Across the Farm 2015 - Belties coming to the Barn
About Our Family Raised Crafted Beef - Learning the Craft
Original herd with first crop of Gelbvieh calves.
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Polled Black Gelbvieh (Money Matters Z225)
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Left - Progeny of DCC Silver Buelingo
/Mother to Herd Sire
Center - Buelingo x Dexter Bull
Right - Registered Buelingo from
Brian Tracy, Iowa
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Bernie the Dexter Bull
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Field to Finish - Early Craft
100% Grass-Fed Beef Available - Managing the Herd
The entire Bluegrass Beltie Crafted Buelingo cattle herd is also raised on a 100% grass-fed forage diet. These crafted Belties are raised on a forage diet grass and hay, and are only fed small amounts of corn during temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the temperature at which they will begin to lose body mass without supplement, and is not ethical to us.
100% forage beef is loaded with omega-3 and other good fatty acids, and many consumers prefer this beef for the nutrition it provides. Grass-fed beef is best enjoyed when it is cooked rare to medium rare to retain the juicy tenderness desired by most consumers.
Grass finished vs. Grass Fed
Our cattle are on forages (Grass & Hay) from birth until the start the finish regiment. This adds local corn and 4 other ingredients (No Soy) to there diet along with a high protein hay. This allows them to pick up weight and develop the modest marbling (fat in the meat) that is needed to produce a tender, flavorful cut of meat. This is only introduced for a short time of 45-80 days versus the near 400 day commercial feed out.
We only use one vaccination as a calf in order to keep from possible sickness and death from those extremely cold wet winters. Vaccinations are not used after they are 6 months of age.The processing (butchering) occurs at 26-30 months of age. This method gives us to opportunity to grass finish a beef as well as the grass fed beef option of meat we have now by request of the customer preordering meat.
Despite its leanness, Bluegrass Belties crafted beef retains a tender and juicy texture. Bluegrass Belties crafted beef is USDA processed, dry aged in the cooler for approximately 2 weeks before, which makes the meat more tender. Sealed in vacuum sealed plastic bags, this lack of oxygen allows the beef to be kept longer in the freezer with little to no freezer burning. We have consumed meat from the freezer after 3 years.
100% forage beef is loaded with omega-3 and other good fatty acids, and many consumers prefer this beef for the nutrition it provides. Grass-fed beef is best enjoyed when it is cooked rare to medium rare to retain the juicy tenderness desired by most consumers.
Grass finished vs. Grass Fed
Our cattle are on forages (Grass & Hay) from birth until the start the finish regiment. This adds local corn and 4 other ingredients (No Soy) to there diet along with a high protein hay. This allows them to pick up weight and develop the modest marbling (fat in the meat) that is needed to produce a tender, flavorful cut of meat. This is only introduced for a short time of 45-80 days versus the near 400 day commercial feed out.
We only use one vaccination as a calf in order to keep from possible sickness and death from those extremely cold wet winters. Vaccinations are not used after they are 6 months of age.The processing (butchering) occurs at 26-30 months of age. This method gives us to opportunity to grass finish a beef as well as the grass fed beef option of meat we have now by request of the customer preordering meat.
Despite its leanness, Bluegrass Belties crafted beef retains a tender and juicy texture. Bluegrass Belties crafted beef is USDA processed, dry aged in the cooler for approximately 2 weeks before, which makes the meat more tender. Sealed in vacuum sealed plastic bags, this lack of oxygen allows the beef to be kept longer in the freezer with little to no freezer burning. We have consumed meat from the freezer after 3 years.
The Bottom Line
At Bluegrass Belties Farm & Orchard Jimmy and his family have taken cattle from 4 sources and been crafting our herd for 9 years to achieve a more adapted animal for our needs. The spring of 2020 will be its 7th generation of crafted beef in the making. Our goal is to maintain the staple characteristics of the Buelingo breed as seen below.
The history of the herd
We started in the military with the purchase of 2 Buelingo's in Idaho in the late 2000's. Once released from active duty I joined to USAF reserves and moved back home to KY at which point we purchased a farm that needed a complete rehabilitation (Home, Barns, Fence, Equipment, ect). This led to the search for more Buelingo's with the goal of selling all our product locally and never taking any to the Stock Yards for commercial producers. This led to the purchase of an entire herd of Buelingo's coming deriving from DDC- Dickinson Cattle Company, Ohio. It was more then my farm could sustain, but my goal was to monitor and take the best few for my herd to build from with the goals mentioned above before culling the herd. Your herd is built on the bull; I sought to use a heavy muscled bull that was anything but an Angus, the market is dominated by the breed we love Heritage breeds.
I found a Gelbvieh bull, a triple purpose breed with origins in Germany. After the first season of calves I observed the large frame, also the solid black hide made it hot in the summer. animals and plants do not produce during times of heat stress. With this excessive body temperature the sun creates while grazing this leds to reduces weight gains. The traditional Buelingo cattle didn't have this problem with the white belts and black or red colored cattle. The gelbvieh x Buelingo cattle were great looking, however, the bone structure was much too bulky, analysis with various metrics concluded meat yield decrease from the previous 62% back to 59% from the original Buelingo herd. With the Continental breed bull it was taking nearly 6 extra months to get the same size.
What goes up must come down
What I really wanted was to go back to the basics. I need the dairy cow look from the Lakenvelder Dutch Belted Dairy Cow, which is where the belt from the original Buelingo's unique white belt was derived from. Dairy cattle also have finer bone structures then most beef cattle, since they are to produce milk, not meat. We too are in the business of making protein, not calcium (bones) we needed to get the small bone/frame structure, and build as much protein as possible in the shortest time while only using the natural forage diet with mineral supplements. I had attended some cattle management courses through the University of Kentucky, the most notable being the "Master Cattleman's Program" This was very educational and enlightening from soil science to classes at the Ky Meat Lab to include argonomics at each step from rearing a calf to the cut of meat.
This leds up in the summer of 2016 I sent a Dun colored cow from the Dickinson Cattle Company belted silver mother to my neighbor's farm for the summer to get bred to a very nice Dexter Bull. These cattle hail from northern Ireland and are hardy and efficient; producing well marbled meat that is tender and flavorful with high ratios of meat yield per carcass. This mature Dexter bull named Bernie was very ideal for to cross into my herd with all the while he is barely taller then the handle bars on the farms' ATV. He had also been cleared by genetic testing for any disorders' predispositioned in the Dexter breed.
This has yielded a much more compact Bull with the dairy like small bone structure and muscle mass of the beef blood I desired. Meanwhile, being very hardy and efficient. Crafting this cross breeding endeavor has yielded the farm with downsized herd sire that produces higher quality meat that takes less resources and the hardiness that equates to less likelihood of needing modern medicines that aren't desirable by Bluegrass Belties and/or its customers. We even use Diatomaceous Earth mixed with other trace minerals to control herd parasites further reducing pressures that slow growth of the animal.
Successful Endeavors
After many spreadsheets, analysis, education, and field observations since the beginning, here at the farm, we are now yielding a 65%+ with the smaller size cattle, and much easier and safer to work with much less handling of the animals required.
Cost
You may wonder why the beef cost so much. Most beef you see in the stores are sold at $0.05-$0.06/lb. Meat is the lest profitable part of the animal. they sell the bones, hides, entrails to manufacture other consumer products for much more profit. We small scale farmers do not have the resources or time in most cases, to do such value added operations. Lets start with a heifer (female with less then 2 calves) It takes 2 years of care to get her to her first calf. Lets says that calf is a Beef. This beef will take 24-30 months to get to processing maturity. This is Hay, Fuel for pasture upkeep, medications (if needed), Winter ration feed (Proteins tubs or grain). This upkeep is figured at approx. $125/year/animal. If we sold now, This gets you to the near $1000 payment a farmer would get to sell it at the Auction and some Feedlot out in the plains with tons of feed would fadeout for 6 months and send to a commercial butcher such as Cargill or JBS. Lets go back to Us here at the family farm. I know the pasture, I know the parents, I know the feed requirements for all my animals. because I have had many generations, and understand what stock I have made, because that true animal husbandry. Now its time to Process your animal at a USDA processor. This is a 2 hour one way trip that is made 2 times. once to drop off and once to get the packages meat. That is $120. Now we are $120 plus $313 for upkeep. The processor will charge nearly $500 for kill, age(hang in cooler) & package the meat. That puts us at $313+$120+500= $933. So now you must consider this takes equipment, truck, trailer, tractor, Electronics, websites, property taxes, Vet visits(if necessary), ect. One thing is missing, where does the farmers labor come out of this at? Whatever we sell the meat for goes towards keeping the cycle alive to produce another beef for you to enjoy. Our extra $1000 we make to hold and care for an animal another 12-18 months is very mediocre with all things considered.
Contact us to inquire about pricing and availability of premium Bluegrass Belties Crafted beef.
Scroll down to see pricing information
- Docility
- Excellent quality and lean marbling
- Good maternal characteristics
- Fertility
- Small Calving weights
- Smaller frame = more meat, less waste
- Improved marbling
- Flavor and tenderness
The history of the herd
We started in the military with the purchase of 2 Buelingo's in Idaho in the late 2000's. Once released from active duty I joined to USAF reserves and moved back home to KY at which point we purchased a farm that needed a complete rehabilitation (Home, Barns, Fence, Equipment, ect). This led to the search for more Buelingo's with the goal of selling all our product locally and never taking any to the Stock Yards for commercial producers. This led to the purchase of an entire herd of Buelingo's coming deriving from DDC- Dickinson Cattle Company, Ohio. It was more then my farm could sustain, but my goal was to monitor and take the best few for my herd to build from with the goals mentioned above before culling the herd. Your herd is built on the bull; I sought to use a heavy muscled bull that was anything but an Angus, the market is dominated by the breed we love Heritage breeds.
I found a Gelbvieh bull, a triple purpose breed with origins in Germany. After the first season of calves I observed the large frame, also the solid black hide made it hot in the summer. animals and plants do not produce during times of heat stress. With this excessive body temperature the sun creates while grazing this leds to reduces weight gains. The traditional Buelingo cattle didn't have this problem with the white belts and black or red colored cattle. The gelbvieh x Buelingo cattle were great looking, however, the bone structure was much too bulky, analysis with various metrics concluded meat yield decrease from the previous 62% back to 59% from the original Buelingo herd. With the Continental breed bull it was taking nearly 6 extra months to get the same size.
What goes up must come down
What I really wanted was to go back to the basics. I need the dairy cow look from the Lakenvelder Dutch Belted Dairy Cow, which is where the belt from the original Buelingo's unique white belt was derived from. Dairy cattle also have finer bone structures then most beef cattle, since they are to produce milk, not meat. We too are in the business of making protein, not calcium (bones) we needed to get the small bone/frame structure, and build as much protein as possible in the shortest time while only using the natural forage diet with mineral supplements. I had attended some cattle management courses through the University of Kentucky, the most notable being the "Master Cattleman's Program" This was very educational and enlightening from soil science to classes at the Ky Meat Lab to include argonomics at each step from rearing a calf to the cut of meat.
This leds up in the summer of 2016 I sent a Dun colored cow from the Dickinson Cattle Company belted silver mother to my neighbor's farm for the summer to get bred to a very nice Dexter Bull. These cattle hail from northern Ireland and are hardy and efficient; producing well marbled meat that is tender and flavorful with high ratios of meat yield per carcass. This mature Dexter bull named Bernie was very ideal for to cross into my herd with all the while he is barely taller then the handle bars on the farms' ATV. He had also been cleared by genetic testing for any disorders' predispositioned in the Dexter breed.
This has yielded a much more compact Bull with the dairy like small bone structure and muscle mass of the beef blood I desired. Meanwhile, being very hardy and efficient. Crafting this cross breeding endeavor has yielded the farm with downsized herd sire that produces higher quality meat that takes less resources and the hardiness that equates to less likelihood of needing modern medicines that aren't desirable by Bluegrass Belties and/or its customers. We even use Diatomaceous Earth mixed with other trace minerals to control herd parasites further reducing pressures that slow growth of the animal.
Successful Endeavors
After many spreadsheets, analysis, education, and field observations since the beginning, here at the farm, we are now yielding a 65%+ with the smaller size cattle, and much easier and safer to work with much less handling of the animals required.
Cost
You may wonder why the beef cost so much. Most beef you see in the stores are sold at $0.05-$0.06/lb. Meat is the lest profitable part of the animal. they sell the bones, hides, entrails to manufacture other consumer products for much more profit. We small scale farmers do not have the resources or time in most cases, to do such value added operations. Lets start with a heifer (female with less then 2 calves) It takes 2 years of care to get her to her first calf. Lets says that calf is a Beef. This beef will take 24-30 months to get to processing maturity. This is Hay, Fuel for pasture upkeep, medications (if needed), Winter ration feed (Proteins tubs or grain). This upkeep is figured at approx. $125/year/animal. If we sold now, This gets you to the near $1000 payment a farmer would get to sell it at the Auction and some Feedlot out in the plains with tons of feed would fadeout for 6 months and send to a commercial butcher such as Cargill or JBS. Lets go back to Us here at the family farm. I know the pasture, I know the parents, I know the feed requirements for all my animals. because I have had many generations, and understand what stock I have made, because that true animal husbandry. Now its time to Process your animal at a USDA processor. This is a 2 hour one way trip that is made 2 times. once to drop off and once to get the packages meat. That is $120. Now we are $120 plus $313 for upkeep. The processor will charge nearly $500 for kill, age(hang in cooler) & package the meat. That puts us at $313+$120+500= $933. So now you must consider this takes equipment, truck, trailer, tractor, Electronics, websites, property taxes, Vet visits(if necessary), ect. One thing is missing, where does the farmers labor come out of this at? Whatever we sell the meat for goes towards keeping the cycle alive to produce another beef for you to enjoy. Our extra $1000 we make to hold and care for an animal another 12-18 months is very mediocre with all things considered.
Contact us to inquire about pricing and availability of premium Bluegrass Belties Crafted beef.
Scroll down to see pricing information
Despite its leanness, Bluegrass Belties Crafted beef has just enough fat to maintain the tender and juicy texture desired by most. Bluegrass Belties Crafted beef is processed via USDA inspected, dry aged in the cooler for approximately 2 weeks before (each animal varies), which makes the meat more tender due to enzymes released from the muscle breaking down muscle and connective tissue. Then it is cut and vacuum sealed, this lack of oxygen allows the beef to be kept longer in the freezer with little to no freezer burning. On a personal note, we, here at the farm, have consumed meat from the freezer after 3 years without any issues afterwards. This extended storage makes buying in bulk cheaper and a better eating experience for the customer as well as supporting local families instead of corporate entities cosuming beef that may not even be from North America.
