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REAL BEEF!
Last month's pet food tragedy sent me rushing up to Dr. Kim's Falls Road Animal Hospital in a fast blooming panic.
Yeah, thinking I was "doing right" by her, I'd been feeding my innocent little cat rat poison in the form of overly expensive cat food! It was sickening to go on-line and read that long list of contaminated brands -it ran from cheap Giant generic to costly, veterinarian endorsed, Science Diet! So much for "brand loyalty!" Seems like she's gonna be OK, but ironically, the whole mess has some revealing things to show us about the food we buy for ourselves as well. How did so many different brands of pet food contribute to this continent-wide horror show? Because the production and distribution of the product is so massively centralized. Just like in the earlier spinach scare, one bad link in the long, globalized chain creates a mammoth problem that can't be contained. People and animals get sick, some even die, huge amounts of food are utterly wasted and we all go to bed with yet another free-floating fear scurrying round in our minds. That E. coli contaminated spinach was grown on huge industrialized farms downstream from a huge industrialized cattle ranch. The cattle were kept in tightly packed feedlots, fed an unhealthy all-grain diet that produced E. coli in their waste which ran downstream to the "organic" spinach, which was packed and shipped all over the country in trucks burning massive amounts of rapidly depleting fossil fuels. Funny how this all links together! Now, in the United States today 80 percent of beef is slaughtered by just four companies! In the light of what we've recently been through with pet food and produce, consider the danger and folly in this sort of an overly centralized food system! What can we do? Buy Local is one obvious answer. Here in the Chesapeake region we're fortunate to find a number of smaller farms selling produce at our local farmers' markets -but how about locally raised organic beef? No, we're not in Texas, but there are local farms that are working hard to provide real organic beef and retail it themselves. Last month I paid a visit to two beautiful farms, both within an easy 90 minute drive of downtown Baltimore.... HEDGEAPPLE FARM Situated on 250 acres in the lovely Appalachian foothills of Western Maryland, Hedgeapple is a non-profit beef research and educational operation run by the Jorgensen Family Foundation. The Foundation's goals are two-fold: to develop a consistently flavorful beef product through modern breeding methods and a diet of healthy forage; and to develop production and marketing models that can help other smaller beef producers become more economically viable. Dr.. Scott Barao, a retired Maryland Livestock Extension Specialist and former professor at the University of Maryland, is the Executive Director of the Foundation. Scott's enthusiasm and heart-felt commitment to the Foundation's work is downright contagious!
Touring the grounds with him one can't help but get excited. All the acres are in permanent grassland that is utilized as pasture and hay for the herd of 100 or so cattle. (The farm's one mile frontage along the Monocacy River makes good land stewardship especially important.) Calves are free to roam with their mother cows and the entire scene is like an American Romantic painting from the 1800's.
The farm management practices however, are purely 21st century. Hedgeapple raises only Black Angus cattle and they maintain an extensive database that records each and every animal, its ancestry and progeny, along with all pertinent details concerning its health, growth and "finished" weight. This comprehensive tagging system allows Scott to keep adjusting the farm's breeding tactics, which are evolving as they develop a sire-line of healthy cattle that specifically does well on an all grass diet. The Foundation takes the second aspect of its mission very seriously as well. Hedgeapple's educational programs include consultations, field day seminars and technical workshops for beef producers in the area. Scott crunches his numbers too, looking for a way to make a smaller operation like Hedgeapple genuinely profitable. "Yeah, we all want to protect the environment and raise better cattle, but you have got to make a profit or you're out of business aren't you!" Scott exclaims, "And one more local farm falls by the economic wayside..." The profit on each animal nearly doubled when they began retailing through their own farm store, a beautifully reconstructed 1791 log cabin that the Foundation purchased and moved to the site last year. Shiny, well-lit freezer cases line the walls and the prices will literally astound any savvy shopper -how about $7.50 a lb for organic, grass-fed, dry-aged Black Angus sirloin! I'd call that motivation to take a fun day's outing to do some shopping at Hedgeapple! You can check out the current price list, the store's hours, get directions to the farm and more on their web site: www.HedgeappleFarm.com. Or, call 301.663.7638. RUMBLEWAY FARM Following their dreams, Mark and Robin Way purchased Rumbleway Farm in Conowingo, in 1998. The house and main barn were built by Scotch-Irish settlers in the 1800's but the Ways have been expanding and restoring the property year-by-year.
Rumbleway is a for-real family farm, where roosters flap their wings and proudly crow, and a trio of happy dogs romp out to greet visitors.
Robin is there everyday overseeing the various projects constantly rotating through the operation. Mark works a weekday job and the three kids, Samantha, Melissa and Mathew, all pitch in. Rumbleway is Certified Organic but their operation far exceeds the increasingly watered-down requirements for certification. "Animals were meant to be outside with fresh air and grass," Robin insists, "We allow all our animals to live and grow in as natural a setting as possible."
Robin manages the Farm Store where cuts of meats and poultry are sold (at prices just as amazing as Hedgeapple's) along with other value-added products like her crock-aged sauerkraut.
She also prepares and hosts elegant monthly Farm Dinners during the winter months. A recent menu featured Baked Organic Chicken, Roasted Garlic and Thyme Risotto, Portuguese Chocolate Tarts and Poached Pears.
Rumbleway throws a Spring Open House each year and an annual Farm Day in the fall, when vendors and performers turn the farm into a lively festival ground. Rumbleway is committed to helping other farms succeed too. Working with the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education arm, the Ways created an informative video detailing the practices that have proven successful for them. You can find out more about Rumbleway on their web site: www.RumblewayFarm.com, or call Robin herself, at 410.658.9731 for current prices, store hours and the 2007 event schedule. |
