We raise our beef on just a few things: the pasture and whatever grows in it, water, organic kelp and a salt lick.
Our fields are fenced all around the perimeter, and then we use strings of electric fence to keep the cattle in small segments. We use this mob and move method for the benefit of the cows, the land, the dung beetles, the worms and the chickens & turkeys!
Since our chicken and turkey pens are moved every day the grass needs to be short so that the wheels can roll. The cows are tremendous consumers of grass so we keep them in small sections just ahead of the the poultry pens. 28 days after the cows begin moving in this way over the field, dung beetles appear! (We had no idea that there are dung beetles native to America, until they appeared on our land.) And then proceeded to drill holes in the ground, to a depth of about 6 inches, for the perfect spot to lay their eggs. And then the worms appeared... millions of them across our 4 acre plot. And the best thing: as we watched the amount of flies increase, Homer and I considered some form of chemical to reduce the fly population. The cattle looked so uncomfortable and we did not know another way to reduce the quantity of flies. Then the next day 1,000 or so small birds appeared, sort of a blue/grey color. Turns out, they are native flycatchers and they ate up every single fly!
The result? Tender, delicious beef. Slow roasted, used in stews and soups, grilled off the flame on the barbecue... wonderful meals. And people tell us the same stories as they do about our chicken: the fat content is so low, it does not leave much behind in the pan.
