Farming Practices at Bedient Farms
Here at Bedient Farms we practice an ALL NATURAL, grass-based and sustainable approach to farming. The main focus is to raise quality meat through a process that is friendly to our animals, our land and our community.
OUR BEEF
The process begins with raising a breed of cattle that will rear and raise a healthy, stocky calf. I currently run a heard of 80 shorthorn-cross brood cows. The Shorthorn, Hereford and Angus cows are crossed with Angus, Hereford, and Shorthorn bulls with the results being small-framed calves that finish well on a primarily grass-based diet.
All of the animals sold for beef are born on our 200+ acres of rotationally grazed pastures. Since we do live in NY state, winter brings rain and snow and in turn mud, therefore the animals are transitioned to stored feeds in the winter such as grass and alfalfa hay along with some corn silage.
Over the years I have transitioned away from the use of grain in the growing and finishing process to a grazing and forage focused system. But, since I still use some corn silage to provide energy in the animal's diet during the cold winter months I am still not confident in marketing 100% grassfed beef year round. Therefore I continue to use the label NATURAL, with my definition being pasture-raised, forage-based, 100% artificial growth hormone and antibiotic free! We do on occasion offer 100% grassfed animals as we are able to raise SOME this way.
As a customer and consumer of Bedient Beef you should feel confident that the animals are being raised as much on pasture as possible and when they aren't grazing they are still being cows! They are eating forage and ruminating like God designed them to do! And because of this you are eating healthy beef!
OUR PORK
At this time we are not set up to have sows for breeding and do not rear our own piglets. So instead, the hogs that we finish for pork are purchased as 40-50 pound feeder pigs from very reputable, local sources. We are very picky when we procure these pigs to insure that they have never been administered any shots of any kind and have been raised in happy, healthy conditions. We end up purchasing feeders from a few different farms in order to meet our demand, therefore we raise several different breeds of hogs.
From the time they arrive at our farms they are fed a diet of hay and grain, all of which is now Non-GMO! Again because of the weather, the hogs are not always foraging around, they can be very destructive if the conditions are not right. But they ALWAYS have access to forage and are raised in small groups!
We do our best to raise the finest quality pork and have found that we can yield a very flavorful and nutrient dense pork by having forage available at all times (grass or hay) and by feeding barley in our grain ration.
OUR POULTRY
The chickens (Cornish Cross) and turkeys arrive on our farms as day-old chicks and are started in a brooder house or area within one of our hoop houses. For two to three weeks the chicks have access to a starter grain (Non-GMO and procured locally) and learn to eat, drink and thrive.
After this start period they are allowed to be 100% free-range, enjoying a diet of grass and insects as they see fit. They also have access to grain and water and are typically housed in a shed at night where they roost safely away from predators.
JUST ASK!
Please, please please feel free to ask questions. That is why I do what I do. I strive to provide you and your family with food that you can feel confident is good for your health and is produced and marketed in a way that will keep my farm a farm for years to come!
