Steak of the Union: Introducing Our New Pre-ordering Process

We hope you enjoyed the beautifully mild summer this year—our cattle certainly did. It was a welcome break from the drought our region faced through 2012 and 2013, topped off with a record-breaking winter in terms of snow and temperatures. But while our cattle were happily munching along, Mother Nature had already spoken. Our cattle are soil-regenerating, nitrogen-fixing, carbon-sequestering, grass fanatics, but they can’t control the amount of sun, rain, snow and temperatures that are crucial to producing the grasses and hay they love so much. Bottom line: There are fewer cattle available this year and likely next year.



At the same time, you are part of a growing group of meat-eaters who crave the authentic taste and health benefits of grass-fed beef and believe in sustaining our land and supporting our local farms. So while our farmers are teaching their herds about the birds and the bees with promising results, we won’t get to enjoy the benefits of their labor until 2016. It takes three years for grass-fed cattle to go from a thought (wink-wink) to market.

Despite the slower-than-normal production, we've got a solution. Now, instead of paying in full and receiving a CowShare within two weeks, we're offering CowShares by pre-order only. Pre-ordering a CowShare ensures your place in line for our grass-fed beef shares, locks you in on a price (with a $50 down payment) and allows us to show our farmers that their hard work has a happy end in sight. And, it works whether you purchase a CowShare individually or as a group.

Although the exact delivery date will, again, depend on Mother Nature and our farmers' insights, we'll be sure to keep in touch about when you can expect your CowShare. For now, we expect about a six– to eight–week lead-time from pre-order to delivery.

In the meantime, we have a ready supply of pastured, heritage breed PigShares. What better way to wait for your burgers than by eating nitrate-free bacon, sausage and pulled pork?

We're available to answer your questions, listen to your opinions and chat about the cattle market.

As always, thank you for supporting our community of local, pasturing family farmers.