I want to vent briefly. At the beginning of this year we started selling beef at a market in Pittsburgh. It has proven to be a great way to meet the non-farm public, promote BEEF and the people who raise it, and open up a whole new customer base for our business...all very good things. But almost every week we have someone walk up to our stand and say "Oh, beef...ssssssssss (this is the sound people make by sucking air through their teeth in order to demonstrate to everyone around that they are an intellectual about to say something earthshattering)...well, maybe I'll get some, but...how do you treat your cattle?"
Really? How do we treat them? Where do I start?
My family life revolves around those animals. We respect them more than anything else because they provide us with a lifestyle that we love and nourishment for hundreds of others. We get up each and every day to go out and make sure they are clean, comfortable, well fed, protected from the weather, and stress free. I have never heard my dad say "man I can't wait to kick back and do nothing this weekend" because the weekend means nothing to our herd and, therefore, nothing to us...we still work. My family doesn't take family vacations because we can't all leave the animals at the same time. I have been willingly frozen, scorched, rained on, snowed on, pooped on, kicked, covered in tennis-ball sized boogers, and trampled more times than I can count all while working for the betterment of our animals - and I love doing it because I know at the end of the day they are in better shape as a result of my discomfort. I will gladly serve these animals until the day I die because animal care and beef production are a passion of mine that I cannot shake.
So when a forty five year old yuppie woman trying desperately to look nineteen again wearing UGG boots, stretchy pants, a Northface jacket, and too much makeup and who is too irresponsible to keep even a goldfish alive prances up, makes the concerned teeth sound, and askes if we take really-good-extra-special care of our animals, I about want to rip her head off. We do. And how dare you, with no experience whatsoever, assume otherwise?
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:) I just came to your website to find out what you feed your cattle and how 'processed' it is. Now, I know VERY little about this industry and I am pretty sure you take better care of them than I do my own cats from what you just said. Mostly, what I DO know is how thankful I am that I can come to your farm and buy beef for near the same price as the big bad chain store (and man oh man is it GOOOD!). However, it's a question looming around for those of us who have become quite dumbfounded at what is in our food.
ReplyDeleteNext time you get those UGG boots in your sightline, PROUDLY exclaim how well you treat your cattle, what you feed them, etc... and I bet they learn something and I bet they drag their friends along to your stand the next time too.
Thanks for all your hard work. Educate us!!
We visit Clarion (Cook Forest) every Summer. I am so happy to have found your site and I cannot wait to visit your farm. And...taste that yummy beef! See you soon. Becky (Joe and Belle too).
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