Fw: Grass-Feed Beef

[Louisa and Josh Finn]

Information about local grass-fed beef for whoever's interested.     Louisa Finn

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Alison Abbruzzi

To: Colleen Vitti

Cc: Louisa and Josh Finn ; flannery denny

Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 12:23 AM

Subject: Fwd: Grass-Feed Beef

Here's the beef.  You ladies rocked.  Thanks for coming over and sharing the love.  KIT LOL WTF?  AKA

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Charles" <Charle...@earthlink.net>

Date: June 10, 2008 11:24:48 AM EDT

To: "Charles" <Charle...@earthlink.net>

Subject: Grass-Feed Beef

Dear Friends,

             

I am writing because you either previously purchased grass fed beef from Movable Beast Farm or expressed an interest in purchasing meat. If for any reason you don’t want to be on our mailing list please just let me know by an e-mail reply and I will remove you from our list.

             

We will have animals ready for slaughter later this month (June), August and September.  The attached document gives the details on price etc. Please feel free to pass this information on to anyone you know who might have an interest in purchasing grass-fed beef. As in the past, we will be selling animals by the side (half) and spilt side (quarter). So you will need to either have a freezer or split your order among several people.  If you would like to make a purchase, please let me know as soon as possible by return e-mail as the animals will be sold on a first come first serve basis. I also ask that you send in a $100 deposit (checks can be made out to Movable Beast Farm) to hold your order. 

Charles Noble

Movable Beast Farm

45 Boodle Hole Road

Accord, NY 12404

(845) 626-2790

              

The balance of this e-mail is to provide those of you who have an interest a picture of some of the developments at our farm:

It has been two years since our last harvest.  From this point forward we should be having an annual harvest. In the last two years, our herd has more than doubled in size and, thanks to the work of the animals (with a little guidance from the farmer), the land we have been grazing has grown richer and more productive. What were worn out abandoned hay fields are becoming rich green pastures.  This summer we will be expanding our land base to include two additional properties in the Rondout Valley, bringing the total land we will be caring for to over a hundred acres.

             

For the last two years we have also invited our friend Gerald, a Devon bull of New Zealand lineage, to add his positive traits to our herd of Hereford cows. In this country for the last 50 year most beef animals have been bred to enlarge frame size so that maximum weight gain could be achieved in a feed lot situation where the animals receive concentrated feed in the form of grain.  Unlike their ancestors, these ‘modern’ animals require a tremendous amount of grass just to maintain their body weight.  Gerald comes from a herd that has been strictly grass fed for the last 70 years; he is part of a line of animals that have been bred to thrive on a pasture plant diet. We are already seeing the difference this makes in his offspring.

             

As the price of fossil fuels has been rising and the dollar has been sinking, we have also seen an increase in our costs; balage (fermented hay), which we feed the animals in the winter has doubled in price over the last two years. Diesel fuel, like gasoline, has also gone up several dollars per gallon.  Most of our fencing supplies are imported and the weakening dollar as well a commodity and transport costs are pushing these items up. We have striven to absorb as much of this increase in input cost as possible but have had to raise our prices from two years ago by between 16% and 18%

             

This rise in input costs increases our focus on a key component of our vision, which is to help develop an agriculture where wise use of natural systems can replace a great part of the need for fossil fuels and chemicals. Two years ago we began feeding hay in October; last year we fed no hay until November. This year, through stockpiling grass in the fall, we plan to have the animals grazing though December. Our long term goal is to have the animals graze though most of the winter thus eliminating much of the need for the equipment, fuel and labor required to make, move and store hay as well as equipment for spreading concentrated manure.

             

This year we are also radically decreasing the size of our paddocks and the time the animals spend in each paddock, moving them twice a day. This will eliminate or reduce the need for cutting any of the fields since the animals will do a better job of eating down the vegetation.  It will also give the land more time to recover and re-grow between grazings.   This change mimics the behavior of wild herd animals such as the buffalo that mobbed together as a defense against predators.  In the process they helped created some of the most fertile soils on earth. We’ll see how it works here.

             

One final note on using biological systems; this year we are inviting thousands of tiny predatory wasps to join us on our farm.  These creatures are about the size of a gnat and are completely harmless to humans.  They lay their eggs in the pupa of flies. Through their assistance, we are hoping to significantly reduce the number of flies bothering the cows during the summer without the use of chemical pesticides. In a future letter I’ll let you know how it works out.

             

I feel incredibly fortunate in being able to spend my time listening to and working in and with the natural world and in being able to see it grow richer and healthier. I thank all of you who through your patronage are supporting this effort. I hope you will feel rewarded in your purchases knowing that you will both receive healthy food for your families and support the enrichment of the land, natural community (our population of wildlife seems to increase each year), and the economy of our area.

             

Since our cows are grazing on other peoples land, I can’t invite you all to just drop in, but if you have an interest in seeing the animals and the effect they are having on the land, please let me know and I can set up a visit. Please also feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Charles

             

---

---

Here's the beef.  You ladies rocked.  Thanks for coming over and 
sharing the love.  KIT LOL WTF?  AKA
Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Charles" <Charle...@earthlink.net>
> Date: June 10, 2008 11:24:48 AM EDT
> To: "Charles" <Charle...@earthlink.net>
> Subject: Grass-Feed Beef
>
> Dear Friends,
>
> I am writing because you either previously purchased grass fed beef 
> from Movable Beast Farm or expressed an interest in purchasing meat. 
> If for any reason you don’t want to be on our mailing list please 
> just let me know by an e-mail reply and I will remove you from our 
> list.
>
> We will have animals ready for slaughter later this month (June), 
> August and September.  The attached document gives the details on 
> price etc. Please feel free to pass this information on to anyone 
> you know who might have an interest in purchasing grass-fed beef. As 
> in the past, we will be selling animals by the side (half) and spilt 
> side (quarter). So you will need to either have a freezer or split 
> your order among several people.  If you would like to make a 
> purchase, please let me know as soon as possible by return e-mail as 
> the animals will be sold on a first come first serve basis. I also 
> ask that you send in a $100 deposit (checks can be made out to 
> Movable Beast Farm) to hold your order.
>
> Charles Noble
> Movable Beast Farm
> 45 Boodle Hole Road
> Accord, NY 12404
> (845) 626-2790
>
> The balance of this e-mail is to provide those of you who have an 
> interest a picture of some of the developments at our farm:
>
> It has been two years since our last harvest.  From this point 
> forward we should be having an annual harvest. In the last two 
> years, our herd has more than doubled in size and, thanks to the 
> work of the animals (with a little guidance from the farmer), the 
> land we have been grazing has grown richer and more productive. What 
> were worn out abandoned hay fields are becoming rich green 
> pastures.  This summer we will be expanding our land base to include 
> two additional properties in the Rondout Valley, bringing the total 
> land we will be caring for to over a hundred acres.
>
> For the last two years we have also invited our friend Gerald, a 
> Devon bull of New Zealand lineage, to add his positive traits to our 
> herd of Hereford cows. In this country for the last 50 year most 
> beef animals have been bred to enlarge frame size so that maximum 
> weight gain could be achieved in a feed lot situation where the 
> animals receive concentrated feed in the form of grain.  Unlike 
> their ancestors, these ‘modern’ animals require a tremendous amount 
> of grass just to maintain their body weight.  Gerald comes from a 
> herd that has been strictly grass fed for the last 70 years; he is 
> part of a line of animals that have been bred to thrive on a pasture 
> plant diet. We are already seeing the difference this makes in his 
> offspring.
>
> As the price of fossil fuels has been rising and the dollar has been 
> sinking, we have also seen an increase in our costs; balage 
> (fermented hay), which we feed the animals in the winter has doubled 
> in price over the last two years. Diesel fuel, like gasoline, has 
> also gone up several dollars per gallon.  Most of our fencing 
> supplies are imported and the weakening dollar as well a commodity 
> and transport costs are pushing these items up. We have striven to 
> absorb as much of this increase in input cost as possible but have 
> had to raise our prices from two years ago by between 16% and 18%
>
> This rise in input costs increases our focus on a key component of 
> our vision, which is to help develop an agriculture where wise use 
> of natural systems can replace a great part of the need for fossil 
> fuels and chemicals. Two years ago we began feeding hay in October; 
> last year we fed no hay until November. This year, through 
> stockpiling grass in the fall, we plan to have the animals grazing 
> though December. Our long term goal is to have the animals graze 
> though most of the winter thus eliminating much of the need for the 
> equipment, fuel and labor required to make, move and store hay as 
> well as equipment for spreading concentrated manure.
>
> This year we are also radically decreasing the size of our paddocks 
> and the time the animals spend in each paddock, moving them twice a 
> day. This will eliminate or reduce the need for cutting any of the 
> fields since the animals will do a better job of eating down the 
> vegetation.  It will also give the land more time to recover and re-
> grow between grazings.   This change mimics the behavior of wild 
> herd animals such as the buffalo that mobbed together as a defense 
> against predators.  In the process they helped created some of the 
> most fertile soils on earth. We’ll see how it works here.
>
> One final note on using biological systems; this year we are 
> inviting thousands of tiny predatory wasps to join us on our farm.  
> These creatures are about the size of a gnat and are completely 
> harmless to humans.  They lay their eggs in the pupa of flies. 
> Through their assistance, we are hoping to significantly reduce the 
> number of flies bothering the cows during the summer without the use 
> of chemical pesticides. In a future letter I’ll let you know how it 
> works out.
>
> I feel incredibly fortunate in being able to spend my time listening 
> to and working in and with the natural world and in being able to 
> see it grow richer and healthier. I thank all of you who through 
> your patronage are supporting this effort. I hope you will feel 
> rewarded in your purchases knowing that you will both receive 
> healthy food for your families and support the enrichment of the 
> land, natural community (our population of wildlife seems to 
> increase each year), and the economy of our area.
>
> Since our cows are grazing on other peoples land, I can’t invite you 
> all to just drop in, but if you have an interest in seeing the 
> animals and the effect they are having on the land, please let me 
> know and I can set up a visit. Please also feel free to contact me 
> if you have any questions.
>
> Charles
>
>