Livestock

We raise heritage breeds that are family-friendly, easy on the land and have hardy constitutions. Too many of the livestock breeds raised for high-quantity commercial meat operations have a poor quality of life, even in well-managed healthy environments, because they have been bred and genetically modified to grow too fast for their physiological systems to sustain. We have chosen slower-growing breeds that develop at rates their bodies can sustain, although they tend to be less profitable from the producer standpoint. Our animals are part of our family. We do the very best we can to ensure that they have a healthy and happy life while they are in our care.

Dexter/Highland/White Park cattle

All three of these are hardy heritage breeds originating from the UK. They are dual-purpose cattle, providing excellent quality meat and milk—a good choice for a small family farm. Our cattle are small, typically weighing around 600-700 lbs at maturity. That means a reasonably sized steak or chop that is easy on the budget and on the waistline! We allow our steers to grow slowly for high-quality and flavorful meat, therefore they aren’t ready to be processed until reaching 18-24 months.

Icelandic sheep

We adore these efficient and beautiful sheep. They come in a wide range of colors and patterns, with a gorgeous dual-coat fleece. The long outer coat of the fleece is called tog and the short fine inner coat is the pel, each of which can be used by hand-spinners to create fantastic and durable woolen products. The meat is very fine-grained and delicate; ewes also produce a high-quality milk, which we eventually hope to use for the production of Icelandic skyr cheese!

Red Wattle/Berkshire/Tamworth pigs

We cannot say enough good things about these pigs—they are friendly and safe around the kids, wonderful mothers, and produce the most delicious bacon. These breeds are listed as heritage breeds that do quite well in pasture-based foraging systems like ours. The meat is typically lean but carcasses also provide an ample quantity of fat for lard rendering.

Jersey Giant chickens

Whoa, these chickens get gigantic! Our rooster, Raptor, is a fine specimen of a bird and helps the hens lay delicious and healthy fertile eggs. We are currently selling only eggs as we build up the flock, but eventually we will have pastured meat birds for sale as well. We also have a few hens of other breeds, which are gradually being replaced with our Jerseys.