John Chaney can be found home on the range herding cattle on his Clarksburg farm or the nearby Dickerson farm of his friends and business partners, Dick and Bev Thoms.
Several times a week he visits their McDowell, Va., farm to tend the cattle there and make hay.
The Chaney and Thoms families formed a cattle business three years ago, called T-C Cattle Company, run by the Chaney’s Against the Wind farm. They have about 100 head of black angus.
This spring, Humane Farm Animal Care certified beef from the farm is raised and handled in a humane manner.
Humane Farm Animal Care was formed by, but is separate from, the Humane Society and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The certification was initiated a little more than two years ago and is now being used by 25 companies. Against the Wind is the only Maryland farm to earn the certification.
The “certified humane” label assures consumers that a meat, poultry, egg or dairy product has been produced according to precise standards for humane farm animal treatment. It goes beyond organic certification since the humane designation also applies to how the animal is raised and slaughtered.
Certified animals must receive a nutritious diet free of antibiotics or hormones and must be raised with shelter, resting areas and spaces that are sufficient to support natural behavior.
Against the Wind cattle are fed only grass and hay.
Cattle breed and grow on the Maryland farms during the winter and early spring. During summer grazing season, most of the cattle are turned out on several hundred acres at the Virginia farm.
“They live naturally, as an animal should live,” said Sarah Chaney, who handles marketing and runs the company’s Web site.
Cattle raised on a feed lot experience stress and fear before going off to slaughter due to the close quarters and way they are handled, which affects the taste of the meat, she said.
“We want it nice and calm,” John Chaney said. “They’re not stressed by dogs and horses.”
Chaney, on horseback, leads the cattle from one pasture to another while his border collie stays in the rear keeping strays in line.
“If you can work the herd as a group, it doesn’t matter the size,” said Sarah Chaney. “Ideally you should be able to have one cowboy, one stock dog and one horse and do just about anything you need to do with a herd.”
Commercial cattle are artificially bred. The Against the Wind cattle breed naturally. Without the use of steroids or hormones, they take two to three years to grow to maturity. Commercially raised cattle are ready for market in about 18 months.
According to the Web site eatwild.com, switching to grass-fed products may reduce the risk of a number of diseases in humans, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Jo Robinson, an investigative journalist, is the Web site’s principal researcher and writer.
Meat from animals not on a natural diet of pasture and grain has less nutritional value, according to the Web site. Meat from grass-fed animals has two to four times more omega-3 fatty acids than meat from grain-fed animals. Omega-3s are called “good fats” because they play a vital role in every cell and system in the body. People who have ample amounts of omega-3s in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat and are 50 percent less likely to have a heart attack, according to the Web site.
Meat from grass-fed cattle is lower in total fat. It can have one-third as much fat as a similar cut from a grain-fed animal, or about the same amount as skinless chicken breast, according to the Journal of Animal Science.
Research shows that lean beef actually lowers bad LDL cholesterol levels, according to the eatwild.com Web site.
Meat from grass-fed animals is also lower in calories, according to the Web site. The typical person eats 66.5 pounds of beef a year. Switching grass-fed beef will save a person about 17,733 calories a year without requiring any other change in eating habits.
Naomi Ballve of Virginia bought beef from Against the Wind because it has no preservatives or hormones.
“It’s tender, good flavor, not overly fatty,” she said.
Against the Wind sells its beef in bulk through its Web site www.againstthewindranch.com.
A whole cow, about 700 pound of beef, feeds a family of four or five for a year. The cost is around $3.50 to $4.50 a pound, depending on whether a quarter, half or whole cow is ordered.
Customer orders are cut to order, beef is flash frozen and shrink wrapped and last for one year.
An order is ready in one to two months and can be picked up at the slaughterhouse or the farm or delivery can be arranged.
The Gazette : Cattle Farm Operation is First in State ‘Certified Humane’
Posted: August 3, 2005 by Certified Humane
John Chaney can be found home on the range herding cattle on his Clarksburg farm or the nearby Dickerson farm of his friends and business partners, Dick and Bev Thoms.
Several times a week he visits their McDowell, Va., farm to tend the cattle there and make hay.
The Chaney and Thoms families formed a cattle business three years ago, called T-C Cattle Company, run by the Chaney’s Against the Wind farm. They have about 100 head of black angus.
This spring, Humane Farm Animal Care certified beef from the farm is raised and handled in a humane manner.
Humane Farm Animal Care was formed by, but is separate from, the Humane Society and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The certification was initiated a little more than two years ago and is now being used by 25 companies. Against the Wind is the only Maryland farm to earn the certification.
The “certified humane” label assures consumers that a meat, poultry, egg or dairy product has been produced according to precise standards for humane farm animal treatment. It goes beyond organic certification since the humane designation also applies to how the animal is raised and slaughtered.
Certified animals must receive a nutritious diet free of antibiotics or hormones and must be raised with shelter, resting areas and spaces that are sufficient to support natural behavior.
Against the Wind cattle are fed only grass and hay.
Cattle breed and grow on the Maryland farms during the winter and early spring. During summer grazing season, most of the cattle are turned out on several hundred acres at the Virginia farm.
“They live naturally, as an animal should live,” said Sarah Chaney, who handles marketing and runs the company’s Web site.
Cattle raised on a feed lot experience stress and fear before going off to slaughter due to the close quarters and way they are handled, which affects the taste of the meat, she said.
“We want it nice and calm,” John Chaney said. “They’re not stressed by dogs and horses.”
Chaney, on horseback, leads the cattle from one pasture to another while his border collie stays in the rear keeping strays in line.
“If you can work the herd as a group, it doesn’t matter the size,” said Sarah Chaney. “Ideally you should be able to have one cowboy, one stock dog and one horse and do just about anything you need to do with a herd.”
Commercial cattle are artificially bred. The Against the Wind cattle breed naturally. Without the use of steroids or hormones, they take two to three years to grow to maturity. Commercially raised cattle are ready for market in about 18 months.
According to the Web site eatwild.com, switching to grass-fed products may reduce the risk of a number of diseases in humans, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Jo Robinson, an investigative journalist, is the Web site’s principal researcher and writer.
Meat from animals not on a natural diet of pasture and grain has less nutritional value, according to the Web site. Meat from grass-fed animals has two to four times more omega-3 fatty acids than meat from grain-fed animals. Omega-3s are called “good fats” because they play a vital role in every cell and system in the body. People who have ample amounts of omega-3s in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat and are 50 percent less likely to have a heart attack, according to the Web site.
Meat from grass-fed cattle is lower in total fat. It can have one-third as much fat as a similar cut from a grain-fed animal, or about the same amount as skinless chicken breast, according to the Journal of Animal Science.
Research shows that lean beef actually lowers bad LDL cholesterol levels, according to the eatwild.com Web site.
Meat from grass-fed animals is also lower in calories, according to the Web site. The typical person eats 66.5 pounds of beef a year. Switching grass-fed beef will save a person about 17,733 calories a year without requiring any other change in eating habits.
Naomi Ballve of Virginia bought beef from Against the Wind because it has no preservatives or hormones.
“It’s tender, good flavor, not overly fatty,” she said.
Against the Wind sells its beef in bulk through its Web site www.againstthewindranch.com.
A whole cow, about 700 pound of beef, feeds a family of four or five for a year. The cost is around $3.50 to $4.50 a pound, depending on whether a quarter, half or whole cow is ordered.
Customer orders are cut to order, beef is flash frozen and shrink wrapped and last for one year.
An order is ready in one to two months and can be picked up at the slaughterhouse or the farm or delivery can be arranged.
Category: news