2006 Frequently Asked Questions

A. It is raised from birth on the family ranches of the Country Natural Beef cooperative. Most of the ranches are located in Oregon, but Washington, California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado and Hawaii are also represented. See our web site for exact ranch locations. www.countrynaturalbeef.com

A. Yes….Humane compassionate handling of livestock in an environment well suited for beef cattle is an initial requirement of membership. The reason we have such a wide distribution of ranching areas is because we want only ranchers with an extraordinarily strong land ethic ie respect for their plants, animals, land and people. Furthermore we want each cow and her calf and the yearling that calf grows into to have lots of space……our average is 70 acres per individual cow/calf unit per year.

A. We are not breed specific, but very much type specific…..moderate sized athletic range cows that thrive in large pastures. Our ranchers’ cow herds are British based….ie….Angus, Hereford and Shorthorns and crosses of those breeds. Some herds have a small infusion of Charolais, Simmental and Tarentaise.

A. Our cattle are pasture and range raised for approximately 16 months and then go to our gathering lot in Boardman, OR where they are fed a ration of potatoes, corn and alfalfa for approximately 3 months. To ensure a consistent year around supply of quality cattle, all cattle go through this one gathering lot (it is owned by a member ranch) on their way to Washington Beef.

Q. Does the short feedlot time mean you lose the healthy fatty acids ie Omega 3 and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) as commonly occurs in long term grain fed beef?

A. No….in fact a controlled study done by Oregon State University showed only a slight decline in the Omega 3 levels and a significant benefit on CLA when compared to 100% grass fed.

A. Yes…..Our marbling goal (internal fat flecks in the meat) is driven by consideration for the health of the animal, the eating satisfaction from the beef produced, and the health benefits from that meal. For those reasons, we only use carcasses that grade High Select or Choice.

A. This is our most frequently asked question. Doc Hatfield, one of our founding ranchers and a veterinarian says. “When my time comes, I hope it is as kind”. Our ranchers have owned and cared for these cattle from putting the bull and cow together until this point…..an average of over two years. Respect for all the plants and animals that make up our family ranches is a core value of all Country Natural Beef ranchers. It is critical that the slaughtering process be done with that same respect.

The animals are trucked to the processing plant at Toppenish, Washington the night before slaughter. This is a short hour and a half ride. They are penned under cover with water and with the same mates they were with at our gathering lot. The next morning they are walked as a group to a pen which leads into a chute where they walk single file. They have all been through chutes before and are not frightened by this process. They enter the stunning box where they are rendered unconscious with captive bolt blows to the brain. The animals behind do not see the process. A side gate opens and they slide down a wide version of a playground slide about 4 feet where they are shackled by a hind leg and bled. The side gate closes and is ready for the next animal who has seen none of this and there is no blood in the box they are entering.

Q. Washington Beef processes other cattle. How do we know for sure the boxed beef is all from your natural family raised cattle?

A. Washington Beef custom processes our beef according to our specifications. CNB cattle are the first cattle processed in the morning and two days later the first cattle fabricated into boxed beef. Each Country Natural Beef animal has its own ear tag which is recorded at the time of slaughter. Our program is under the supervision of the USDA with an approved carcass segregation program in place. We have worked with Washington Beef for well over a decade and have an excellent trusting business relationship. Even if there were some type of an error in the processing, it would mean our beef would flow into their regular beef….not the other way around since we are the first beef on the line in the morning. Country Natural Beef retains ownership and management of the boxed product to the retail cooler further ensuring the integrity of the program.

Q. You talk of sustainability and respect…how do you document those attributes?

A. We are third party certified by the Food Alliance www.foodalliance.org for our environmentally friendly and socially responsible ranching practices. Washington Beef and our value added processing plant partners, besides being USDA inspected, are third party audited by Steritech for their humane handling practices and sanitation including routine bacteriological sampling. Washington Beef has a unionized labor force.

A. Since our ranchers own their beef to retail, following a strict protocol to assure our federally approved label claims on never using hormones or antibiotics is critical to our program. Likewise we feed an all vegetarian ration and never use feed additive antibiotics which includes never using ionophores. Any animal that requires antibiotic treatment is identified and sold through traditional channels.

Q. With all this documentation why don’t you go an additional step and obtain organic certification?

Frequently asked questions