We thank you for purchasing from Dragonfly Garden Farm. Every food dollar you spend is a decision. Thank you for deciding to purchase from a small family farm who humanely raises grass-fed beef outside on fresh grass and organic hay, using organic principals and standards, who support small family owned butchers who employ a variety of local people.
Our animals are grass-fed which means we feed them fresh grass/pasture in summer and hay that we harvest from our hay fields. We harvest approximately 215, 700 to 800 pound round bales of hay each summer from 110 acres of land to feed our herd of approximately 30 beef cattle for the winter season.
A beef cow will eat approximately 10 bales each for the duration that they are off pasture. We do give approximately 1 cup of organic grain per week along with organic minerals, kelp and shell flour (diatomaceous earth) which helps to keep our animals healthy.
We don’t use antibiotics, growth hormones, feed supplements, corn silage or pesticides. Grass-fed beef, are a little smaller in size, older when processing and leaner than conventional beef. More info about the environmental and health benefits of grass-fed meat can be found at a great website. www.eatwild.ca.
Grass-fed animals are older, around 28 months, instead of 15 months as conventionally raised beef at processing. Grass-fed beef from Hereford cattle marble naturally at around 24 months. The Province of Ontario has imposed a special butchering process for animals over 30 months, they keep a part of the spine and shoulder to test for diseases to avoid any issues with animals going across the boarder.
We do not ship or sell any beef across the US Boarder, but we can not be exempted, it applies to all beef producers. All the animals that we have had tested, which is quite a few each year, have never resulted in any disease findings. However, this does eliminate T-bone Steak from the selection, this is the area that is removed for testing, so we do not always have T-Bone steak available.
We dry age our grass-fed beef at the butcher for 14 days only, no longer as grass-fed beef is considered extra extra lean, aging any longer will reduce the quality of the meat. (Dry aging does 2 things, moisture evaporates improving the beef flavour and an enzyme in the meat begins to act and break-down the connective tissue improving the tenderness of the beef, (this starts around day 7 of the aging process)
When you purchase 150 pounds of grass-fed beef at Dragonfly Garden Farm you receive 150 pounds of grass-fed beef. We sell by the packaged weight, the weight is on each package, weighed and labeled by the Butcher.
Many farmers sell by the hanging weight. There is a reduction of 35% to 40% in the total weight of the meat from hanging weight to packaged weight. This 35% to 40% is what is removed and discarded when the carcass is processed into the cuts you request on your cutting order.
A 115 pound Quarter started out as a 1200 pound animal, which was processed to a 695 pound hanging weight, (or 175 pound per quarter), which results in a total of 460 pounds of packaged meat, or when divided into 4 quarters, 115 pounds of packaged meat.
We sell whole, halves or mixed quarters. A mixed quarter, is half of a half, but not just the front or back quarter, a mix of each so you can enjoy all the cuts that come from the various places on the animal. We only offer mixed quarters.
Each mixed quarter contains approximately;
- 49% Utility Cuts – (Ground Beef, Stew Meat or Stir Fry) (Hamburger patties are wheat free and made from 100% DFGF Ground Beef)
- 17% Steak (Sirloin, Striploin, Ribeye, Tenderloin, Wing, Round, Flank, Minute Steak and T-bone when available)
- 30% Roasts (Rump, Blade, Cross Rib, Short Rib, Top Sirloin, Prime Rib and Round)
- 4% Liver, Heart, Soup Bones and Tongue
We focus on honouring the whole animal, and offer the above as a guideline to show what is produced. As the purchaser of a half or quarter, we hope that our packaging and custom processing allows you to receive a variety of cuts you prefer, while utilizing all that the animal produces.
A Provincial Meat Inspector has inspected all meat sold at Dragonfly Garden Farm. The label on each package contains vital information like the processing date, weight, processors name, meat inspection seal and the cut of meat contained in the butcher paper. Butcher paper reduces freezer burn better than vacuum packaging and is more environmentally friendly.
Take Care and care about what’s on your fork, we do!
Cindy & Mike Wilhelm