Cattle Market

It is common knowledge that one of the best ways to stay healthy is to eat a healthy diet. As the process by which our food is grown, raised, and developed changes through the years, a growing number of people are finding ways to maintain the quality they expect through direct farm purchasing.

One of the most popular ways to buy the highest quality meat is through something called meat sharing, and Kyle and Katelyn Stenersen (shown above) truly believe in this process and what it offers their customers.

“My husband and I are owners and operators of Humble Roots Farm in Scotts Hill that operates on fifty-five acres of historical Poplar Grove plantation land,” Katelyn Stenersen says. “We started our farm in early 2013 … We rotationally graze our animals and supplement the poultry and swine with locally milled, certified organic, non-GMO grains. We sell our products through farmers markets, restaurants, retail stores, and our on-site farm stand.”

While Katelyn runs the day-to-day operations of the family’s home, with two – soon to be three – small children, as well as a lot of behind-the-scenes work such as managing social media and the business’s website, Kyle takes on the physical work on the farm.

After just two years in business, the farm quickly developed into the successful business it is today. Meat sharing is a recent addition to all the services and products offered.

“Meat sharing is when multiple individuals or families collectively purchase a whole animal in order to obtain bulk quantities of meat,” Katelyn Stenersen explains. “It allows our customers to stock up on a certain type of meat so they don’t have to constantly search for local sources of high-quality meat.”

It also saves them some money, she says.

“We currently offer beef as a meat share option. When a customer purchases an animal from us, they are paying based on the hanging weight of the animal – the weight after feet, head, hide, and organs are removed,” Katelyn Stenersen says. “The processor then breaks the carcass down into retail cuts and vacuum seals and flash freezes them.”

The result, she says, is “high-end steaks, roasts, ground beef, certain organs, and bones all at the same price. In the end, you are paying more for the bones but a lot less for the steaks, and, on average, less for the collective product. Also, having to purchase the whole animal causes the home cook to become adventurous and resourceful by having to use parts they may not normally buy.”

Another feature to meat sharing is knowing where and how the beef was raised.

“Our cows forage and finish on grass,” Katelyn Stenersen says. “They do not receive any grains. They are moved from paddock to paddock to mimic a herd of grazing animals in the wild. Cows have a unique God-given ability to turn sunlight into beef.”
Cows can eat grass only and extract all of the elements necessary to create healthy protein, she says.

“This kind of beef is very healthy for the consumer because the cows are healthy,” she says. “When cows eat a high-energy food, like grains, it can be compared to a human eating ice cream. The cow, like the human, will gain weight fast but consequently be less healthy because the fat structure of a high-energy-fed animal is very different than a grass-fed animal.

“Though grain feeding will result in a more marbled prime steak, it can also lead to health defects that you don’t want. Grass-fed beef tastes different; it tastes like real beef, the way it was meant to taste, and it’s much better for you. That is what our customers are looking for.”

This is especially true for foodies who desire meat with the rich, beef flavor that translates beautifully to the plate.

For more information about meat sharing and Humble Roots Farm, go to humblerootsfarm.com. There are other farms in the area offering similar farm to table services, such as Old River Farms in Burgaw, which raises its own black and red Angus cows.

The farm, which keeps its herd small at no more than sixty at a time, incorporates over one hundred acres of grazing area year-round.

“Our beef is much leaner than what you would find in your local big box grocery store, but we feel good knowing that our cows were raised naturally and fed what we grow for them,” Old River Farms officials say.
To learn more, go to oldriverfarmsnc.com.

To view more of photographer Erik Maasch’s work, go to websta.me/n/emaasch