Welcome to the Ranch!

I saw the trailer for Fresh this past week as part of the Real Food for Rookies cooking class that my children and I are taking together.  I was so intrigued that I have sought out more information.

There is a movement afoot.  A movement to get back to the basics.  A movement to grow and/or raise our food naturally without herbicides, antibiotics, etc.  Cross Creek Cattle Company is part of that movement, too.

As producers of grass fed beef, we have transformed the way we raise cattle.  Some ranchers call it re-inventing ranching.  That might be the most appropriate term; however, we don’t need to re-invent the wheel.  American ranchers/farmers need to find our way back to the way God intended our food to be raised, which is what we are trying to do with our ranching business.

Cattle were created to eat grass.  They were created to stay in a multi-generational herd.  Since we raise cattle, it only makes sense that I discuss beef all the time.  But today, I want to use a different animal to illustrate this point.

When you cram thousands of chickens into a facility in tiny cages, you are simply creating problems because chickens are supposed to forage.  They roam around eating bugs, worms, and grass.  They will peck at each other in these tight quarters so to remedy that problem farmers have to clip their beaks.  The stress of their lifestyle lowers their immune system so farmers regularly administer antibiotics.

The way our country has been raising animals, fruits, and vegetables has created problems that have led us to our current food system.  Scientists have genetically modified many of our vegetables as they look for ways to grow disease resistant, fast growing, new and improved produce.  According to many experts, the most commonly modified foods are corn and  soybeans.  We consume hormones, antibiotics, steroids, pesticides, and/or herbicides as we eat our “healthy” grilled chicken, salad, and corn on the cob.

Joel Salatin, a fellow grass fed rancher, says that he is “in the redemption business: healing the land, healing the food, healing the economy, and healing the culture.”  From this statement, I gather that Joel Salatin feels a strong need to heal our country.  Again, the theme is not necessarily re-invent, but instead restore.  Mr. Salatin was made famous in Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Delight. He also appears in Fresh.

I really want to see this movie, but alas there are no showings anywhere near our ranch.  The public should be able to purchase the video soon for personal use.  If you are lucky and live in an area where there are showing of Fresh, please write and let me know your thoughts and impressions of the movie.

Until I hear from you or Fresh comes out for sale, I have the trailer to watch.  I am including it here at the end of this article for you to view as well.  Whether you see the movie or not, a movement is occurring in our farming and ranching communities.  Consumers want better, healthier foods.  Together we can all work to improve the state of our food supply.  Together we can restore and heal the practices in our country.

I found this video produced by Wellness Force on grass fed beef.  The video is short, but informative in nature on the health benefits of grass fed beef.  There are photographs of a grass fed ranch versus a feed lot.  I know from which one I would rather have my meat come, but that could be just my personal preference.  Decide for yourself.

In the video, a young man excitedly goes to a grocery store that has put grass fed beef on sale.  Their sale price is $3.99 a pound, which is a great price when buying individual cuts.  However, we sell our beef for $3.50 a pound.  I wonder how excited this man would be to have the opportunity to stock up his freezer with our grass fed beef.  It really does pay to buy your grass fed beef in bulk.

After watching the video, you will understand the title of my article.  I have never seen anyone so happy to have eight pounds of grass fed ground beef in my life.  Watching it made me laugh.

Unfortunately some of the beef that is sold in supermarkets as grass fed is only grass finished.  This means that ranchers are finishing the cattle on grass after they were fed grain while the animals were growing in order to sell the beef as grass fed.  There is a big difference in my eyes.

Grass finished is better than feeding grain and corn to the last day; however, any grain present in the bodies of cattle diminishes the health benefits of grass fed beef.  Our cattle are grass fed and grass finished, even through the weaning period.  Of course, our calves are raised on milk, but they are never given grain even as a supplement.

Organic beef is great too.  It is much better than regular meat as far as hormones, antibiotics, etc are concerned.  However this title does not mean grass fed.  Organic beef is fed in a feedlot or pasture with grain.  The grain just has to be organic.

Until we more closely define and understand these different types of meat, the consumer has to educate himself/herself.  It is simply a matter of buyer beware.

If you want to try grass fed beef or if you already love it like the gentleman in the video, contact me to be put on our waiting list.  Unfortunately for our customers, demand has far exceeded our supply.  It is obvious that more people are turning to more natural options.  More grass fed and finished beef without hormones, antibiotics, etc. will be available from Cross Creek Cattle Company in whole, half, and quarter options in the future.  Sign up today.

Cross Creek Cattle Company hosted the annual Grimes County Sheriff Jr. Deputy Mounted Posse Trail Ride last weekend.  The whole family pitched in to make the ranch look its best.  The grounds were mowed, limbs trimmed, pastures shredded, burn piles burned, etc.  We did as much as possible to beautify the ranch.

The whole family also worked hard to ensure that everyone present had a good time, too.  Safety was our first priority.  The trails were cleared well.  The cattle were moved to a far pasture because not all horses behave themselves around cows.  Running across open fields was not allowed.  At all times, riders must control his/her horse for everyone’s safety.

We insisted that people exercise their horses in an enclosed arena before embarking on our trail ride.  It was a fortunate decision because one horse crow-hopped and misbehaved.  Another woman was thrown from her horse, and her horse was difficult to catch.  If it had not been in an arena, there is no telling where the horse would have gone.  Almost all of our gates were open for the trail ride.

Once everyone was ready, the riders set out on a long ride.  Jake was the leader.  He knew the trails like the back of his hand.  He was very excited to have this responsibility.  For about one hour and forty minutes, members of the Posse, family, friends, and neighbors rode all over our ranch.

We all helped to prepare the food and drink.  Before everyone arrived, plenty of chairs, hay bales, and tables were set up.  We served brisket, sausage, baked beans, potato salad, and bread.  We had batches of brownies for dessert.  People were able to choose between tea, water, and a variety of soft drinks.

Ruthie’s BBQ in Navasota smoked the brisket and cooked the sausage as well as prepared the potato salad.  It was delicious!  We want to thank Charles Henley, the owner of Ruthie’s,  for giving the Posse a discount on the meal.  We really appreciate it.

The Grimes County Posse is a great organization.  The members are sworn in by the sheriff and represent the county throughout the year.  The Posse members are also ambassadors for the Go-Texan Committee.  They ride horses in parades, do a Pony Express ride in February, and ride in the grand entry of some rodeos.  They also post colors at Tea Party events in the county.

Cross Creek Cattle Company is a proud sponsor of the Grimes County Posse.  We are proud to host events like the annual trail ride.  If you are looking for a great horse-related organization for youth, check with your local sheriff.  There might be a posse in your own county.  My husband and I are proud to have our children involved with such a good organization.

Whenever you believe in something, it is nice to hear others agree with you.  It confirms everything you have discovered for yourself.  At Cross Creek Cattle Company, we believe in grass fed beef.  We believe that the beef is healthier for your body.

We believe it is ideal to allow nature to do as it was intended.  Cattle were made to thrive on grass.  So we rotate our cattle from green pasture to green pasture allowing them to forage for themselves.

We believe that growth hormones, steroids, antibiotics, etc are not good additives to our food supply; therefore, we do not use them.  “You are what you eat.”  Our cattle enjoy free choice loose mineral mixture of salt, kelp meal, and diatomaceous earth.  The latter is a natural de-wormer.

We love our land.  It has been in our family for generations.  Not only do we work hard to be good stewards of the land, but we encourage wildlife to live here too.  We have set up a wildlife refuge on part of our property.  A variety of wildlife can be observed or heard.

Environmentally-speaking grass fed beef is very friendly to the earth.  Through pasture rotation, our cattle are not only eating fresh grass, but they are not eroding away the soil with heavy traffic in one area.  The cattle fertilize the soil.  Since they are not confined in the same spot day after day, there is no offending odor drifting from our ranch.

I found this video by US Wellness Meats.  Their slogan is “Our animals eat right so you can too.”  If you don’t understand what grass fed ranching looks like, this video will show you a typical grass fed operation in action.  If you are not sold on the health benefits of grass fed beef, this video will tell you some important information.  And if you are already convinced about the benefits of grass fed beef, this video will just confirm your beliefs.

I want to thank everyone who has signed up on our waiting list for grass fed beef.  It is not too late to sign up.  Email me at lndehaven@aol.com or leave a comment with your name, address, email address, phone number, and what size order you are interested in purchasing.