Frequently Asked Questions
We welcome questions and appreciate when customers take the time to ask them. Here are a few we are often asked. If you don’t find an answer to your question, please feel free to email, call, text or direct message us on social media. We also included a few links at the very bottom to other excellent resources.
- Is all the meat you sell raised on your ranch? Yes! Each cut we sell is from an animal that was born and raised on our ranch. Only a small percentage of our animals enter our beef program. The majority of our calves are shipped at 6-7 months of age to be finished at feedlots around Western Canada. The beef we sell this way eventually ends up in grocery stores and restaurants across the country and around the world.
- Do you butcher your own beef? No. While it would be amazing to have the flexibility to process our own animals, we do not have the time, space or skills. We work closely with our nearest custom, provincially inspected butcher shop. They provide slaughter services, hang our animals for a minimum of 14 days prior to cutting and wrapping to our specifications. They also take care of all of our smoked product preparation and packaging. They are amazing and we appreciate the relationship we have built with them over the years.
- Are your animals raised on native prairie? In our area of Saskatchewan, there are very few pockets that have been untouched by either the plow or logging. We are very fortunate to have the west side of Prince Albert National Park nearby and can wander the fescue meadows and watch plains bison roam, but the majority of our own pastures are considered tame, a mixture of smoothbrome grass and forbs. However, with proper management, we do see a slow resurgence of native species. We will never be able to graze true native prairie again, but we continually work towards a healthy ecosystem that promotes the return of native plant species for the benefit of our cow herd and the flora and fauna we share it with.
- What do you feed your cows? We keep our cow herd all year long. So spring, summer and fall is dedicated to growing and harvesting feed that we then feed throughout the winter. From about June until October/November, our cows graze grasses and forbs in our pastures. We rotate through our pastures ensuring they are not grazed too heavily to negatively impact the plant regrowth. While the cows are on grass, we spend the three seasons planting, caring for and harvesting a variety of other feed sources. We currently plant corn and cereal grain mixes each spring that we harvest in the fall and turn into silage. The whole plant, seed and stalk are chopped into uniform pieces then piled and compressed to allow for fermentation. The fermentation process preserves the feed value and results in a highly palatable feed for our cow herd. We cut, rake and bale brome/alfalfa hay from our fields under permanent plant cover that we mix with the silage or feed by itself. We also utilize straw from neighbouring grain farmers as a source of roughage. We test our feed and work with an animal nutritionist to develop the optimal feed blend for our cow herd based on the stage of gestation they are at. Growing calves during our harsh prairie winters can spell disaster for a cow herd if the feed is poor so we work hard to ensure they are receiving the best nutrition possible.
- If your meat antibiotic and hormone free? Before we answer this question, we have this to say, we will always promote our beef for what it is, and never for what it isn’t. Terms like antibiotic and hormone free are, in our opinion, fear-based marketing terms that prey on consumers’ potentially limited knowledge of how food is raised or produced.
- To answer the above question and it’s a long answer, so we appreciate you taking the time to read to the end. Antibiotics are a tool available to livestock producers. Producers have the responsibility to use this tool in a safe and effective way. It is illegal in Canada to sell an animal for slaughter if it has been treated with antibiotics and has not completed the recommended withdrawal time. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA - Food Safety Info for Consumers) regularly and randomly tests carcasses to ensure antibiotic and hormone residue limits set by Health Canada are met. On our ranch, we do occasionally use antibiotics, under the guidance of our veterinarian, to treat illnesses and injuries. Antibiotics are a tool to help ensure our herd remains healthy and productive. In Canada, since 2018, ALL antibiotics, medications and vaccines must have a prescription from a veterinarian. We have an excellent relationship with our vet. He visits our ranch 2-3 times a year to test our bulls for breeding soundness and our cows for pregnancy. We also talk to him dozens of times throughout the year to discuss our herd health program and any issues that arise that may require treatment. We haven't facetimed him at 2 am yet, but I'm sure we could if we needed to.
- In the case of hormones. We do not use them on our ranch as we have chosen to use premium bull genetics to achieve a high and uniform rate of growth in our calves. Hormones are another tool available to livestock producers and feedlots to optimize feed and improve carcass performance while reducing impacts on the environment.
Here are a couple more links to organizations that have great information on beef production and all sectors of agriculture.