“I like the fact that they only grow a small number of cattle each year. They focus on quality and not quantity. I feel like I’m part of a special club.”
Kevin R – Albuquerque, NM
Not just any cattle will do
The cattle we raise are selected for their genetic predisposition to finishing well on grass. We acquire our steer calves directly from local ranchers who breed pasture-raised cattle. We have been using the same local breeders for close to a decade and have developed strong relationships with them. Where many grass-fed cattle are brought in at 2 years of age or more, our steers are processed at 16 months of age. This results in a final product that is far more tender.
Our steers are raised and finished on our ranch here in Valencia County, New Mexico. Currently we raise and finish Aberdeen Angus cattle, sometimes simply known as Black or Red Angus. Aberdeen Angus is a north-eastern Scottish breed of small beef cattle. Their smaller frame size is an important characteristic in early finishing, resulting in a tender, flavorful product.
Because of the calm environment and gentle manner in which we handle our cattle, the lack of stress allows the meat to attain a higher quality and tenderness than the meat from cattle that are in adverse conditions, transported often, and handled in a rough fashion. Also, our meat is dry-aged, adding to the tenderness and flavor.
Our cattle are 100% grass fed from start to finish
DSR cattle consume forage diets their entire lives and are never fed corn, other grains, or any animal by-product feed supplements. They are 100% grass fed and grass finished. The health benefits of grass-fed beef are realized when you consume meat from animals raised solely on grass. Beef from cattle raised entirely on their natural diet of grass has much less fat, bad cholesterol (LDL), and calories than grain-fed beef. When purely grass-fed, the beef produced is also high in Omega 3’s, vitamins A & E, antioxidants, and lower in saturated fat, which is good for our cardiovascular health as the consumers.
Our cattle are naturally raised
We do not believe in the use of vaccines, antibiotics or hormones for the purpose of increasing beef production. Our beef is 100% free of all drugs used in commercial cattle development. Hormones can add toughness to meat, and grain can strip away its natural flavors, while increasing saturated fat levels. As these are not natural to the animal’s development, nor do we want to consume vaccines, antibiotics or hormones ourselves, we do not use them when raising our cattle.
Our cattle are never penned
Our cattle are never penned and roam freely on our acreage with continual access to clean drinking water, dry ground, and shade. They are raised in small groups to ensure they are calm and comfortable. Our goal is to produce the highest quality grass-fed beef while caring for our cattle humanely and with compassion. We believe that when an animal is raised for food, it should be treated with respect and be cared for to the very best of our abilities. The taste of the beef reflects the attention we put into our cattle.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the talented photographer Teri James for the image you see above and on the front of our website.