100% grass-fed beef and U-pick strawberries (Raleigh area)

[Pat]

Q: Are the cows given any organic grains? Or only grasses/hay, with no
herbicides/pesticide exposure for years?
A: Our cows receive ONLY grasses, forages and stored grasses and forages. This is the USDA definition of grass-fed beef. We do not believe in overuse of herbicides. 1) It is not necessary and 2) it is expensive. We use the absolute least amount possible.

Q: I assume no antibiotics or growth hormones?
A: The animals destined for our retail program do not receive antibiotics or growth hormones. If an animal becomes injured or sick, it is treated accordingly. If treatment involves antibiotics, it is removed from our retail program and sold through the livestock market or privately on the farm. We do not use growth hormones at all.

Q: And if grass-fed, are the cows 100% grass fed, year round?
A: As I mentioned in the first response, they are 100% grass-fed. When the weather does not permit them to be on fresh grass, we have stored hay from our own fields, or bring in purchased hay from a reputable seller.

Q: Can one purchase portions of a cow?
A: We want our customers to be happy with our beef. We encourage new customers to purchase small packages of our beef as a "sample" before committing to large orders. However, customers who are familiar with grass-fed beef may be comfortable with purchasing a 1/4 beef (approximately 120 pounds) for $5.00 per pound. We offer a whole beef (approximately 450 pounds) for $4.85/pound.

Q: What is the approximate percentage of fat in the ground beef?
A: We ask our processor for an 80/20 mix on our ground beef. Since the beef itself is so lean, we don't want to go any leaner with the mix.

Q: What is the price per pound? Is there a charge for the processing, or is that included?
A: We offer retail cuts on the farm. Our prices are listed on our website. The large quantity orders are mentioned above. These prices include all processing. The meat is vacuumed-packed and frozen, freezer-ready. We do have to charge a 2% state sales tax.

Q: Are the strawberries organic, non-pesticide, or greenhouse raised? We are all desperately seeking an organic U-pick strawberry resource for our families.
A: Our strawberries are not organic. As I mentioned above, we only use pesticides when absolutely necessary. We follow all procedures for field entry and harvest, and often add extra time to the stated procedures.

Our website address is www.DoubleRCattleServices.com . Feel free to look around and ask questions. I appreciate the questions you already asked. We encourage people to ask questions of their supplier and be sure that everyone has the same understanding of the production practices.


Thanks again,
Beverly Roberts

[Jamie Wise]

Organic U-Pick strawberries?? In the South?? I've waited soooo long!