The Importance of Pasture in Livestock Production
Perhaps the most important Marksbury requirement for every individual of every species is continuous access to quality pasture. We feel so strongly about the role of pasture in our livestock systems. This is partly because of geography, (In Central Kentucky, high quality pasture is very productive, renewable and ubiquitous), but also because of a conviction that well-managed pasture can be part of a responsible agriculture program that actually strengthens each of the participants:
- Farmers are more independent and closer to their land as they coax more production from their pasture through intimate management and long term planning, not through expensive inputs and reliance on massive agri-brands.
- Well managed livestock on pasture are more fulfilled, have lower stress, have stronger immune systems and are much more able to express their natural proclivities (grazing, picking, scratching, rooting, foraging, rolling, and normal social behavior) than their confinement raised counterparts.
- The land and environment are preserved and restored in progressive pasture-based production systems which can generate more freshwater than they consume, capture and utilize vast areas of solar energy, and convert soil, air, and water pollutants into food.
- The consumer has access to a superior and healthy nutrient-dense food.
Finally you can add to this good start the fact that Kentucky farms already have several generations of intellectual capital invested in knowing how to use this resource, and that Kentucky is home to and surrounded by a sufficient population to demand and consume the products resulting from its efficient utilization.
With all this going for it, why are our dynamic grasslands so often managed almost as an afterthought, and fall short of delivering on their promise in so many areas? The causes will be diverse, with economic realities of a consumerist society being at the root of most of them. Significant among these causes are two disturbing trends: one, the historical willingness of Kentucky to exploit and consume our natural resources while allowing others to realize the benefit of processing, branding and final sale of them, and two, the success of industrial agriculture in producing consistent, cheap and convenient food so well that the consumer prefers low cost to high quality, prepared food to whole food, and label claims to substance.
The ideal that we at Marksbury are pursuing is a rejection of these trends. By returning the location of the finishing, processing and branding elements of meat production to central Kentucky, and combining them with two of Kentucky’s greatest state treasures (quality pasture and family farmers), Marksbury Farm Market products represent an attempt to achieve a result which sustains the livelihood of local farmers, contributes to the health of local consumers, and actually improves the vigor, quality and productive capacity of the grassland itself.
Almost any conversation about Marksbury Farm Market’s livestock production begins and ends with a conversation about access to pasture. There are certainly other elements of production which are very important: excellent animal welfare, local production by family farms, no use of antibiotics, steroids and artificial growth hormones, and a number of species specific quality standards. However, to a significant extent it is our commitment to producing animals outside, under the sky and on top of growing, quality vegetation that demonstrates how serious we are about the other things.
Pasture. It is the landscape of central Kentucky – the most distinctive resource between the coalfields of the East and the grain fields of the West, and more renewable than either of those. It is a resource that when used carefully promotes the small business of farming, provides income and jobs to Kentuckians, becomes more productive, and imparts nothing less than joy to livestock and healthfulness to our society. No wonder we use grass as our logo.
General Requirements
Immediately below you can find production standards that are common to all species. Species-specific requirements may be found under the appropriate species’ heading.
Access to Pasture
Every animal must have continuous and unfettered access to quality pasture or woodlands, except during infancy or extreme weather.
Sanitary Environment
This can be achieved through low stocking density or regular moves into a clean environment. Continuous indoor confinement or indoor confinement with an inadequate outdoor run is unacceptable.
Natural Diet
All animals whose products will be marketed by Marksbury must have access to naturally occurring energy and protein sources that would normally be a part of the animal’s diet. For instance, cattle must have been allowed access to grasses that would typically be a part of ruminants’ diets, particularly during the finishing period. Measures which reduce the ability of animals to forage for a natural diet, such as ringing hogs’ noses or de-beaking chickens, are unacceptable.
Antibiotics, Hormones, and other Medication
Antibiotics, steroids, medicated rations, and added hormones are not permitted in any livestock that are supplied to Marksbury.
Humane Handling
While an appropriate sanitary environment and access to a natural diet would generally indicate a humane living situation for livestock, it is possible to comply with the former and still have high-stress, poorly handled animals. The farmer should be familiar with using handling techniques which apply gentle pressure on animals’ flight zones rather than pain or direct intimidation. Appropriate measures must be in place to limit predator-caused and handling-caused stress.
Openness
A primary goal of Marksbury Farm Market is to deepen the relationship between consumers and their food so they may make more educated and responsible decisions. Openness and transparency are critically important attributes of this relationship. Marksbury Farm Market promotes an open door policy for customers curious about any facet of their food’s production. We ask that our suppliers be accessible to Marksbury representatives and customers (assuming appropriate respect for farmers’ time and privacy).
Somewhat more formally, upon becoming a Marksbury supplier and regularly thereafter, Marksbury representatives will visit the farm to ensure compatibility of the farm’s methods with our goals.
Respect for the Environment
Though a responsible pasture-based livestock production system creates positive feedback which invigorates most natural systems, mismanagement and plans which go awry can result in environmental damage. In particular, riparian areas are vulnerable to high concentrations of livestock. Farmers must show an understanding that their stewardship responsibility includes not just the well-being of their livestock and profitability, but care for the larger environment as well.
Beef Requirements
This is a reference list of requirements for producers interested in growing finished beef for Marksbury Farm Market.
Production Requirements:
- No Antibiotics
- No Hormones
- No Steroids
- No ionophores (common in anti-bloat supplements)
- No organophosphates (common in parasite control)
- Constant access to pasture during the growing season, and hay, haylage, or stockpiled grass during the non-growing season.
- All vegetarian diet
- Under 30 months of age
- Never sold through a stockyards auction
- Birth farm and all subsequent farms with contact must be known
- All requirements must be verifiable back to birth
Genetic Guidelines: Cattle should be from easy fleshing moderate to small frame cattle. There are a wide range of acceptable phenotypes including most individuals from the following popular breeds.
- Angus (black or red)
- Hereford
- Shorthorn
- Santa Gertrudis
Individuals from other popular breeds such as Charolaise, Gelbvieh, and Simmental with bigger frames can be very good when mixed with genetics from the previous list. We can also use easy fleshing more exotic breeds such as Belted Galloway, Highland Cattle, South Poll, Murray Grey, Dexter, Wagyu, and others. Breeds that are not conducive to high yielding, well-marbled, pasture-finished beef and should not exceed 25% of a calf’s bloodline include: all dairy breeds, Limousine, Brahman, and Longhorn.
Performance guidelines: Producing grassfed beef is not simple. Managing growing cattle’s nutritional needs requires advance planning and skillful execution. Beef Cattle need to be a minimum of 525 lbs carcass weight – about 950 liveweight – and not more than 750 carcass weight – about 1350 liveweight. Marbling should achieve select or greater.
Pork
This is a reference list of requirements for producers interested in growing pastured pork for Marksbury Farm Market.
Production Requirements
- No antibiotics
- No added hormones
- No steroids
- No animal byproducts in the ration*
- Constant access to pasture or woodland environment beginning no later than two months after weaning
- To qualify as pasture or woodland, the environment must have vegetative cover sufficient to encourage eating, rooting and hiding.
- Birth farm and all subsequent farms with contact must be known
- All requirements must be verifiable back to birth
* Ration in this context refers to feed provided by the farmer as opposed to forage which we use to mean feed which is naturally occurring in pasture. Pigs, of course, are omnivores so their forage will include insects, larvae, arthropods and other ‘non-vegetarian’ food.
Genetics: Most varieties of pigs work in the Marksbury program. Ideal breeds grow slightly slower and are more motivated to forage.
Size: Finished Marksbury hogs should be between 250 and 350 lbs liveweight. Heavier pigs may be accepted at a price negotiated to compensate for the larger amount of backfat.
Age: Hogs must be less than 14 months old.