How it works on the Farm

 

 

CowsBeefWater Buffalo

All of our animals are born and raised on the same farm and are soy-free, GMO-free, antibiotic and hormone free throughout their lives from birth. Our commitment to 100% chemical-free farming means that we are dedicated to environmentally sustainable production practices, exactly how it was done before the advent of “modern” farming. The farm’s land is never sprayed with harmful chemicals, only natural fertilizers are used, necessary to build healthy soil.
We treat our animals with respect and provide not just shelter for them, we take pride in feeding them their native foods and as the seasons allow, our animals are raised in the open fields as nature intended. We have a ZERO cruelty policy and go above and beyond to avoid suffering.
To graze our cattle and make sure their grass intake is at its best and most nutritious – while not harming our pastures or the environment – we use a management technique called Rotational Grazing.
It is a very neat but astoundingly simple system. We aim to mimic the herding and movement patterns of ancient herds of ruminates. This method has been scientifically proven as the absolute best soil rebuilding and carbon sequestering method.
We fence off sections of our green pastures into different paddocks. We then give the cows a section of fresh grass in the morning and another section in the evening. In this way the cows move forward onto fresh grass every day and leave their manure behind to fertilize the grass so it can re-grow rapidly.
Some days later when the cows have made a complete circle over the entire pasture, the grass has re-grown about 12 to 18 inches so they have fresh young grass to eat for another rotation.

 

During the bounty of the SUMMER, the grass is growing faster than our cattle can eat it. We closely watch the maturity of the extra pastures and cut them at the ultimate nutritional point – to store the grass for WINTER feeding. The best grass is infused with plenty of sunshine – so the ultimate cutting point will be when the blades of the grass split in two – and the sunshine has penetrated those spaces within.

 

Some of this grass we dehydrate – by leaving it lie in the sun – will be below 15% moisture. We will store this dehydrated grass in the barn as dry “hay”. It keeps well since it is very low moisture and makes excellent winter feed for the herd.
Another method we use for storing the summer’s bounty – is to pack the still moist grass and other herbs and weeds that grow on our pasture – into large plastic bags to ferment the hay to Haylidge. After packing the grass into the bags, we seal the bag tightly to reduce oxygen – and allow it to go through at least a 60 day fermentation period. The end product smells a little like sauerkraut. The cows just love it!
Like all stored or preserved food, the dry grass and the fermented grass is not quite as perfect as the fresh grass of spring, summer and fall. You can see the difference in color of the milk and cream produced in the summertime vs the colder months. In the summertime all of our dairy products are more yellow/orange in color.
We only feed a small % of the Haylidge, as that type of grass is too acidic to be eaten alone and in a rather large quantity. So we mix the Haylidge with plenty of dry hay to find the ideal ph balance.
To be sure the cattle nutritional needs are always met, we measure and mix supplemental mineral and vitamins and a blend of organic black strap molasses with the stored grasses for optimal balance.

Pastured Chicken       

We grow our chickens and turkeys on our lush pastures. We always move them to new grass every day, following the cow’s path… Sometimes we move them morning and evening. This moving is extremely important. It allows our birds to forage a diet of bugs, grubs, flies and maggots and a complete salad bar of plants and grasses. This high foraging content of their diet makes their meat extra high in CLA and Omega 3 “good fats”. You may even notice the difference in the more yellow look of the fat and skin. To supplement their pasture diet, they also have a mix of a free choice organic soy-free feed, which contains a specially formulated blend of heirloom corn, peas, lentils, barley, molasses, fish meal, flax seed, Enzymes, Probiotics, DE, kelp, and a nutri-balancer which has lots of vitamins, and minerals. DE is a diatomaceous earth powder that naturally kills parasites and pathogens.
Even in the cold winter when snow is covering the ground, the chickens as well as the cattle still find some fresh grass under the snow blanket and soak up a little sunshine. There might not be abundance, but the routine is the same. We do add more dried peas to the poultry mix, to increase the protein content during the colder months.
All of our poultry is 100% Soy-free, GMO-free, Antibiotic-Free and Hormone-Free.
If you are looking for truly free roaming, nutritious poultry you need to know how to ask the right questions…. Are they on Lush pasture?…Soy-free diet? …and how often are the shelters moved? If the growing environment is different, the chicken will simply not be the same. The cleanness & purity of a pastured chicken is directly proportional to the pureness of their environment and diet.

Pastured Fertile Eggs 

Our truly pastured chickens (and Ducks) are free to run, scratch, and fly on the lush green pasture and they still have their beaks – and YES, roosters are there as well, so ALL of our Eggs are fertile.
Most eggs, even certified organic eggs, come from de-beaked hens. We never de-beak our chickens. We leave their beaks because the chickens need their beaks to eat the grass and insects that gives their eggs the rich color, taste and nutrition which you have come to love and expect.
Our chickens follow our cows in the rotation through their lush pastures. They have a symbiotic relationship with each other. The chickens and cows are in their heaven because they run free and have lots of bugs and grass to eat.
We move the Egg Mobiles to fresh grass every morning. This assures that our chickens always have a fresh scratch area for grass, herbs, worms and bugs. Moving them daily also keeps the chickens moved away from yesterday’s droppings. It is the best for the health of our soil, the grass, and the chickens too.
The same is true for our free range Ducks. Our ducks are year round engaging in outdoor activities, free roaming on the farm, eating grasses and algae from the ponds, insects, worms and a little bit of substituted, organic and soy free feed.
All of our eggs are nourishing and brimming with nutrients and a dark colored yolk. The color of the yolk is reflecting the diet of any poultry. The more grasses and bugs – the darker orange the yolk will be.

Whey-Fed Pork    

 

Hogs are the farm’s garbage disposal. They are a very important part of the symbiotic relationship and operation to any farm. They fill a niche by consuming the by-products from our own food production system.
Our pigs are given organic oats, soaked in raw skim milk and whey from our cheese making with the addition of a little heirloom corn.
Whey good pork is simply the best pork you can buy. It is raised responsibly without confinement, the use of antibiotics, chemical fertilizers, or pesticides. You can be assured that the pork reaching your table is nutrient-dense, pure, and incredibly delicious.

 

What is Whey? Whey is the liquid drained from the milk solids in the cheese making process. It is comprised of lactose, water, and protein. It smells and tastes delicious!

 

Additionally, our hogs enjoy to eat anything leftover from our Farmers meal – and the Miller’s eat the very same foods we members enjoy while feasting from their harvest. Some folks say our hogs eat a “cleaner” diet than most Americans!
Our pigs are raised the ancient, traditional way. They have plenty outdoor access to forage for fresh grass, roots, and anything else they can dig up with their snouts, a mud puddle to bathe, with room to run and develop their muscles. This is imparting flavor a confinement operation cannot match and is resulting in contented, healthy animals and delicious, nutrient-dense pork.
We grow the heritage breed of pigs which is known to be quite a bit more fatty, such as Tamworth or Old English Blacks. But due to their diet, they produce award winning tender and flavorful meats.

Join us

We hope you will find this information helpful and we are looking forward to providing you with good, healthy and nutritious food. We prepare and grow our food with the tried and true wisdom from our previous generations and according to the principles from Dr. Weston A. Price.
Thank you for your support here at Miller’s Organic Farm. We are looking forward to receive your orders through the Pastured Farm Food Club.

 

Learn more about Dr. Weston A. Price here