As I watched the report, I was very disappointed with the woman representing the National Pork Board.  She was convinced in spite of the evidence of success in Denmark that reducing the amount of antibiotics would hurt the American consumer.  Change is hard for some people, but I believe that soon there will be a huge change in the way that farmers conduct their business and raise their animals.  I hope that it will be a move back to the way our great-grandparents raised food.

Years ago some farmers went against the grain like Applegate Farms (mentioned in the news report) and Cross Creek Cattle Company.  We do not give our animals antibiotics.  If one animal should become ill, then they are immediately separated and treated in a humane manner.  We follow the veterinarian’s instructions and restore the animal’s health.  However, we also remove the animal from the grass fed beef program.

We will not sell a cow that has been treated with antibiotics, growth hormones, and/or steroids for human consumption in our all-natural, grass fed program.  We do not have many problems with sick cows.  In fact I cannot remember the last time that an antibiotic had to be administered to any in our herd.  We provide ample room for grazing, good quality hay, great pastures of grass, and clean drinking water.  We consider these things preventive medicine.

Since we do not feed the cattle grain, then we do not have to worry about antibiotics being delivered to our animals in feed.  Eating grass fed beef from Cross Creek Cattle Company is safe.  No need to worry.  Our reputation depends on it.  We will not sell meat that we would not serve in our own homes.  Therefore, there are no antibiotics in our meat supply.

The other day I stumbled upon a HBO movie called “Temple Grandin.”  It is based on a true story.  Claire Danes stars in the movie as Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who changes the way most cattle businesses treat cattle.  From sale barns to slaughter houses, Dr. Temple Grandin challenged them to rethink how they worked with cattle.

It was an intriguing movie.  I enjoyed watching it.  Most likely, Claire Danes will be nominated for some award because her performance was outstanding.  If you are interested, the movie trailer is below.  You get to see and hear from Dr. Grandin herself.

As much as I liked the movie, this article is not meant to be a review of the movie.  I wanted to discuss Dr. Grandin and cattle handling techniques.

Dr. Temple Grandin is a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University.  She is autistic, which she believes allows her to see things differently.  Most importantly, she is a keen observer of animal behavior.  She spent years researching cattle in particular.  Dr. Grandin also designs livestock handling facilities, which incorporate all of her research and years of experience.

As a child raised on a working cattle ranch, I already knew the proper techniques of livestock handling because that was how I was taught.  It was how my daddy ranched.  It was the only way we ever worked with our cattle.  Our herd is our livelihood.  You don’t mistreat your livelihood if you want to stay in business.  I only learned recently that our ways were based on Dr. Grandin’s research.  My dad knew a lot about her, her research, and had read many of her articles.

Why would the way that Cross Creek Cattle Company handles their cattle affect you?  It is simple.  Research shows that livestock handling and stress directly affect the meat quality.  When gentle handling and low-stress techniques are employed, there is good meat quality.  This idea is expounded upon in a lengthy article called “The Relationship Between Good Handling/Stunning and Meat Quality of Beef, Pork, and Lamb.”  Four experts co-wrote this article, one of which was Dr. Grandin.

I think that it is fair to say that Dr. Temple Grandin has made a tremendous impact in the cattle industry.  She has also indirectly affected consumers of meat products with her research.  At the end of the movie, it stated that 80% of all cattle handling facilities in the United States employ Dr. Grandin’s techniques of low-stress management and gentle handling.  She has played a large and important role in our lives.

If you are interested in raising grass fed beef, the book, Grass-Fed Cattle by Julius Ruechel is a great resource.  The author spends a good portion of time discussing proper cattle handling techniques.  He introduced me to terms like flight zone and low-stress handling.  I had no idea at the time that these techniques were based on Dr. Grandin’s research.  To me, they were just common sense ways to work with cows.

I am glad to know about Dr. Temple Grandin and her work.  Even though I grew up on a ranch using her techniques, it feels good to know that her research was the reason.  So thank you, Dr. Temple Grandin.  Thank you for working so hard for humane and respectful practices to be used in the cattle industry.

And if you get a chance to see the movie, I recommend it.  I thought it was fascinating.

At Cross Creek Cattle Company, we do not just raise grass fed beef.  We garden organically.  We pick wild grapes and berries.  We tend our fruit trees.  We eat fresh fish from our lake and ponds.  Our family believes in the health benefits of eating real food.

Recently I received many phone calls by family and friends who viewed The Oprah Winfrey Show last week.  I did not watch it as it aired, but Oprah was interviewing Michael Pollan.  He is one of the most famous proponents of natural, healthy foods.  When he eats meat, Mr. Pollan chooses grass fed beef, which is why I received all the phone calls.

Michael Pollan has written many books like, The Omnivore’s Dilemna, and has delivered many speeches on the subject of food.  You can search his name on YouTube and you will have many different choices of videos to watch.  His most recent project has been a documentary called “Food Inc.“  I have not seen the movie, but it has intrigued me.  To see more about the movie as well as watch its trailer, click here.

To see a portion of Oprah’s show from January 21st about Food.  Watch this video.  It starts out with a food quiz.  You will not believe how much antibiotics are given to livestock in one year.  It is astounding!  The clip also gives a peek into the documentary, “Food Inc.”

Oprah’s interview, “Food 101 with Michael Pollan” is available to read.  Mr. Pollan also has a new-book out called, Food Rules.  In short, Mr. Pollan wants America to get back to what our great-grandparents ate, to eat real food.  He calls out other nations in the world that live on seal blubber or cow blood mixed with milk and have little heart problems and/or type-2 diabetes.  This line of thought and the desire to eat what our ancestors enjoyed daily is very similar to one of my favorite authors on food and nutrition, Sally Fallon.

In an article, “Review of Nourishing Traditions,” I go into further detail about Ms. Fallon’s theories on health and nutrition.  In my opinion, her book Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, is a must-have for anyone concerned about how and what their family eats.

In light of all the national debate on health care reform, I think that it is safe to say that we are all concerned about our health.  The connection that Michael Pollan makes is how our health is affected by the foods that we eat.

We are concerned about what we eat here on Cross Creek Cattle Company.  We are also very happy to be able to offer grass fed beef to the public.  Our beef might cost more than a steak at a Super Wal-Mart grocery store, but as Michael Pollan asked, “What are the long-term health costs of buying the cheaper food?”  I assure you that our grass fed beef has been raised as a herd on grass.  Our beef has not been raised on antibiotics, growth hormones, steroids, or grain.  If I might add, our grass fed beef is not only nutritious, but also very flavorful and delicious.

As I sat in a waiting room yesterday afternoon, I flipped through the February issue of “Better Homes and Gardens” magazine.  A word on a page caught my eye as I was skimming through the pages of the issue.  It was “grass fed beef.”  I had to stop what I was doing and begin turning back the pages one by one as I tried to find that page again.  What could the words “grass fed beef” have anything to do with bettering one’s home or garden?

I found it.  It was on a page devoted to heart healthy foods.  Actually it was the second food listed on the page.  Grass fed beef was on the same page as many other well-known healthy foods like salmon and oatmeal.  Grass fed beef made it on the list because of high levels of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA).

According to Wikipedia, CLA is most known for its anti-cancer properties.  Their article goes on to list other beneficial qualities of CLA.  These acids also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, fight inflammation, reduce body fat, etc.  Who would not want any of these benefits while eating delicious grass fed beef?

In addition to grass fed beef, other foods were listed as heart friendly foods.  Grape juice, blueberries, and other berries made the list for their antioxidants.  Almonds and salmon were chosen for their omega-3s.  Soybeans appeared for their protein and fiber.  Canola oil was listed for its low saturated fat.  Oatmeal is famous for its fiber as well as its ability to lower cholesterol.  Last but not least was spinach.  It apparently has so many benefits for the heart that they could not name them all.

It was exciting to see grass fed beef classified as heart friendly in an unbiased magazine article.  It was not surprising though.  I have occasionally shown research about the benefits of eating grass fed beef.  For example you can read, “Top Ten Reasons to Buy Grass Fed Beef“  or “The Health Benefits of Grass Fed Beef.”  I think it is exciting to see that grass fed beef  is becoming more mainstream.

Cross Creek Cattle Company can supply your family with healthy, nutritious, and delicious grass fed beef. At this time we are taking orders and are harvesting the beef based on supply and demand.  In other words, we are not publicly declaring a harvest date, but rather supplying the beef when a whole cow is purchased by one or more persons.

Place your order or contact the ranch by phone if you are interested.  We will need a $100.00 non-refundable deposit to secure your order.  Please visit our website for further information and/or contact me.

Kids of Cross Creek Cattle Company

Most people do not live in rural areas anymore.  A complete switch has taken place.  More people now live in urban areas.  Living in the country has its advantages.  It also has disadvantages.  Like everything in life, you have to weigh both.

My five children have lived on Cross Creek Cattle Company for most if not all of their lives.  They have chores that most kids their age do not have.  They take turns milking our goats.  They feed our chickens, sheep, goats, rabbits, dogs, and cats.  They can grow and harvest vegetables.  They can catch and clean a fish.  They can work cattle.  Depending on their ages, my children are either quite experienced in these areas or they are in training.

All of them are raised to avoid cow patties as they stroll through the pasture.  They know to watch for snakes.  They know where the barbed wire fences are even if the sun makes the wires seem invisible.  They can identify poison ivy regardless of the season.

When people visit the ranch, they are quickly given a crash course in the potential hazards.  Likewise when we travel to urban areas, my children receive a much different training.  Don’t talk to strangers.  Look both ways before crossing the street.

I thought it would be interesting to hear from my children today.  I asked each of them, “What is your favorite thing about living on a ranch?”  The following are their answers.

Clayton said, “I love hunting deer in December.”  He is a great shot.  Clayton also loves observing the plentiful wildlife throughout the year.  Watching the deer is his favorite.

China Berry tree in autumn.

Kyla said, “I love watching the colors change on the leaves.”  About the only trees that change from green to brilliant color are the China Berry trees.  She went on to say that she loves being able to observe God’s creation everyday.

Jake responded, “I love being able to work with the horses all the time.”  He loves horses.  He even writes his own blog about horses called Cross Creek Horsemanship.

Isaac said, “Riding horses!”  He sure loves to ride.

Andrew is too little to answer, but he also loves to ride a horse.  My guess is that he enjoys tractor rides even more.

Well, the kids have spoken.  They love living on Cross Creek Cattle Company.  And, they have different reasons.  I love the fact that they are growing up on a working ranch.  They have so many opportunities to learn skills and enjoy the outdoors.  Living in a rural area has its perks.

Kenton Holliday

This week the owner of Cross Creek Cattle Company celebrates his birthday.  If it was not for Kenton Holliday, our grass fed beef customers would have to buy beef elsewhere.  4-Hers and members of FFA would have to look for winning show heifers in other places.  My immediate family would live and work somewhere else.  I don’t know about you, but I am grateful that Kenton was born.

Kenton Holliday is living his dream.  As a young boy, he wanted to be a cowboy when he grew up.  This dream never faded.  Instead as Kenton grew closer and closer to his grandfather, the desire only strengthened.  His grandfather was a great man and played a big role in Kenton’s life.

Kenton’s grandfather was born in the late 1800’s and was raised in the Texas Hill Country.  Being a cowboy was second-nature to him.  He began riding horses and working cows as soon as he was physically able.  And, he was a natural.  When duty called during World War I, the United States government ironically put him to work as an infantryman.  He was never even considered to be part of the cavalry.

After the war, he returned to Texas and settled near Houston with his wife.  Together they raised three boys on their working farm.  Many years later Kenton was born.  Kenton is the oldest child of four.  Anytime his family visited the grandparents, he spent the majority of his time with his grandfather.  They had a very special bond.

Kenton learned to shoot guns, to ride and train horses, to grow vegetables, to raise animals, and countless other skills.  His desire to be a rancher and cowboy continued as he went to college.  He graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Farm and Ranch Management.

Sadly both his grandparents died.  Kenton was starting his own family at the time and moved into his grandparents farmhouse.  After my brother and I were born, Kenton began teaching us the same skills he had acquired from his grandfather.  We tended a humongous vegetable garden, trained horses, raised livestock, etc.

Kenton bought some land in Grimes County.  From this parcel of land, Cross Creek Cattle Company was created.  As real estate became available, Kenton expanded the ranch.  He switched from crossbred cattle to raising the Beefmaster breed.  He left “traditional” ranching.  He goes against the norm by not feeding his herd grain or by giving his cattle antibiotics, hormones, etc.  Like our ancestors, he believes that cattle do best on grass as nature intended.

Under his guidance, Cross Creek Cattle Company offers grass fed beef to the public.  Our business is growing as word of mouth spreads.  Kenton is a rancher and a cowboy in the 21st century.  Through hard work and perseverance, he built and grew a successful cattle ranch.  He never let his dream of becoming a rancher die.

So, here is to Kenton Holliday.  And, here is to following your heart and making your dream come true.  From everyone at Cross Creek Cattle Company, have a very Happy Birthday!!

Yesterday I received a text message from my aunt.  It said, “Can you say global warming?”  As most of you are experiencing, an artic cold front is making about 60% of the mainland United States experience freezing temperatures.  The temperature outside is dropping steadily.  It is already well below freezing with a chance of sleet today and snow flurries tomorrow.  Temperatures are expected to be well below freezing for at least 48 hours.  We are not used to this kind of winter weather.

If we are not used to it, then neither are our animals.  We took extra special precautions yesterday by rounding up horse blankets.  Stores all over the area were selling them like hotcakes.  I personally had to call three different stores and have them hold blankets for us until one of us could make it to town.  Using our fingers to do the walking worked.  We were able to find enough blankets for all of our horses.

Some of the horses were not too enthused about having a blanket strapped around their body.  But, I bet they are thanking us later today.  It is rather awkward to wear a blanket.  Straps go in front of the chest, under the heart girth, and between their back legs.  The latter is the most strange to the horses.  They are not used to feeling straps around and between their legs.  Some of our horses rolled around on the ground trying to lose the blanket.  After several attempts at rubbing the blanket off, they gave up.

In addition to putting blankets on the horses and ensuring that they have plenty of fresh, unfrozen drinking water, we are also increasing the amount of feed they receive.  We expect them to shiver and shake, which burns more calories.  We are trying to account for this by providing them with more fuel for their bodies.

The cows are fine, but they are going through the hay at a much faster rate.  The best part of this time of year (and I say this sarcastically in light of our weather this week) is that it is calving season.  Usually this is not a bad time to be born in Southeast Texas.  The temperature is cool.  The fire ants are down in the ground.  In the dog days of summer, calves have to fight not only extremely high temperatures; fire ants can prove to be fierce predators.  They have been known to blind calves and occasionally even kill them in these parts.  Fortunately, Cross Creek Cattle Company has not lost any calves this way.

But I digress, this week will be unlike most winter weather patterns we experience.  This is not good when cows are having babies.  The calves can literally go into shock.  Think about it.  Calves have been happily enjoying living in an “oven” at about 103 degrees.  Suddenly they are pushed out, hit the ground, and it is 15 degrees.  Not only is their body having trouble adjusting to the rapid change in temperature, but the wind chill is in the single digits.  It can be a potentially dangerous situation for the health of the newborn calf.

What does this mean for my husband, the ranch manager?  It means keeping close watch over the herd.  It means being ready to intervene with blankets, colostrum, etc. as needed.  It means walking quite a distance in below freezing conditions off and on all day long for days.  He has to walk now because he almost got stuck this morning.  The rain that came before the front soaked the already saturated ground.  It means discomfort for the ranch manager.

As my dad always says when things on the ranch don’t go smoothly, “Welcome to the ranch!”  It is part of the life of a cowboy.  It is part of the life of anyone running a ranch.  The animals are our livelihood.  You have to take care of them regardless of the weather.  Thankfully, it will be 40 degrees again soon enough.  I don’t know how the ranchers do it in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, or everywhere else where this weather pattern is the usual.

I just hope that everything does go well for us, our home, and our animals.  I will let you know.