A: NOPE! the Organic certification comes from a division of the Federal Government that has requirements and base-lines to maintain and ensure that you are getting a product that is free from chemicals the USDA has deemed harmful to human and/or the environment.
While our farming practices are done as close to how mother nature would do it if she ran our operation her self, we choose to not take the route of certifications. We invite everyone to follow along our ranching journey through social media. We talk about how we run our operation very openly and love showing you what practices we use to keep our land and cattle living a naturally healthy life. Ask questions and do research to know what matters to you involving your food.
A: YES! But not how you might think. Horses are a great tool on a ranch and when trained properly can be so beneficial and helpful. Our horses are the best! But we use them for recreation purposes most often. They have only been used to work cattle a few times. For us a 4-wheeler makes a great substitute for horses. There is no need to round it up, saddle it up, and sometimes transport it to where you need to get the work done.
Also, sometimes Seth works on his knees instead of putting on this prosthetics and that, as you can imagine, can be difficult in mounting a horse!
A: For us...it was the egg. Neither Seth nor I had ever raised chickens before, and when you figure out the cost of raising your own layers and meat birds as opposed to buy the end products from the store...it is much cheaper to not even mess with it! HOWEVER...where is the fun in that. Knowing where our food comes from is so....FUN! If we can't raise it, grow it, can it, or freeze it all on our own we try and source it locally from vendors we know and can trust. In other words...we like to walk our talk.
We don't sell our eggs or meat from our chickens...for now...we just use them for personal use. But it might be something we look to for future business opportunities!