Welcome to the Ranch!

Alton Brown, host of Good Eats on the Food Network, prefers grass fed beef to grain fed beef.  As usual, he presents his argument in a humorous way.  Enjoy this clip as Alton explains why he loves the texture and flavor of grass fed beef.

If you have never tasted the true flavor and texture of beef, there is no time like the present.  Cross Creek Cattle Company is still harvesting beef.  Please contact Lara DeHaven, our Business Manager, today.  Her phone number is 936-870-5798 or her email address is lndehaven@aol.com.

Kyla and Jake DeHaven are proud members of the Grimes County Sheriff’s Jr. Deputy Mounted Posse, which represent the county at several events throughout the year.  Their dad and ranch manager of Cross Creek Cattle Company is the Assistant Drill Master of this youth organization. 

One of the highlights of the year took place June 4th and 5th at the 59th Annual Grimes County Fair in Navasota, Texas.  They opened the rodeo with a performance dedicated to the United States Armed Forces.  Each member of the Posse is carrying flags from all branches of the military as well as the United States of America and State of Texas flags.

If you have never loped a horse in front of a large crowd while holding onto a flag doing a routine, you cannot fully appreciate the difficulty that these young riders overcome.  They even make it look easy.  The youngest member of the Posse is Jake, who just turned 10.  The oldest girl just graduated high school. 

Cross Creek Cattle Company is a proud sponsor of the Grimes County Mounted Posse.  We are also proud that our family participates in this organization.  We also join with the Posse in remembering the sacrifices that military families make every day. 

As the song, “If We Ever Make It Home,” by Wade Bowen states, “If we ever make it home, there’ll be peace like we’ve never known. Nobody’s gonna walk alone.  We’ll be leaning on each other.”  We stand with our troops and hope that they make it home soon.  We also thank them for their continued service to our country.

We might not be surrounded by heroes on a daily basis, but my hero of this performance was Randi Farquhar.  She is riding the white gelding at the end.  Her horse rears up seemingly on cue while they announce her name.  In doing so, the flag pole slipped out of its holder.  With sheer determination and strength, Randi held the flag until she exited the arena.  She told me, “All I could think was do NOT let the flag touch the ground.”

I hope you enjoy the performance.

Family is one of the most important things in this world to Cross Creek Cattle Company.  We are a family-owned and operated ranch located in Grimes County.  My children are active in the community as we represent ourselves as well as our ranch.  This past week has been an extraordinarily busy one as the 59th Annual Grimes County Fair consumed most of our time and attention. 

Saturday, June 4th, Jake DeHaven showed his Beefmaster heifer at the fair.  This was her last show and she went out with a bang.  Together Jake and Sugar won Reserve Champion Beefmaster.  Needless to say, Jake was thrilled and excited and we were so proud of him. 

We have retired Sugar from the show ring.   Jake already has his eye on his next beef heifer project for 4-H.  He will begin the process of halter-breaking soon.

Jake’s success with his show heifer has inspired my daughter, Kyla, to also want to do a beef heifer project next year.  Isaac and Andrew, my youngest boys, were able to show Sugar in the Pee Wee Beef Heifer Show.  They had so much fun in the show ring with her.  The show sticks were twice their size, but they worked hard to handle them correctly.  They cannot wait until they are old enough to be in 4-H and show heifers, too.

Kyla was busy with her own animal projects.  She won 5th place with the goat, which qualified her for the Premium Sale.  The most impressive part of the day was when she won a belt buckle for Junior Showmanship.  She wears it proudly. 

Both Kyla and Jake had swine projects.  They did not do as well as they would have liked; however, they learned a lot about raising pigs.  Despite the fact that they did not place high, Kyla was called back for Showmanship.  This was a great honor because most were not.

In Creative Arts, Jake won Grand Champion for his watercolor of one of our dairy goats.  He also got Reserve Champion for a crocheted dishcloth, which he sold at the silent auction.  Kyla won Grand Champion for embroidering her little brother’s name on a homemade blanket.  Their other projects including jewelry design, photography, etc. received blue ribbons.

Isaac and Andrew competed in a Kids Rodeo.  The events were stickhorse racing, dummy roping, and a boot scramble.  Isaac won 1st place in dummy roping.  He spends time outside practicing with Jake and the practice paid off.  He won a brand-new pale green lariat.  I have never seen a child more proud of a lariat before. 

All in all we had a very good year at the Grimes County Fair.  Our family and ranch was well-represented.  I speak for all of us when I say that we are so proud of Kyla, Jake, Isaac, and Andrew.  They worked hard, learned a lot, and it shows.

I watched with horror the following video by Australia’s Today Tonight Show and thought it worthy to share.  I personally was completely unfamiliar with transglutaminase a.k.a. meat glue.  Unfortunately in the United States, there are no regulations prohibiting the use of meat glue or laws to require transglutaminase to be on the label.  It is just another reason to seek grass-fed meats and unprocessed foods. 

According to the US Drought Monitor, Cross Creek Cattle Company is located in the exceptional drought category.  It really is unfortunate, especially since we have been in a drought for the past three years. 

The first year, we fared well through the drought.  Our cattle were fat and our grasses were still green.  Most of our neighbors were having to feed their cattle hay during the summer while we were amazed at how well our pastures looked despite the lack of rain.  The drought put pasture rotation to the test, on which it passed with flying colors. 

As the drought continued into the second year, everything seemed worse since we were already behind in rainfall.  Our herd still made it through well.  The pastures still had grass, which we rotated a little more heavily than the year before.  We began feeding hay a month earlier than usual, but still not throughout the summer. 

This year is proving to be quite worrisome.  Since October, we have had about 1/4 of the average rainfall we expect in the fall.  Following two consecutive years of drought, this fact is very disconcerting.  We need rain something awful.

The welfare of our herd and our ranch is extremely important to us.  We hold them both dear to our hearts.  We have been through hard times before.  We have survived extreme droughts several times in my lifetime.  And, we are confident that Cross Creek Cattle Company will be fine through this year, too.

We know that rain will once again fall; we just don’t know when.  We pray specifically for nutritious, green grass and fat cows.  This year we are making some important changes.  We cannot afford to sit back and do the same summer routine on the ranch.  This is not a typical year, and it requires a different response.  

We have decided to supplement hay this summer in addition to pasture rotation.  We are also supplementing our herd with alfalfa cubes.  These are simply squares of dehydrated alfalfa. 

Alfalfa is a grass known for its high protein content and for being a highly digestible fiber.  Our cattle are familiar with alfalfa because we use the smaller alfalfa pellets for supplementing our grass fed beef during weaning time.  Alfalfa cubes are the same dehydrated grass as the pellets, but in a much larger form. 

Feeding them is fun.  My family goes out into the pasture with the cattle.  My husband gives the sing-song cattle call.  The cattle immediately stop what they are doing and come see what he wants.  The younger ones run or trot.  The older cows wisely walk in our direction. 

My husband then begins pouring out the cubes in a straight line in the pasture.  He tries to spread them out so that all the cows can eat as much as they like.  Cows can be quite territorial when it comes to their babies and their food.  You want them eating, not fighting over the food and crushing it under their hooves.  

My husband and son like to keep a few in their hands.  They hand feed some of the cattle in order to build trust.  Having docile cows is part genetic and part environment.  We are using feeding time to gentle our already docile herd.

The problem with this third year of drought is mainly financial.  Our cattle will do well on the combination of pasture grasses, supplemental hay, and supplemental alfalfa cubes.  They will keep up their body condition.  However, it costs money to buy hay and feed alfalfa cubes.  The burden falls on us as a family and as a business. 

The sooner the drought breaks the better.  Gov. Rick Perry released a proclamation calling for Days of Prayer over Easter weekend.  I submit that we need to continue to pray until the rain falls from the sky.   We need to pray until we make up inches of what lack.  We need to pray until our lakes, ponds, and rivers are back up to their normal levels.  Will you join us in praying for drought-stricken areas of the United States?  Will you include specifically Cross Creek Cattle Company?

At Cross Creek Cattle Company, we have been amazed at the public’s response to grass fed beef.  Demand for our beef far surpassed our supply, which honestly caught us off guard.  In response to the demand, we began compiling a waiting list for potential customers.  Some have been waiting patiently for months. 

Today marks our first harvest day for 2011.  We are excited that the beef is sold.  And after hanging a minimum of two weeks will be picked up and distributed to our clients.  We are looking forward to seeing the familiar faces of our repeat customers, and we are just as excited to meet our new clients.

If you are on our waiting list, do not fear if you have not heard from me.  I am working down the list contacting each person as his/her turn comes.  In the very near future, I will be making contact with everyone on the list.  Then I will send you processing forms for your order.  That way, everything will be in order when the subsequent harvest days take place.

If you are interested in our grass fed beef, feel free to contact me.  I will gladly add your name to our waiting list.  The good news is that your wait will not be as long as before.  Our cattle are finishing out on rye grass and will be ready in their own time in the months ahead. 

One of my jobs is to answer questions.  So, contact me if you want to learn more about grass fed beef in general, want to visit the ranch, etc. at (936) 870-5798 or email me at lndehaven@aol.com.  We look forward to doing business with you in the future.

Jake, my nine-year old son, has been a member of a Grimes County 4-H club for the last two years.  Last year he won Rookie of the Year, which is a great honor.  Jake loves to ride horses.  Actually he loves anything about horses.  He is currently learning the correct names of the different parts of a horse as part of his schooling.  Jake occasionally writes articles for his website, Cross Creek Horsemanship.

In addition to horses, Jake is showing a Duroc pig this June at the county fair.  This will be his first swine project.  Last year, he showed a heifer for the first time and won the class. 

Since his first show, Jake has been preparing to show her at his first major show.  It is scheduled to take place next week in Houston, Texas.  The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) is the world’s largest livestock exhibition.  Needless to say, being able to participate in the heifer show is a big deal. 

Cross Creek Cattle Company is the proud sponsor of Jake’s endeavor.  In addition to grass fed beef, we also sell show heifers.  He selected his heifer a year and a half ago.  Jake named her Sugar.  Since then he has had to halter break Sugar.  Even though Beefmasters are naturally docile, it takes a lot of hard work and determination to train one to follow you around like a puppy.  Responding to a halter does not come naturally to a cow. 

Then you must train them to stand correctly in the show ring.  The competitor “sets up” his/her heifer to show off desirable traits.  A nice, strong top line, length of hip, muscle, and a good udder are all examples of what the judge uses to base his/her decision. 

Because this is like a beauty pageant for cattle, the heifers are scrubbed clean.  They get the equivalent of a pedicure by a trained professional.  It is technically a hoof trimming.  We clip the heifer, too, which just means she gets a hair cut.  We do everything to make the animal look her best. 

Showing livestock is not just about the animal.  Showmanship plays a huge role.  First, the showman has to look nice.  It will also be obvious if the competitor has worked with the animal or not.  He/She has to be knowledgeable about the animal.  The judge will ask questions like, “How old is she?”, “What three breeds make up the Beefmaster breed?”, and/or ”What do you feed your heifer?”  I believe that the judge not only wants to know the answers to his/her questions, but the judge wants to interact with the contestants.  He/She also wants to see if the child has been taking care of the animal. 

Everyone at Cross Creek Cattle Company wishes Jake the best of luck.  In addition to showing Sugar next week in Houston, Jake is showing her two more times this season.  We are proud of Jake regardless of the results next week.  He has worked hard and as a result has learned a lot about cattle.  My kids already help out on the ranch.  They are our ranch hands.  I think that it is great that Jake is also getting experience in a different aspect of the cattle business: the show business.  I see a promising future for Cross Creek Cattle Company as we train the next generation.

As our country has “progressed” from an agrarian to an urban society, factory farms have replaced family farms.  Chickens were the first meat-producing animal to be raised in factories as far back as the 1920s.  Pigs and cows did not start being raised in this manner until the 1960s.  For more information about factory farming, click here.

Today most of our meat, milk, eggs, and other byproducts like butter, sour cream, etc. come from factories.  As a result, we are exposed to antibiotics and hormones from consuming the products.  Recalls are a common occurence as ground beef, spinach, or tomatoes are found to have harmful bacteria like E. coli.  It has made many consumers question, ”Is our food safe?”

In addition, people wonder, “Is there a better way to raise our food?”  At Cross Creek Cattle Company, we know first-hand that there is a growing demand for all-natural beef.  From the emails and phone calls we get, it is evident that people are also wanting pastured chickens and eggs, pork, raw milk, etc.  There is a whole movement of people wanting to get back to the basics.

If you are wanting to learn about factory farming or are looking for a teaching tool to show where most of our meat is produced today, then watch “The Meatrix” below.  Warning: it is not for the faint of heart.  If you don’t want to know, then please don’t watch.  There are several sequels and more information about what you can do on The Meatrix website.

If you are looking for all-natural, grass fed beef without antibiotics or hormones, then contact me at lndehaven@aol.com or leave a comment below to get on our waiting list. We are a family-owned and operated ranch with a mission.  Our mission is to produce lean, flavorful beef for our family’s table and yours.

It is that time of year.  We are trying to stock our freezer with meat in addition to grass fed beef.  My son, Clayton, is deer hunting.  We have a fenced off area for the deer feeder.  It sprays a small amount of corn every morning for the deer.  Our cows cannot get to the corn.

My dad has hunted most of his adult life, but now he is more content watching the deer and other wildlife than killing them.  Instead he allows Clayton to hunt.

For Christmas last year, my family gave my dad a wildlife camera.  It is a motion-activated camera that you place outdoors in any area prone to have wildlife.  You can set it on still photography or videos.  It can take either day or night.

My husband set it up for my dad recently, but accidentally set the camera to record videos.  When he uploaded the videos from the camera’s SD card, we were surprised by the amount of feral hogs the camera caught in action.

Wild hogs are a nuisance for the most part.  In one evening they can tear up a small pasture.  They dig down into the soil with their snouts looking for worms, bugs, and tender roots.  The boars have tusks and can grow to weigh about 300 pounds in our area; although, wild boars have been known to grow to massive sizes.  They also will fight to protect their family.  Luckily for us, the hogs prefer to move about during the night.  We don’t have to worry about riding or walking up into a herd of wild swine.

Young hogs are tasty if you can get one that weighs no more or less than 75 pounds.  The meat is great to add to venison for real wild game sausage.  You can also just make pork sausage.  Wild hog tamales are delicious.  Smoking a ham is also good, but don’t expect a honey baked ham taste.  Wild hog meat is more flavorful than domestic hogs.  It is a darker meat probably from all the exercise the hogs get foraging for food.

At Cross Creek Cattle Company we have to control the population of these feral animals.  Our cattle depend on grass.  You cannot have wild hogs ruining your pastures and tearing up your grasses.  We set out hog traps that pose no threat to our cattle.

The hogs roam for miles all along the countryside.  So only occasionally do they find themselves on our ranch.  They are not a constant problem.  Thanks to our wildlife camera we know they are back.  It is time to bait the traps and hopefully put back some tasty pork for the winter.

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.