MM Livestock Co

I had a gal join our CSA and she asked a question that needs to be addressed again. She asked how we prove that our meat is "Clean". I asked her to define what she meant by Clean ans she said,"Can you prove what they eat is safe?" Yes We Can! While we are waiting for final approval from Animal Welfare Approved and American Grass fed. We adhere to the USDA Natural Guidlines and our stock is certified under that umbrella. That means: Livestock receive a plant based diet free of animal by-products, genetically modified grains, hormones, and antibiotics. Since our Cattle and Sheep are grass fed they exceed the criteria set by the USDA. The pigs are on a certified Organic diet as well as being pasture raised. Same for the birds. I offered to let her come and review our test results if she liked. We test our water and our Pastures annually for the health of the land and the animals that graze it. She asked about corn and soy. We don't feed either grain to any of our stock because gen-mo disclosure is not mandatory and I'm not taking chances. We pay a bit extra to have our meat graded and tested. Our Food supply has been so severly adulterated that we feel we must be able to prove that our products are safe, free from additives, and grown the way Nature intended it to grow. It may take our animals a little longer to get to your plate but I think is worth the wait.

This is our second week at the new Sunday Farmers Market in Downtown Fallbrook. It's a new market and the folks there are Great! The Market Coordinator is an amazing lady and the vendors are the best! We all help each other! What a concept! If I want a dipping sauce for my samples, The strawberry lady says here you go! if the steak sandwich folks run out of steaks I give em what they need. If Terry wants a sauce for her killer salmon fajitas, baba foods has it! Everyone laughs and enjoys themselves so much! It's a real community Market. The customers are warm and friendly and it's just a great way to close a busy weekend.

Thanks to all of you that have joined our meat only CSA. We still have shares available, and are adding a drop in San Diego, and 2 in Orange County.Current drops are in Murrieta, Temecula, and at the farm. You guys have been asking for us to do this for months and with the way the economy is and our current predicament it seemed like the perfect solution. I am thrilled that those of you that are members already are happy with the set up and yes you can still get individual cuts and packages! Sunday was fun with folks picking up their shares and everyones kids playing with the baby animals. One little girl asked what the big things were in with the horses and when I told her they were cows she was amazed. It was cute and shocking at the same time. People need to know where their food comes from and how it is raised, all of it. I'm glad that we can do our part to make this happen. If you are interested in joining our CSA just call and we'll get you signed up. Thanks again for supporting us!

Branding day went pretty well. We castrated 40 bull calves, branded all 82, took blood samples for testing, vaccinated, etc. I thought it was going to be crazy with all the extra people around but Chris kept everyone where they needed to be and there were no problems. In fact when the turn table broke one of the spectators happened to be a welder and fixed it on the spot. After the work was done and all the demonstrations over, the fellas had kids out in the pens roping hay bales and flinging dried cow chips while the rest of us finished cooking supper. We spit roasted a side of beef, cooked 200 ears of corn, 30 gallons of cowboy beans, baking powder biscuits, 2 wash tubs of salad, and 20 dutch oven Cobblers. The most fun for me was watching people try the fresh bull fries! We cleaned them, soaked them in buttermilk for a bit, gave em a dose of Chuck Wagon seasoning and flour then grilled em up. Good Stuff! We do this every year but this time it was really great to have our customers and folks from the community come out to watch. 200 people came away from the afternoon with a new appreciation fo how hard we work, what it takes to keep an operation like this going and the animals healthy. I'm shamelessly stealing a quote from one of our visitors and adding it to our advertizing.(With his pemission of course) "Grass feeding livestock isn't a production system. It's a RELIGION!" I think he summed it up pretty well! Here's the formula for BJ's Chuckwagon Seasoning. 1 cup grey salt 1/4 c Peppercorns 1/4 c dried garlic (not the granulated stuff) 1/4 c dried onion 1/4 c parika Mix in a food processor just until the peppercorns break up. store in an airtight container. This mix is the base for most of the sauces and rubs we use. you can build on it for hundreds of variations. Enjoy!

Last nite was the Green Feast in San Juan Capistrano, it was a benefit to raise funds for The Ecology Center. What a Place! The vision these folks have is Amazing! Check out their website and you'll get an idea of what they are all about. It was a real honor to donate and participate. There were almost 200 people at 1 table discussing sutainability, giving examples of how each farmer or rancher accomplishes this, and fielding some of the most intelligent questions I have heard in a long time. The food and drink were wonderfully prepared and it was a truly lifestyle affirming nite. I wish every community had a place like this to go and learn about agriculture, sustainable practices, stewardship and the reasons we in this industry do what we do. Evan is one of my heroes and anything they need or decide to do I'm there! It's 22miles from my place as the crow flys, a little farther by road and a vision worth supporting. We are moving forward with our teaching center here and with The Ecology Center as a model and their staff as mentors we are going to really be able to help people learn about their food, where it comes from and how to get it to your plate in the safest, healthiest, and most natural way possible. It shows me that all the work we've done getting and keeping Certifications that prove the quality of our product were not a waste of time. It is a shame that we have to do this but it protects our customers and brings people like those at The Ecolology center in to our world and gives us opportunity to keep making a positive difference.

We're still lambing and the weather has been fierce! we have misters up for the animals but babies can't regulate their body temperature for the first few days of life. Over 80 can be tough on newborns but when it hits 100+ its really dangerous. No laughing but here's what we did. We took a portable swamp cooler and put it in the barn, moved the jug panels inside and voila no stressed lambs! This is working well! The family moves outside after about 5 days and with the misters, trees and shade covers adjust to the heat pretty quickly. Mom teaches the youngsters how to beat the heat. If you go out in the heat of the day you'll find the whole crew napping under the pepper trees or with their faces in front of the misters. I have 1 ewe that thinks she's a hippo and the water tank is a bath tub. It's funny to see but we've had to add 2 more tanks in the field and don't dare leave a float in any of them or we have floods. It means checking tanks more frequently but hey I want to go for a swim in the heat of the day myself. Our girls lamb year round and some of the challenges of out of season lambing are pretty funny, and they definitely keep our visitors entertained. On a more serious note, Gracie the Land shark is really getting the idea of how BC's are supposed to work sheep. She is starting to hold a good pace and not rush her sheep. She is finally getting a solid recall and lie down. She still doesn't get why she has to stay on the sidelines when Tweed moves them through the pens though. It's back to formal training in the next few weeks and we'll see if we have a trial dog in the makin'.

This has been a BUSY week! More lambs and goat kids have been born, 20 lambs and 3 kids. Everyone is doing well. This weeks dutch oven class was based around beef. We did some large roasts over the coals and grilled up some steaks just for fun. Everyone was shocked when I brought the steaks out still frozen. I explained that starting steaks frozen on the grill actually protects the tenderness of the meat. You don't lose any of the good juices that collect in the bag during during defrosting and it only adds about 10 minutes to the total cooking time. I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to steaks and don't use anything but salt pepper and garlic on mine. If you want to marinade that's fine. I just usually don't. They all thought I was nuts until they sat down to eat. 10 converts! If it was only always that easy! This week we did Matimbres, classic roast beef, and dutch oven Wellingtons. As soon as the website is finished we'll start posting recipes, until then you can e-mail me and I'll send em to you. Next week I am at the Green Feast In San Juan Capistrano so class will be Monday nite. Some of the cooking students are getting more interested in other aspects of ranching and livestock care so we're going to allow the general public to attend some of our seminars and are developing a couple of classes for newcomers to country life. As soon as we have the schedule set I'll post it. If there are specific things you all are intereste in let me know and we'll do our best to get someone out here to talk about it. All the slots are filled for Branding Day. I had no idea people wanted to watch calves get branded, doctored and castrated. I'm glad they do though. If more people took the time to learn the how and why of where the meat they are eating comes from they would have a deeper appreciation for their food and the land that produces it. If I can show one person the difference between living with the land instead of just on it, I've done my job. Time to bring the sheep in. talk to you all soon. Meg

Oh dear, one of the blog readers left her comment as a review on the site. What's funny is she obviously didn't pay attention to what she read. I thought I was pretty clear as to different kinds of pork and what we do. In my opinion grass fed and or pastured animals and heritage breeds are better. If extra lean cardboard is what you want IT AINT' US. Our Beef and lamb are Graded and we sell nothing that grades lower than USDA Choice, They are raised on pasture, The only grain they see is Barley 30 days pre and post birthing to improve milk production. The pig are pasture Raised Berkies that get to play and root, they have clean water and never have to wallow in waste. They eat what pigs are supposed to eat. not pelleted super foods or salvage.It's like trying to compare American Cheese to Cave Aged Cheddar, It can't be done. We do things the old fashioned way, with the health and welfare of the animal as top priority. This is the place for discussion and arguement if needed. Not the review page. This woman either has no clue about livestock production or didn't read the entire post. I'm not sure which. it was a cheap shot and she should be ashamed of herself. Visit a place before you slam it. if something is wrong say so or report it. Abstract Opinions and dialog belong on the blog roll, facts and first hand experiences on the review list. Its Not rocket science! Thanks for letting me rant. Meg

Since we started our Dutch Oven cooking classes I've had some interesting questions posed by students, the most common one being "How do I make sure my pork is tender?" It's pretty easy, start with quality pork. The comercial hog has been bred to be extremely lean, sacrificing flavor and tenderness in the process. Fat equals flavor, marbling equals tenderness. Heritage hogs carry more fat, therefore are naturally prone to be more tender and flavorful. Pastured pork is higher in monounsaturated fat than conventional pork, and all the running around and playing helps build muscle and promotes marbling. Pork should never have to be tenderized if it was raised and harvested properly. If you start with a superior product, cook it properly paying attention to time and temperature, you end up with great chops, succulent ribs, and tender roasts. Here's a recipe for a crowd that illustrates my point. 2 pork shoulder roasts or Boston Butts. 10 racks Spare Ribs, 20 Apples, 3c Apple Juice, 2lbs Brown Sugar, 2lb of your favorite Dry Rub. Slice all the apples, Rub the shoulders and ribs with dry rub. in a 17" deep sided dutch oven. Place a 1" layer of apples in the bottom of the oven, add the Pork Shoulders, layer apples over shoulders and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Alternate Racks of ribs and apples, sprinkling sugar on each layer of apples until you fill the oven. Pour apple Juice over top(I substitute about a cup of Bourbon but you don't have too). Cover with lid and hang or place over a slow fire. Put about 50 coals on the lid after the first hour and let cook another 1.5 to 2 hours. Check every 20 to 30 minutes to make sure your coals are still hot. Pull the meat from the oven and transfer it to a grill to brown up. You can mop the meat with sauce if you like but I don't think it needs it. You can add potatoes and other root vegetables to the cooking pot with the apples for a great side dish. Cut em in a small dice and they should be done in 15 to 20 minutes.

We said our last goodbye to my dear friend and Pop on Saturday. Bob passed on August 14 after 11 days in intensive care fighting a systemic infection. Bob was many things to many people. Husband, Father, Friend, and Blacksmith to name a few. Bob was my voice of reason. He kept me from flying off the handle and running my mouth more times than I can count. He would come by for hay and we would end up talking for hours about everything and nothing. He dragged me to events and introduced me to folks that have become lifetime friends. He taught me the value of keeping my cool, and that honesty trumps bravado every time. I think the most important thing I learned from Bob was to apply stockmanship to humans. Stay calm, be patient, and if they don't settle down and learn to do what's right, ship em! I'm going to miss my Pop but he's in a better place, shaping iron and smiling.

Sorry it has taken so long to get back to the blog. We've been really busy lambing! The farm flock is dropping lambs right and left! These old ladies are still getting it done, they just need a bit more care than the commercial ewes. Trip and Emma each gave us a set of triplets and so far everyone else has twinned. Not bad for ewes that are seniors. We have been really happy with our selective breeding program and having ewes still producing well at 10 years old and up is proof that what we started is working. They lamb pretty easily stay in good flesh and are super attentive mothers for the most part. we onlt have 20 more girls to go so I'll keep you all posted!

We've been invited to participate in a new Farmers Market with an interesting twist. Everything sold at this market must be produced and processed Locally(within 100 miles). I asked a lot of questions and after a lot of thought I'm in. It means we can't sell our pork there but that's ok. Beef, lamb, and poultry will have to suffice. It will do away with a lot of the geegaws and re-sellers but that's ok too. Their premise is to showcase local products and I hope it works. Would you rather see a traditional market or one that enforces the hundred mile rule? I think that there are valid arguements on both sides of the issue but want to know what other producers and consumers think. Thanks in advance. Meg

The "Farm Flock" is getting ready to start lambing. These are older ewes and show sheep that can't compete with the commercial ewes but still have really nice lambs. We have to keep a closer eye on them and sometimes help them lamb. We have new fences around the pasture, have planted it for the winter. and are getting the jugs ready. The cattle are almost through calving so we'll be able to slow down a bit come November. We've decided to make some minor changes at the home place since that's where visitors come first.We want to have examples of our larger operations and use it as a teaching center. We have leased the 16 acres adjacent to us so we can have more pasture space. With the solar cubes we've been able to add better lighting and security cameras. The well will be able to handle keeping the pastures greened up, and we've terraced for better drainage. We will keep a few animals of each species here and limit access to our production herds and flocks for biosecurity reasons.(you can still drive out to the range land and look) We want people to learn how and why we raise our animals on grass and pasturage, what feeding practices are appropriate, and what questions to ask. There is so much false advertizing out there! We feel that it is our duty to teach people about the process whether they buy from us or not.

I want to thank everyone who has helped us during my recovery. I am on the mend and should be back in contact in the next few days. The animals are all well and we are continuing to move forward. Things don't come to a stop just because the boss gets hurt. We've had several calves hit the ground and the pig palace is being finished as we speak. Thanks again for all of your support. Meg

I had a gal come out today on a mission. She had been told some really nasty things about us by a competitor and was out for blood. We showed her our operation, our Certifications, our protocols, and everything else she asked for. She told us as she left that she was very impressed with us and was glad that the information she had been given was false. She even bought a lamb for her freezer! Honesty and integrity trumps bluff and bravado every time! I wish more people took the time to really check into where the food they eat comes from. It's vitally importand to be able to back your claims. You can potentially harm someone by being shady. I know that backbiting and nastiness come with the territory but I sure don't have to like it. The only thing honest producers can do is stick to the facts and avoid bringing personal disagreements to the customer. It's bad form and those that do it usually have something to hide. We adopted "The Stein Principle" to take away any doubt about our practices and the quality of our products. Shoot we even list on our sites who raised the animals we don't and folks are welcome to contact them as well. We are proud of our cooperative efforts and of the fact that we stick to what we know best and have found other producers who do the same. Thanks for letting me vent. Meg