Farming Practices
How we raise our Beef:
We raise all the hay, corn and barley that our animals receive right here on the 980 acres we call our ranch. There are no imported feeds, no hormones implanted and no antibiotics used.
Many people enjoy the tenderness of grain fed beef, you won’t be disappointed here. Our beef is marbled and flavorful with an added compliment of a full 21 days of dry aging.
Dry Aging–What is that?
Dry aging is an old fashioned practice used to tenderize and intensify the flavor. Once a common practice, today it is harder to find. You might even call it “artisan beef.” Larger processors find it more difficult to offer because it requires an extra commitment of time (12-21 days) and space (enough room to hang each harvested beef without touching).
Some of the finer restaurants search out suppliers who can provide dry aged meat because they know their customers will appreciate the extra tenderness and flavor that dry aging provides. When meat is prepared by dry aging it means that the harvested beef is hung in a special, refrigerated room for 15 to 21 days where the meat shrinks and moisture and fat diminish. The end result is beef that is leaner, has increased tenderness and is more flavorful.
No Till
This planting method uses a special seeder implement designed to get the seed into the ground without plowing. Rather than several passes with the tractor to:
[1] plow (break up the soil)
[2] disc (break down the large clods)
[3] harrow (break down everything else to make a fine seed bed)
[4] actually planting the seed
“No Till” plants the seed the first time right in the stubble of the last crop. All the organic matter and crop residue is left on top of the ground to decompose naturally helping to conserve moisture and making a friendly environment for healthy microbial activity & earthworms which loosen the soil and allow irrigation water to penetrate. “No Till” method does require some minimal herbicide use to control weeds as the crops first emerge. The overall result is less compaction of the soil by fewer heavy tractor passes on the field and thus less fuel used; better water reception of the soil and more moisture retention due to the mulching effect of the old crop residue; better soil conservation due to more protection from wind erosion; higher earthworm population; all while producing crops that yield comparably to traditional farming practices. We have been practicing “No Till” farming for the past 5 years.
Irrigation
As a conservation measure we have installed three center pivots which water our fields with special low pressure sprinklers that water the crops much like a natural rainfall. Low pressure irrigation allows the water to actually penetrate our fine volcanic soil instead of running off and causing harmful erosion to the seeded areas and beyond.
Hawk Perches
On our ranch there are a number of specially built landing places for birds of prey. We regularly view Red Tailed Hawks, Harris and Swainson Hawks, Kestrels and others using our perches. See our Birds of Prey page for more details and pictures of a few of our unusual sculptured perches.
Biofuels
By growing soybeans and sunflowers and the use of a cold-press, we are crushing the oil from these seeds. The remaining dry mater (cake) is excellent cattle feed and the oil is then cut with gasoline and then filtered so it can be ran in our diesel equipment.