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The Season of Reflection & Planning!       

2/27/2011

14 Comments

 
By FarmMama Jen ~ 

For those that don’t know it… winter is a time for reflection on the farm.  Taking stock of how the previous year went; what worked what didn’t, what would we like to change and what should stay the same.  Being that we are entering into our third year of farming, we are still very much molding our philosophies and farming practices, all the while using our Guiding Principles to point us down the path that would best suit all involved: our family, the land & animals as well as our customers!  We do not believe it is necessary to compromise, meaning give up something for another, but rather that it is possible for everyone’s needs to be met through cooperation, communication and empathy.  Not only do we spend a great deal of time inventorying our operations from the previous year, but we also do a great deal of planning for the next!  The two go hand-in-hand really and we truly enjoy the time and opportunity to reflect and remember all the wonderful reasons why we love farm life!

Among the many topics of conversation that have taken place over the past few months, one has been the ever increasing number of requests from our customers wanting cuts of meat, rather than sides or shares (halves & wholes) of both lamb and pork.  For various reasons not everyone wants to have to store a large quantity of meat in their freezer; they might not have a freezer or are limited on the amount of room in the one they do have, smaller families or single people may not require such a large quantity of meat and there are those that simply do not consume meat often enough to make a side or share a value to them, yes there are many reasons.  

*For those that don't know, there are two ways to get your lamb & pork  processed.  
  1. Custom Exempt: in which a mobile butcher comes to the farm, performs the harvest and takes the carcass back to the butcher shop (in our case, we use Stephenson's located less than a mile from us in Ridgefield)  The animals never have to be trucked off the farm to slaughter, reducing the overall stress as well as ensuring the animal receives the respect and proper treatment it deserves.  The downside to Custom Exempt is it only allows us to sell our meat by the side/share (wholes or halves) not always convenient for all our customers, and this option does not allow us to sell to restaurants, markets or even through our own FarmStore!
  2. USDA: with USDA, we would have to truck our animals to a USDA inspected facility, usually hours away, and there is no guarantee of the treatment our animals would receive.  We would like to think they would be respectful, but again their is no guarantee.  The benefit to USDA is it would allow us to then sell meat by the cut, versus the side/share with many more options and avenues in which to sell our product!

So Matt & I have been discussing the idea of possibly taking a small number of animals to a USDA processing facility.  Up until now we have strongly opposed this option, we have always promoted that ALL our animals are harvested on-farm in the most humane manner possible, so the idea of taking some animals off-farm has been one that has become quite a debate around the Schwab household!  Like most major decisions we use our Guiding Principles to assist us down this path, weighing all our options as we go and discussing them with like-minded farmers that have similar farming practices & philosophies, getting their opinions and feedback, which has been extremely helpful!  I love the care and concern this farming community has for one another, it truly is inspiring.  That being said, we are at a place now where we are beginning to feel more comfortable with the idea of possibly taking a small number of animals to a new LOCAL facility here in Washington, in which Matt would be involved in much of the process, everything from the transporting of the animals to the harvest itself – overseeing the treatment & handling of them throughout the process!  Matt would most likely not be directly involved in the actual harvesting, but would be able to oversee & supervise the procedures & practices of the facility ensuring that the animals are receiving the respect they deserve.  Knowing that Matt would be able to observe the process has made the idea of transporting the animals a possibility, but before we make the final decision, we wanted to get feedback from YOU – our community of customers!  Should you wish to offer us your opinions & outlook on this matter, please do so here on our blog!  As always, your feedback is welcome, wanted & needed, and we thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!

14 Comments
Karen Meharg
3/4/2011 01:33:08 am

We have been buying all our meat, except poultry, from Thundering Hooves until recently when the Portland, OR, SW Washington coordinator quit. I like the way they butchered (we visited their farm) and all of the meats were quality in taste, texture, etc. Since seeing their method of butchering I could not buy beef slaughtered in a USDA facility. I will pay UPS to deliver the Thundering Hooves from Walla Walla.

Reply
Jen Schwab link
3/4/2011 01:49:49 am

Karen: Thanks for the comment! I have the same exact feelings towards most USDA facilities, and Thundering Hooves is actually a USDA facility, they just have more sustainable practices than most, just as the one we are looking into about an hour north of us! It is a newer facility and Matt has been talking with the guy that runs it and he seems to have the same farming and humane animal values as we do, which is why we are considering this new facility. We are excited to find a sustainable and humane facility close to us and are looking forward to going up and checking them out first hand as soon as we can! Thanks again for the feedback!

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Russ Burright
3/7/2011 04:40:33 am

Thanks to both of you for your hard work and research. Our family's opinion is that if this facility is one with which you and Matt are comfortable, then we are, as well. While harvesting off-site falls short of ideal, at the end of the day we're still talking about healthy, local, pasture-raised meat that is harvested in a humane manner in a nearby facility. That doesn't sound so terrible to me.

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Julie
3/8/2011 04:37:18 am

The new USDA facility sounds very promising. If Matt can accompany the animals I am sure that will have a good influence on the goings-on. (Less scary for the animals! More mindful behavior on the part of the humans!) Hope this works out!

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Charlotte buy songs link
4/15/2011 02:14:28 am

Reading from this, it seems you are very organized in your approach to farming. Farming can be a sort of lifesytle and a livelihood. You know how to learn from your mistake and improve on your methods.

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Tracy
8/7/2011 07:16:09 am

really like what your doing, keep the good work up. the proposal of the local facility is a great option. I would avoid USDA as it's not in line with your and many others beliefs. your making a new system not joining the old one!!! so excited for you guys.

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Tamara
9/16/2011 10:17:07 am

I understand your dilemma, however I would not move the animals off the farm, no matter how careful you are it is still extremely stressful for them. I would still support and buy from your farm, but would not buy the meat from the animals slaughtered off the farm. It's great that you care!

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Ben
2/17/2012 11:21:25 am

I am one of those for whom a large meat order is not pactical. If the facility truly meets your criteria I would enthusiastically welcome the opportunity to purchase smaller cuts.

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Sherry
2/27/2012 10:31:16 am

I'm with Ben above! I'm not crazy about a USDA facility, but if you have done your research and are truly convinced it meets your criteria, then I would love the chance to buy smaller cuts of beef & pork.

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Steven E
5/6/2012 09:19:22 am

Is there a USDA Mobile Slaughter Unit that serves your area? The provide on-farm slaughter with USDA inspection. Often they are cooperatively owned by producers.

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Crystal
6/13/2012 06:37:21 pm

I agree with Steven. See if there is a Mobile on Farm USDA slaughter available. It stresses animals to be transported. These result in elevated cortisol levels in the meat. I'm no expert on the subject but on farm slaughter is better.The USDA facilities are so over crowded that the respect and treatment that you pride yourself on giving the animals is highly unlikely. Good Luck.

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hentai link
7/13/2012 11:55:22 am

Loved your blog layout that I created a weebly account too.

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8/27/2014 10:04:27 pm

*For those that don't know, there are two ways to get your lamb & pork processed.

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Roy link
12/29/2020 05:38:33 am

Hello thanks for posting this

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