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Raising grass-fed beef is as much an art as it is a science. The irony is that we have to learn it at all over again.

For thousands of years cattle grazed the open grasses. It was the unfortunate path of confinement cattle raising that introduced "bringing the food to the cows."

But now we are re-learning how to grow cattle that avoid the acidosis that leads to E.Coli problems.

Books we can recommend for those wanting to learn more about "How to Raise Grass-fed Beef" include:

"Greener Pastures on Your Side of the Fence" by Bill Murphy

Greener Pastures

"Grass Fed Cattle"
by Julius Ruechel

Grassfed Cattle

"The Grass fed Gourmet Cookbook" by Shannon Hayes

Grassfed Gourmet

Grassfed to finish "Grass Fed to Finish"
by Allan Nation  

All of these are available from our friends at AcresUSA. and The Stockman Grass Farmer.

The Market

1610 Hill Avenue
Spirit Lake, Iowa

and

Wheatsfield Coop

413 Douglas Avenue
Ames, Iowa

Or you can contact us.

Grass-fed beef

TenderHeart Beef

At Thankful Harvest Farm our cattle are bred for success on pasture. We pay close attention to genetics, disposition and health. TenderHeart Beef We breed those that are happy and productive. Those that are not are sold to conventional producers.

We employ a system of Management Intensive Grazing which moves the herd from pasture to pasture on a planned cycle that optimizes the quality of the food the cows find.

Our cows have free access to fresh air, sunlight, water and safe, open spaces.

USDA Certified Organic

The Diet

We feed our cattle a 100% vegetarian diet with NO animal by products. That's the way they naturally eat.

In Winter, when grazing is severely limited, our cattle are fed a grass and legume mix that is harvested from our pastures and specially prepared and stored in sufficient quantities for the season.
Good Grass

The Grass

Dr. William Albrecht noted that if the "nutrients are not in the soil then they will not be in the food."

Soil Mineralization is a process of adding nutrient life to soil and pasture, rather than just drawing from it.

Beyond satisfying all of the requirements for our fields to be Certified Organic, we apply naturally occurring compounds to restore the balance of minerals and nutrients our soils require as a healthy, living system.

Regular soil sample analyses guide us so that we can receive nature's bounty without taking away from its long term health and productivity.

All products are sold as processed ready to prepare. Order now.

Here are our sheep on grass.

Katahdin Sheep

And our Pastured Poultry

Pastured Poultry