Every week it seems there is an item in the news addressing the difficulties facing the family farm.   But what is a family farm and how are they different from industrial farms?

Very simply, a family farm is a community where most of the work is done by a family member.  This includes everything from planting vegetables and feeding animals to marketing the products grown and produced at the farm.  Not only is this work done by a member of the family but it is done by individuals who usually live on the farm where they work and in many, many cases have done so for numerous generations.

Every week it seems there is an item in the news addressing the difficulties facing the family farm.   But what is a family farm and how are they different from industrial farms?

Very simply, a family farm is a community where most of the work is done by a family member.  This includes everything from planting vegetables and feeding animals to marketing the products grown and produced at the farm.  Not only is this work done by a member of the family but it is done by individuals who usually live on the farm where they work and in many, many cases have done so for numerous generations.

American Grassfed Association

100% Grassfed Ruminant Program ~ Measuring, Standards & Requirements

1. SCOPE

These requirements apply to all farms and ranches approved by the American Grassfed Association (AGA) for the production of Certified Grassfed Ruminant animals and products destined for certification by the AGA. Only farms and ranches using the AGA’s Certified American Grassfed™ logo are certified following these herein Grassfed Ruminant Standards practices:

1.1 Grass-based animal production.

1.2 Grassfed Ruminant animal access wholesome and nutritious grass-based forage.

1.3 Holistic approach to farm/ranch management.

1.4 Responsible animal care that supports humane, animal welfare.

1.5 Considerate handling, transport, and slaughter of Grassfed Ruminant animals.

I am often asked to speak to various groups of cattlemen concerning grass fed beef production and marketing.  The following represents one of these meetings:

Though my education and experience are in the field of livestock production my only credentials in coming to you tonight is “Our Story”.  The story of our family farm would parallel that of many of yours and it is in this story that lays the true passion for what we do.

I heard it remarked a couple of decades ago that you needed to decide if you were in the land business or in the cattle business.  I will admit that for years we were in the land business and did not depend on our farm to exclusively support our family.  Not so today.  We are tied to the land by love and respect but also depend upon it for our income.

For years we have sponsored a Christian retreat at our farm.  Folks from all over the country and Canada have attended.  Many of these folks seemed to enjoy the weekend or week on the farm as much as the spiritual renewal.  City folks who joined our family in farm chores made us appreciated anew why we felt privileged to live on a farm.  One evening a lady from Atlanta, who had attended one of these retreats, called and wanted to buy a cow!  I remembered her quite well as she and her husband were allergic types and had to stay inside most of the time for our Missouri hills played havoc with their sinuses.  As the story goes, she had been a vegetarian for over 14 years and had recently shown signs of deficiencies for which her doctor advised she seek out better protein sources, mainly red meat.   Being a computer research analyst she did her homework and came to the fact that the healthiest, safest and most humanely produced red meat was grassfed beef.  It was from this collaboration between a computer guru and a family farm veterinarian that American Grassfed Beef was born. 

Hearty Hamburger Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion chopped
1 ½ pound ground grassfed sirloin
1 large can whole tomatoes
3 cans beef broth (10 ½ ounces per can) plus 2 cans of water
4 medium carrots cut into quarters
4 tops off of celery
6 sprigs of parsley
1/2 – 1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
Salt to taste

Hearty Hamburger Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion chopped
1 ½ pound ground grassfed sirloin
1 large can whole tomatoes
3 cans beef broth (10 ½ ounces per can) plus 2 cans of water
4 medium carrots cut into quarters
4 tops off of celery
6 sprigs of parsley
1/2 – 1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
Salt to taste