A. Absolutely, we'd be glad to.  Feel free to give us a call any time between 7 am and  9 pm MST and we'll help you with the forms and everything else.  Our cell phone number is 575-403-6904, and the ranch phone is 575-487-2419.

A. Yes, you can send us one Order Form for each of you, no problem.  You will still be billed the lower price of ordering a whole beef if you send in all your individual order forms together with one check for the total deposit, and then again one check for the remainder when we know the weight of the meat you receive. It is best if you designate one individual to be our contact person.

Q.  What is the best time of year to order our beef to get the very best quality?

A.  Since our beef is grass fed and grass finished, the very best time to harvest the beef for ultimate quality would be from May through October.  We harvest beef year round, however, some winters are harsher than others, and when it happens, we prefer not to harvest any beef as the quality, as well as the quantity, is compromised due to weather.  In these instances, we contact the customer and suggest postponing the harvest date to allow the cattle to recuperate from the inclement weather conditions. 

Q.  How early should I place my order?

A.  We have scheduled harvest dates in every month of the year.  Our USDA Inspected small family Custom Processor,  accepts a limited number of animals to be harvested.  Therefore we schedule a certain number of steers every month, the majority of them being between May and October.   When they are sold, your beef order would be for the next available harvest date.  Therefore, I would suggest you place your order as soon as possible.  Since your beef will be custom processed, your beef is still grazing in the pastures when you place your order.  The earliest your beef would be ready is in one month, but you can expect to wait two months for your meat. If it is more than two months, we will contact you upon receipt of your order.  Remember that once the beef is harvested, it will be dry-aged for 21days, then cut and wrapped into portion sized packages as per your instructions on your Order Form, then frozen and packaged into boxes.  If you have any questions please contact us - Mimi's cell phone number is 575-403-6904, and the ranch phone is 575-487-2419, or send us an email.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MEAT

Q.  I have never eaten grass fed beef.  How do I know I will like it?

Q.  Is your beef organic, and what is the difference between organic and natural?

A.  Our beef is not certified organic.  Organic certification is costly and involves a lot of time spent on paper work etc.  We would have to pass that cost on to our customers.  We try instead to keep the cost down so we can offer affordable beef that is essentially organically grown but we cannot call it organic since it is not certified.  

The difference between "organic" and "natural" can vary depending on the individual beef producer, what they mean by "natural".  As of now there is no USDA standard for "natural".  In our case, natural means that our beef are raised naturally their whole lives - they are born in the pasture, raised by their mammas in the pasture, and live their whole lives in the pastures.  The beef you buy has never ever been given any antibiotics, hormones of any kind, GMO's, animal by-products, or pesticides.  Our pastures are never fertilized or sprayed with pesticides.  They never spend any time in a confined area such as a feedlot.  They are grass fed and grass finished.

"Certified organic beef" does not necessarily mean that it is grass fed or grass finished; The USDA organic program rules only stipulate that beef cattle must spend at least 120 days a year in pastures and that they receive at least 30% of their dry matter intake from the pasture.  

Q.  Does your grass fed beef differ from others also selling natural grassfed beef?

A.  Yes, for the most part it is.  The majority of cattle producers selling their beef to individuals butcher their beef at 
18 - 24 month of age weighing 1,100 to 1,200 pounds live.  At this weight and age, the meat requires a substantial amount of fat and marbling to be tender.  Without the fat the meat would be very tough.  Also, many organic or grass fed producers actually purchase year-old calves from somewhere else and sell them later as natural, grass fed or organic beef.  

We harvest our beef at a younger age, anywhere from a year old to 14 month of age, weighing between 650 and  
850 lb live.  Because of the young age, our meat is very lean, while still tender and very flavorful.  Also, our calves are all born and raised right here on our ranch, and they never leave the ranch until harvest day.

Q.  What are the health benefits of eating your natural, grass fed beef versus store bought beef? 

A. The health benefits are numerous;  The lean, natural grass fed beef that you buy from us, has more vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and a number of health-promoting fats, including omega-3 fatty acids and “conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than feed-lot finished beef.  Also, our grass fed beef has less total fat, less saturated fat, less cholesterol and less calories.  If you eat a typical amount of beef (66.5 pounds a year), switching to lean grassfed beef will save you 17,733 calories a year.  Grass fed beef and bison have approximately the same amount of fat and are, in our opinion, very similar in flavor.

Q.  You say you dry-aged your beef for 21 days.  What does that do and what does it mean?

A. Dry ageing allows for tenderizing of the beef to occur naturally.  The beef carcass is hanging in a refrigerated, temperature and humidity controlled, cool room, for 21 days after harvest and prior to cutting into portion sized packages as per your Order Form.   

During the dry ageing period, moisture evaporates from the muscle creating a greater concentration of beefy flavor and taste. Secondly, the beef’s natural enzymes break down the fibrous, connective tissue in the muscle, tenderizing it.  Dry ageing will add some shrinkage of the carcass.

Before the 80s dry aged beef was common. Then it became too costly and time consuming to dry age, and commercial beef is now packaged and frozen immediately following the butchering. You will usually find dry aged beef in select high quality steak houses and fine restaurants, at a price!

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CATTLE AND THE RANCH

Q.  Humane handling of animals is important to me.  How do you handle your cattle?

A. We handle our cattle in a stress-free manner.  Not only does it make it easier for us to be around our cattle when they are quiet and calm but stress can also affect the quality of your meat.  This is a top priority for us.  We "train" the cattle not to fear us, whether we show up horseback, on our fourwheeler, in a pickup or on foot, by approaching in a non-threatening, quiet manner, and "reading" each cows tolerance for how close she feels comfortable with having us around.  Over time they learn that we are not a threat to them, or their calves, and are easy to handle, move to new pastures etc.  The calves, when weaned in the fall, are by then very gentle and used to human interaction.  Human interaction is otherwise what causes the most stress to cattle.

Q.  Do you take care of your ranch in an environmentally sound manner?

A. Yes. In managing our ranch and pastures using holistic range management practices, we rotate the cattle through our many pastures frequently, to allow for long rest periods and short  grazing periods.  In fact, our pastures receive an average of 315 days of rest every year, while being grazed for an average of only 5 days three times a year.  This promotes a maximum of grass growth during the growing season.  It also gives the wildlife exclusive access to 90% of the ranch at any time of the year.  We have received several range stewardship and range management awards over the years because of our hard work in this area.  We live on the ranch, and spend our entire days on the ranch.  We love this land, and want to allow it to be the best it can.  Human intervention over many years, such as fire suppression and continuous grazing, building of roads etc.  have caused an over-growth of invasive species and undesirable grasses to take over these arid lands of the south west.  We are working hard at restoring the land on our ranch to its ultimate ecological state.  Factors such as droughts and rising costs make this difficult, however, we will persevere!

Q.  Can I come and visit the ranch and the cattle and meet you in person?

A. Yes, absolutely, we welcome visitors to our ranch.  We will also have an "open house" day in the summer when we invite our customers, as well as other interested people, to bring their friends and family for a day at the ranch.