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Raising beef in a sustainable, responsible manner:
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| This heifer is about eleven months old (May, 2007) |
The pasture-raised heifers are raised without added hormones. No antibiotics were added to their food or
administered to them.
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Our cows are always "free range" and are fed only grass. We also provide the cows salt, and a natural kelp
supplement for other trace minerals. As the cows range free, manure accumulation is not a problem.
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| Cool season pasture (fescue, clover, orchard grass) |
The white tapes in this picture are the moveable electric fence that provides the "paddocks" in the rotational grazing
pattern. This process moves the heifers from one paddock to another every two or three days, thus allowing the grass a chance
to recover.
The pastures are surrounding by pine groves in various stages of growth from six feet to over thirty feet tall.
Water for the animals is from a 500 foot deep well.
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The pastures were planned to include brushy, natural areas for the cows to have a shade area as well as a wind-block
area for winter. While a cow shed is available for shade and for winter feeding (hay only), we find that the cows appear
to enjoy the brushy areas over the cow shed shade.
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| Cows in larger shade shed area |
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| Cow shed with brush areas around it for shade |
The pastures are herbicide-free, and were planted in late 2004 and early 2005. The cool season grass
is a mixture of Max-Q fescue, clover, and orchard grass. The warm season pasture is Bermuda. Both the cool season
and warm season pastures have a good additional mixture of native, self-seeded greenery.
In addition, natural areas were left between pastures (some are up to twenty feet across and the length of the pasture) in
order to provide cover for small mammals and birds.
Shade for the animals is provided by shelters as well as by the brushy areas.
Broomstraw Farm, 630 Taylor's Chapel Road, Sanford, North Carolina 27330
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