OUR FARM
Since 2004, our family farm has been cultivating productive land and producing high-quality, nutritious food for our community all year long.
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With over 300 certified organic acres at our home farm in Junction City, we raise six species of animals following intensive grazing practices and regenerative farming methods that are focused on building soil, air and plant health. From animal husbandry to cured meat production, we are involved in every phase of livestock farming.
We strive for sustainability in our growing practices and business by holding ourselves accountable to the environment, our customers, and ourselves in a way that honors the past and prepares for the future. Our conservation initiatives have included wetland, riparian, and forest restoration projects.
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Our Animals
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Grass-fed Cattle
Our cows are raised and finished the way nature intended – on 100% grass, herbs, and clover. During the winter months, our cattle are fed balage, a method for fermenting spring-time forage which provides a high quality diet and consistent rates of gain throughout the year. This results in a beef product that has more beneficial fatty acids (from the 100% forage based diet), is higher in flavor, and maintains tenderness.
Heritage Pigs
We allow our hogs to root around in open pastures and oak woodlands during the Spring, Summer, and Fall and feed them a diet of dairy, hazelnuts and our custom-milled grains. Their well-rounded diet, exercise, and access to pasture results in a high quality, flavorful meat that consistently draws praise from people up and down the Willamette Valley.
Pastured Chickens & Turkeys
Our pasture-raised broilers are raised in fields where up to 20% of their diet is grass, herbs, and clover. The birds are moved daily to fresh forage, keeping them well-fed and happy. We also raise Bourbon, Bronze, and White Turkeys. All birds are raised on pasture and housed at night to prevent predation.
Organic Pasture Raised Laying Hens
Our Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth laying hens are housed in our custom-built mobile hen houses. They are moved twice/ week 10 months out of the year on pasture. As our layers roam outside and forage on grass and eat bugs, the eggs are high in Omega-3’s. Laying hens also play a vital role in our pasture management as they contribute to the fertility of our soils through their manure, as well as help break up parasite life cycles for our other livestock species like cattle, sheep, and pigs.
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Spring Lamb
Our lambs are raised and rotated on pastures throughout the year. We will occasionally graze our lambs on other organic land. These are either dedicated pastures or cover crops on other organic farms.
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Certifications
Salmon Safe certification is a designation given to farms that meet specific criteria aimed at protecting salmon habitat and water quality. Farms that are certified as Salmon Safe have implemented practices that minimize their impact on salmon and their ecosystems.
By being certified American Grass-Fed, a farm demonstrates its commitment to sustainable and ethical farming practices. It provides consumers with the assurance that the meat and dairy products from the farm come from animals that have been raised in a natural and humane manner.
When a farm is certified organic by Oregon Tilth, it means that the farm has met the organic standards and regulations set by Oregon Tilth, which is a leading organic certification agency. These standards ensure that the farm follows sustainable farming practices, avoids the use of synthetic chemicals, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and irradiation, and meets the specific requirements set by Oregon Tilth for organic certification.
Animal Health Practices
Herd health is checked 2 times per year by OSU veterinarians. We are very conservative in what is administered to animals and can afford to be conservative given our organic & rotation grazing practices.
Here is a list of the products administered to our animals:
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Newborn beef:
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Vit A and D - Calves can sometimes become deficient in first 6 months so we
preempt that risk -
Mineral supplement BoSe - Selenium is a mineral found in soil. Without it the animal will not develop muscles properly. Willamette Valley soil is “young” meaning it was only recently deposited by volcanic activity and is therefore lacking in naturally occurring selenium, requiring selenium supplementation. This is only required in a few places in the US. After that initial dose at birth, all cattle are provided free choice selenium and other minerals.
Beef:
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Antibiotics - if the animal has pneumonia and is in danger of dying or if they have uterine prolapse, antibiotics will be administered. When they are treated this way they are sold at auction as a live animal. We do not sell that animal as meat. The practice of giving prophylactic antibiotics in feed or water is not practiced by our farm.
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Wormer medicine - If the animal looks thin and has worm infection they will be treated. This is rare at our farm (less than 1% of our cows) because we rotate our cows using high intensity rotational grazing.
Dairy:
Same as beef treatments plus:
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Tuberculosis screening: Dairy cows are tested for TB which involves a small injection titre test
Chicken:
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No treatments at all.
Pigs (sows and piglets):
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Vaccines - Our farm vaccinates to prevent against leptospirosis, parvovirus and erysipelas
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Wormer - Iron injections are given to piglets to prevent worms