Ethos & FAQ
Follow Me Production Principles
Kevin & Laura operate a diverse group of livestock in order to elicit natural performance from the land while maintaining the integrity of the animal by keeping with God’s design. We execute what is commonly referred to as “regenerative agriculture” through management intensive grazing to promote the innate characteristics of the animals. We strive to exceed your expectations to produce a nutrient dense source of protein to you, our health and conscious minded clientele. Beyond-Organic summarizes our production principles and our ethos to go beyond certifications and to provide YOU the same quality we feed our five children.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are your production practices?
As mentioned in the introduction, we strive to manage the livestock in accordance with God’s design. This requires the daily movement of the livestock to provide fresh forage and pasture (at least once a day and at most multiple times a day). Our practices and selection of animals maximizes the use of the land without exploiting the land. As a veteran, we adopt the ethos of “leave it better than you found it.” As such, we strive to leave the land in a healthier and more productive state of fertility.
How are the animals managed?
As often said, “you are what you eat.” If you eat overly processed and corn syrup laced “food” your health will suffer. This principle holds true for the livestock. Our animals, your animals, are provided a new and fresh sward of vegetation each and every day through daily movements. The forage base is the same vegetation expected of our southern pine forests. This consists of forbs (chicory and broad leaf weeds), multiflora roses, brush, and perennial grasses and legumes. This diversity of growth provides the animal a balanced and nutrient dense diet – enhancing your eating experience. As with your own health, diversity is key to health and wellbeing. We do not medicate our animals with antibiotics, de-wormers, or vaccinations to breed the healthiest and most resilient group of animals. In particular,
- Sheep & Goats – As small ruminants these animals are not created to consume and digest grain. The conventional use of grain during the finishing phase of production creates negative health consequences for the animal, as well as the consumer. We eliminate this costly (both to the health and cost of production) input to provide a 100% forage based lamb/kid. In keeping with God's design, small ruminants are able to take low valued native vegetation and turn it into nutrient dense meat. Inputs include: sunshine, fresh air, native vegetation, milk of the ewe, the purest of Icelandic Kelp (vitamin supplement), and a diverse salt and mineral mix from the ancient salt beds of Utah.
PURELY NATURAL – ZERO GRAIN – ZERO DRUGS
- Pastured Eggs – The layer flock follows behind the ruminants throughout the pasture rotation to break the parasite cycle by sanitizing the land. These hens have over 200 square feet of fresh pasture each day where they receive 70% of the diet from the native forage. As omnivores, we supplement the hens’ diet through a balanced non-GMO feed and the same Icelandic Kelp as a supplement. Don’t believe us? Check the yolks as the darker the orange hue the more nutrient dense the eating experience. Inputs include: sunshine, fresh air, native vegetation, non-GMO feed, and kelp.
PURELY NATURAL – ZERO DRUGS – 100% PASTURE RAISED
- Forage Broilers – As with the layer flock, these meat birds follow the ruminants in the pasture rotation where they have access to a diverse range of forage. As with all hybrid breeds of meat birds, they require free access to a protein packed non-GMO feed. Despite the feed supplement, the majority of the diet is derived from free access to fresh forage to provide you yet another nutrient dense and exceptional eating experience. Inputs include: sunshine, fresh air, native vegetation, non-GMO feed, and kelp.
PURELY NATURAL – ZERO DRUGS – 100% PASTURE RAISED
What do the animals eat?
More appropriately put, what do they not eat? Your animals are only provided the forage and supplemental feed as dictated by the animals’ innate characteristics. Our sheep and goat flock are provided natural vegetation and ZERO GRAIN providing for a healthy animal. Our poultry flocks, being omnivores, are provided supplemental feed that is free of GMOs, hormones, antibiotics, and medications. In keeping with our ethos, each animal has free and unrestricted access to sunshine, rain, fresh air, native vegetation, the purest of Icelandic Kelp (as a natural vitamin supplement), and a balanced and naturally occurring salt and mineral mix from the ancient veins of salt in Redmund, Utah.
PURE – CLEAN
Are you Certified?
We strive for the moniker of beyond-organic. A claim that relies upon the integrity of the producer and the discernment and knowledge of the consumer. We strive to go beyond the cost and simplicity of slapping a label on our products. Further, the hassle of the certification process is prohibitive to small scale, local producers as it is prejudiced to our bottom line. The façade of an “organic checklist” would increase the cost of production. A cost you inherit as the consumer.
Kevin and Laura strive for full transparency with you as our clientele. They believe in the consumer’s carte blanche. You, as our clientele, have the power to vote for locally produced and marketed sources of meat through your purchasing decisions. Full empowerment to the people. If you find our claim of beyond-organic questionable, we challenge you to visit us at our farm.
INTEGRITY