Order Overview

Estimated Total: $

Sustainably Raised Meat

Spotlight on Niman Ranch

We’re shining the Member Deals Spotlight on Niman Ranch this week to celebrate their efforts to provide all-natural meats raised by family farmers committed to sustainable & humane practices. All of their meats will be 20% off for member-owners from December 27th – January 2nd.  Read on to learn more about Niman Ranch, their dedication to sustainable meat, and the small family farmers who make it possible.

Niman Ranch began in the early 1970s on an eleven-acre ranch in a small coastal town just north of San Francisco. The cattle were raised using traditional, humane husbandry methods and given wholesome all-natural feeds. Before long, Niman Ranch beef became a favorite in local grocery stores and at San Francisco Bay Area restaurants. Today, the Niman Ranch network has grown to include over 720 independent American farmers & ranchers, who all share Niman Ranch’s dedication to the strictest protocols. Their meats are Certified Humane ®, never given antibiotics or added hormones, and fed only the finest all vegetarian feeds.

Niman Ranch believes that sustainable agriculture is best described as livestock raising and production practices which balance current resource demands without compromising the future of these resources from an environmental, economic, and human perspective. They also believe that sustainability does not end with the farmer and must carry throughout the supply chain. For this reason, they choose to raise livestock in areas where feed sources are locally available to reduce the environmental impact of feed transport. Sustainability at Niman Ranch incorporates sustainable agricultural practices with economic sustainability for the farmers, the ranchers, their customers, and their employees; all of which are an integral part of their overall business philosophy of RAISED WITH CARE.

raisedwithcare_green

The Niman Ranch Top 10 Sustainability Best Practices

  • Pay farmers a premium in accordance to our strict raising protocols to ensure the economic viability of their business.
  • Establish a floor price for our farmers tied to the cost of inputs of feed and fuel.
  • Provide a robust and growing national marketplace for our small, independent farmers and ranchers to sell their products.
  • Promote agricultural biodiversity by using breeds which thrive in their natural environment.
  • Practice genetic diversity to keep breeds healthy over generations.
  • Maintain livestock density well below the conventional industry standard so the land will not be overburdened.
  • Raise livestock in areas where feed is locally available to reduce transportation needs and lower the carbon footprint.
  • Mitigate soil erosion and/or loss by maintaining pasture with coverage for livestock, crop rotation, rotational grazing, and responsible waste/manure management.
  • Prohibit the use of concentrated liquid manure systems that are used in conventional feedlot settings.
  • Utilize buffer strips and grassed waterways to support soil and water quality.

Humane Animal Care

As of September 2016, 100% of Niman Ranch’s proteins- Pork, Beef and Lamb, and our Processed Products, will be Certified Humane®. The Certified Humane® certification program is a program of Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC). HFAC is a leading non-profit certifier of the highest farm animal welfare standards. 

Our farms, ranches, harvest facilities, processing locations, and co-packers have been audited by the Certified Humane® Auditors to meet the Humane Farm Animal Care Animal Care Standards. It was easy for our farmers to meet the HFAC standards since our standards were developed with the same strict oversight by Dr. Temple Grandin. Dr. Grandin is a member of HFAC’s scientific committee.

We will still have more field agents working directly with our farmers than salespeople. We will still have dedicated staff who review our protocols and conduct audits of our farms, ranches and harvest facilities. HFAC auditors are experts in the species they audit, as they are animal scientists with master’s degrees or Ph.D.’s.

Click HERE to read more about their practices and view maps of their farm locations

Click HERE for farmer bios

Click HERE for great recipes

Meet The Farmers

 

 

 

Spotlight on Niman Ranch

We’re shining the Member Deals Spotlight on Niman Ranch this week to celebrate their efforts to provide all-natural meats raised by family farmers committed to sustainable & humane practices. All of their meats will be 20% off for member-owners from December 28th – January 3rd.  Read on to learn more about Niman Ranch, their dedication to sustainable meat, and the small family farmers who make it possible.

niman-ranch-logo1

Niman Ranch began in the early 1970’s on an eleven-acre ranch in a small coastal town just north of San Francisco. The cattle were raised using traditional, humane husbandry methods and given wholesome all-natural feeds. Before long, Niman Ranch beef became a favorite in local grocery stores and at San Francisco Bay Area restaurants. Today, the Niman Ranch network has grown to include over 700 independent American farmers & ranchers, who all share Niman Ranch’s dedication to the strictest protocols. Their meats are humanely raised, never given antibiotics or added hormones, and fed only the finest all vegetarian feeds.

Niman Ranch believes that sustainable agriculture is best described as livestock raising and production practices which balance current resource demands without compromising the future of these resources from an environmental, economic, and human perspective. They also believe that sustainability does not end with the farmer and must carry throughout the supply chain. For this reason, they choose to raise livestock in areas where feed sources are locally available to reduce the environmental impact of feed transport. Sustainability at Niman Ranch incorporates sustainable agricultural practices with economic sustainability for the farmers, the ranchers, their customers, and their employees; all of which are an integral part of their overall business philosophy of RAISED WITH CARE.

raisedwithcare_green

The Niman Ranch Top 10 Sustainability Best Practices

  • Pay farmers a premium in accordance to strict raising protocols
  • Establish a floor price for farmers tied to the cost of inputs of feed and fuel
  • Promote agricultural biodiversity by using breeds which thrive in their natural environment
  • Practice genetic diversity to keep breeds healthy over generations
  • Maintain livestock density well below conventional industry standards so as not to overburden the land
  • Raise livestock in geographies where feed is locally available to reduce carbon footprint incurred during transport
  • Mitigate soil erosion and/or loss through maintaining pasture with coverage for livestock, crop rotation, rotational grazing, and responsible waste/manure management
  • Prohibit use of concentrated liquid manure systems
  • Use buffer strips and grassed waterways
  • Provide a robust marketplace for farmers and ranchers and their livestock

Humane Animal Care

All Niman Ranch livestock are humanely raised according to the strictest animal handling protocols. These protocols were written based on the recommendations of animal handling expert Dr. Temple Grandin. Here is a summary:

  • Livestock are raised outdoors or in deeply bedded pens
  • Livestock always have access to fresh, clean water
  • Livestock are able to express their natural behaviors in healthy social groups
  • All farms are gestation crate-free

Click HERE to read in-depth animal-raising protocols

Ensuring Compliance

Niman Ranch follows a 3-step process to ensure full compliance with their protocols.

  1. All of their farmers and ranchers regularly complete affidavits agreeing to follow all protocols
  2. Niman Ranch personally inspects each farm before it is accepted into their program to ensure it meets standards
  3. The Niman Ranch field agents, located throughout the country, regularly visit and inspect the farms and ranches in their network. Niman Ranch has more field agents than sales reps!

Click HERE to read more about their practices and view maps of their farm locations

Click HERE for farmer bios

Click HERE for great recipes

Meet The Farmers

Niman Ranch Meet our Farmers from Niman Ranch on Vimeo.

Spotlight on Black River Meats

This week, we’re shining our Co-op spotlight on Black River Meats of North Springfield, Vermont. We wanted to bring awareness to their efforts to bring humanely-raised, ethically slaughtered, beautifully cut local meat to our tables. Read on to learn more about this company and their state-of-the-art, Animal Welfare Approved facility:

BRM MEDALLION (GRN-ORANGE) SPR

Black River Meats creates solutions connecting farmers, chefs, and retailers in the local and natural meat marketplace. They achieve this with the help of a state-of-the-art, Animal Welfare Approved facility called Vermont Packinghouse. The facility opened in the fall of 2014 with the goal of putting humanely-raised, ethically slaughtered, beautifully cut local meat onto our tables. They use designs developed by Temple Grandin’s firm, so they meet the high standards that Grandin, a pioneer in humane livestock handling, has set for such facilities.

They point out that The US meat industry is almost entirely controlled by four companies. If we are to ever move away from this consolidation and towards a decentralized and sustainable base of meat production, we must develop mid-sized supply chains that are big enough to have an impact, yet small enough to care. Making meat as it ought to be, that is the mission of Vermont Packinghouse.

They are one of only two facilities in the US with viewing windows, allowing those who are interested to take a tour and gain a better understanding of how the meat they eat is processed. They acknowledge that this is an act that can require courage and vulnerability, but that it can ultimately spark greater respect for animals, meat, and meat industry workers. And it seems that there are plenty of folks who are interested in taking these tours, from student field trips, chefs-in-training, or individual families who want their children to understand where their meat comes from and how it moves through every part of the supply chain. We even had a group of Co-op staffers who took a field trip to check it out!

Farmers who bring their livestock to the facility for processing also appreciate the opportunity to see how their animals are treated after they leave the farm. “I want the best start for my animals, the best life, and the best end – then I know I’ve done my job as a responsible meat farmer”, said one of their producers. The Packinghouse processes New England raised meats from small and medium-sized farms for Black River Meats, who then brings the products to our store shelves and your home. This represents an important move toward greater collaboration between local meat producers, meat processors, and meat consumers in Vermont and New England. Black River Meats works closely with their producers to ensure quality production, humane handling, efficient processing and fair pricing. They have an open door policy of transparency with all of their customers and invite you to call and schedule a visit to our farms, processing facility, and a tour of our warehouse!

To read more about the local farms supplying Black River Meats, check out the farms section of their webpage.