It’s Good to Know Your Beef
Before you choose a particular brand of beef, it’s important to know a little more about it. Many people are becoming more discerning about where their food comes from, and for good reason. Here are some important questions to ask about beef before you buy:
Where Does Your Beef Come From?
The majority of cattle in the United States are finished or “fattened up” in feedlots. Most beef available in supermarkets is feedlot finished.
At Rafter W Ranch we like to do things differently. Our cattle are born on our ranch in Simla, Colorado and spend their entire lives here being tended to by our family and employees that are like family.
How Was It Raised?
A feedlot is essentially a collection of small pens grouped together. Within these pens, cattle destined for consumption are crowded together with just enough room to lay down for 6 to 8 months. These feedlot operations are of increasing concern due to waste runoff impacting nearby streams and the environment.
Rafter W Ranch cattle spend their days grazing lush meadows and laying under shade trees. The only confinement they experience allows them plenty of room to roam. Even with ample space, they are moved to fresh pastures daily (sometimes twice daily) in a rotational grazing system which actually improves our soil and our grass.
What Did It Eat?
Cattle kept in close quarters feedlot confinement are fed a ration containing mostly GMO corn, soy, and roughage, but also animal by-products, hormones, and routine preventive antibiotics.
Rafter W Ranch cattle eat grass. The only time they are not eating fresh green grass is during the winter when they are eating locally sourced grass hay. We do provide “free choice” mineral supplements as allowed by the American Grassfed Association (AGA). We have partnered with the AGA and the Audubon Society to help us improve our pastures and do what is best for our land and the environment.
Know Your Beef and Don’t Settle for Anything Less
Don’t settle for beef you don’t know. You can order prime beef from Rafter W Ranch and support an operation that raises beef the way you would raise it if you could.