Caring for Our Animals

By Richard de Wilde

We realize the decision to include meat in your diet, or not, is a very personal one and may be based on a variety of reasons.  We certainly respect each individual’s decision and do our best to be transparent about our practices so our customers have the information they need to make a fully informed decision when purchasing meat.  Unfortunately, there is a wide array of practices amongst meat producers, so it is important to make sure you know what your purchases are supporting.

Goats enjoying a sunny afternoon in early spring

While our focus is on growing vegetables, animals are an important part of our farm.  At present we have 25 pigs, 18 black Angus cows, 30 ducks, 20 chickens and 37 goats.  Not only do they add ambiance to our farm, they also help us better manage our land.  Given our valley location, we have hillside areas that are too steep for vegetable production and are better managed as pastures.  Without proper management, these hillside pasture areas can quickly be overtaken by undesirable “weed” trees and invasive species such as garlic mustard, honeysuckle and buckthorn which would choke out more desirable pasture grasses.  They also help us by fertilizing the land which keeps the pastures nutrient-rich and lush with vegetation to prevent hillside erosion.  Right now our goats are working on slowly clearing some of the woods on our home farm which are becoming overgrown with some of these invasives.  They don’t realize they are “going to work” each day when they make their way to the upper pasture.  They just think they’re going for a leisurely walk in the woods!  It’s a lot of fun to watch them interact with each other as they munch away on plants and tree branches.  This spring we had more than 20 baby goat kids which have kept us entertained as they zip around the pasture and through the woods jumping on trees and playing with each other!

Piglets drinking from Spring Creek

We choose to raise our animals in an environment that allows them to exhibit their natural behaviors and characteristics.  We treat them gently and with respect so they do not live in fear of human touch or presence.  This creates a much more pleasant environment for them to live in and allows us to work amongst them more safely.  Our pigs have a 20 acre pasture which they cover daily eating grass and clover as well as digging up roots with their amazingly strong snouts!  We often only see glimpses of them moving through the woods throughout the day, but rest assured they return to their home base for dinner at night and they are front and center for breakfast in the morning!  We feed them a modest ration of organic corn, barley and flax seed, but they also enjoy a wide variety of vegetable trimmings that we take to them from the packing shed every day.  It’s particularly amusing to watch them eat things like tomatoes and melons, but it’s also cute to see their bright red lips after munching on red beets!  In the fall they enjoy checking on the wild apple trees in their pasture where they gobble up the dropped fruit.  They also fill up on hickory nuts, acorns and hazelnuts.  They have a pretty good life, eat well, and from time to time they appreciate a little scratch behind their ears.  We’re still working on their manners, but then again, perhaps that’s just part of their natural behavior and we have to be satisfied understanding why our mothers’ may have told us to “stop eating like a pig!”

Our Black Angus cows grazing
on summer pasture

Our black Angus beef come to us each fall from John and Denise Hilgart who farm in Auburn, Wisconsin.  They are set up more appropriately than we are to raise calves.  The young animals come to us when they are fully weaned and weigh about 500 pounds.  Their farm and animals are also certified organic, but the thing we really appreciate about John and Denise is that they are excellent animal caretakers.  The nature of their animals clearly demonstrates they have been raised with love, care and gentleness.  While they are very large animals, they are also very gentle and calm.  In the course of a conversation I was having with Denise about how well-mannered the cows were, she disclosed to me that she often brushes them when she has a little spare time.  Well, no wonder they aren’t afraid of human touch!  Our cattle are on pasture their entire lives.  They eat only pasture grass and clover during the summer months and in the winter we feed them hay that we bale from our hillsides.  They also get a free ration mix of kelp meal and natural mineral salts mixed with garlic and diatomaceous earth (DE).  This mix is kind of like their daily “multi-vitamin,” plus the DE acts as a natural wormer.  I recently read some research demonstrating that the trace minerals in the kelp almost totally eliminate the methane gas that cows naturally emit.  We provide this mix in a feeder which also serves as a means of treating them for face flies.  When they stick their head in the feeder their face gets wiped with a blend of organic sunflower oil mixed with citronella which helps to keep the flies away from them.  They also meander down to the creek bottom each day to get water.  They are large creatures to be respected, but we also appreciate how they contribute a serene vibe to our farm.

Healthy animals that are allowed to live in a natural environment seldom have health problems.  However, sometimes in the cold of winter or during the changing of seasons they may get a little sniffle or a cough.  During these vulnerable times, we feed them pellets containing aloe, garlic and molasses.  Sometimes we put them in a feeder, but some of the cows really like them and are tempted to take more than their fair share which leaves us feeding them by hand.

Muscovy duck with her ducklings

While we do enjoy living amongst our animals and they serve an important role in helping us manage our land, we do also raise our pigs and cows with the intention that they will be harvested for meat.  I know this may be a sensitive topic for some, and we do respect that.  However, the issue of respect for the animals continues through the slaughter process as well.  We feel very fortunate to work with Crescent Meats in Caddott, Wisconsin, a family-owned and operated meat plant that is both certified organic and USDA inspected.  Wayne and Stacey Lautsbaugh are the owners and run the business along with their two children, Vance and Samantha.  Vance has a degree in Food Science and has completed the Master Meat Crafter course from UW Madison.  He is the plant manager and manages day to day production.  Samantha went to college to pursue a degree in Business Management and is now the store manager and mastermind behind all things happening on the office side of the operation.  Together this family runs a very efficient, professional operation with careful attention to many details.  Andrea had the opportunity to visit the plant when we first started working with them.  Wayne didn’t hesitate at all when Andrea asked to see the area where the animals are received and held prior to slaughter.  Their system is set up so that the animals remain calm through the entire process and are humanely slaughtered without fear or stress.  It’s very important to us to ensure our animals are respected through the end of the process and we feel confident that is happening at Crescent Meats.

Our "little" Angus cows shortly
after their arrival in late fall

When the pandemic hit back in 2020 and meat was in short supply, we were flooded with orders and quickly sold out.  It takes awhile to increase production, so there wasn’t much we could do immediately.  We did slightly increase our production of cows and pigs for this year and do still have meat available for our November and December 2021 deliveries.  However, we are nearing our sold out point for November and December is not too far behind.  So if you are interested in purchasing meat for this fall, we encourage you to order very soon.

In closing, we just want to reiterate how important it is for consumers to be well-informed with their purchases.  Not all meat is produced similarly and there are some practices in the industry that are, in our opinion, unacceptable.  We appreciate our animals, the value they add to our farm and our lives, and we will continue to do our best to treat them with the respect they deserve.  If ever you have a question or would like to see them for yourself, don’t hesitate to give us a call!