Windy Meadows

Meet your meat, Part 2

All the beef available at Windy Meadows comes from Angus-Simmental cattle who have spent about a year at Windy Meadows. Prior to coming here, they lived on pastures with their mothers and cousins at Cohen Farm, about four miles southwest. Murray and Esta Cohen have been raising beef cattle for a long time, along with certified organic hay and vegetables. They are dear friends who have been helping us in so many ways. It's safe to say that were it not for their encouragement and support we would not be doing what we are doing.

During their time here the cattle grazed on ample grass and clover pastures. They received a high-magnesium mineral supplement and organic kelp meal on a free-choice basis. Towards the end of their lives they received a modest daily grain ration, less than 1% of body weight. This is far less than most commercial beef receive when imprisoned on feedlots. The grain was mostly certified organic and the fescue hay was grown close by without the use of chemical pesticides or herbicides, but was not certified organic.

They never received antibiotics or additional hormones during their lifetime.

Please review the price list below and, if you are interested, give us a call at 336.376.5559 or send an email to us by clicking on Email Me on the right side of this page. We encourage you to come out to the farm to see where your beef was raised. We can also deliver to most locations in the Triangle and Triad, though a minimum order amount of $50.00 usually applies.

Windy Meadows

Beef Price List

Spring 2009

Item Price/Pound Helpful Information

Ground beef $5.00 1-pound packs/85% lean

Stewing beef $5.00 2-pound packs

Cube steak $4.50 1 to 2 pound packs

Short ribs SOLD OUT 3 to 4 - 4" ribs in each pack

Chuck roast $4.50 3 to 4 pounds each

Shoulder roast $5.00 3 to 4 pounds each

Sirloin tip roast $6.50 2 to 3 pounds each

Rump roast $7.50 2 to 3 pounds each

Prime rib roast $17.50 One left. About 4 pounds

Sirloin steak $10.00 Over 3 pounds/pack

T-bone steak SOLD OUT Most are over 16 oz.

Ribeye steak SOLD OUT Mostly 8 oz. steaks

NY strip steak SOLD OUT 8 to 12 oz. steaks

Filet mignon $25.00 Only one pack left

Shanks SOLD OUT 1-1/2" thick

Soup bones $2.50 Pack size varies-meaty

Liver $2.50 A bargain for liver lovers

Tongue $4.00 Only one left

Heart    N/C First come, first served

Meet your meat

Our efforts to raise beef cattle for direct sale hit a number of milestones over the past thirty days. 

Towards the end of April, Murray and I loaded the steer and the larger of the two heifers into his stock trailer and we hauled them to Key Packing Company in beautiful Robbins, North Carolina. Please note that Robbins is also the hometown of the very former U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful, John Edwards. Mr. Edwards' more recent shenanigans notwithstanding, Robbins appears to be pretty much as it was back in the day.

Gilbert Key started his meat packing company about thirty years ago (I think) after a career as a long-haul trucker. Gillie is a total character. I will have to do a profile of him sometime in the future. He is a bundle of energy overseeing a huge worm castings operation, a smallish hog production facility, the packing plant and an amazing collection of antique tractors and farm equipment.

The cows loaded with no problem and the ride was generally uneventful, though the steer decided he was going to lay down instead of stand. Eventually, the heifer got used to him underfoot and we got there in less than an hour. Unloading went off without a hitch and the cows joined a group of eight or nine others awaiting the end of their lives the next day. Mitchell, Gilbert's son, is the lead butcher and sees to the weighing and assignment of animals to their holding pens. He commented favorably on their condition - not too fat - he hates to see a cow that is too fat. This aversion to fat also informs his butchering. we really had to plead with him to not trim the cuts too closely. He just sort of shook his head and said good-naturedly, "Well, if that's the way you want it, that's the way you'll get it." He is a fine fellow, but I sense not much of cook. It seemed like genuine news that it was important to have a moderate amount of fat in order to help transmit the flavors of the beef.

I placed the cutting order with Jenna at the front desk and felt reasonably confident that we would get what we (and our customers) wanted. In defense of any slip-ups, it is clear that Key is operating at full capacity, about thirty head per week. It is also clear that this exactly the kind of place that I wanted to take the cows to for the next step in this journey. It is small, family-owned and operated and you actually get to talk to the fellow who will be doing the killing and the butchering. Key is approved by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture as a slaughterhouse. Gilbert refuses to get involved with the red-tape involved in USDA or Animal Welfare approval. I wish he would and I honor his decision. He's got a three- to four-month waiting list, so why bother?

Fast forward three weeks later and you find son-in-law Richard, pal Ron and myself rolling back down the road to Robbins with eight 120-quart coolers. I hardly slept the night before filled with worry and excitement. Would we be able to handle all this meat, get it inventoried and get it to our customers in a timely fashion? With the incredible team that I had cajoled into helping, everything went like clockwork, mostly due to the organizational and schlepping abilities of my compatriots. Later Kristine and I handled delivery to most of our pre-sale customers. In fact, everything went much better than expected, especially when it came to the quality of the butchering and the yield. 

Here is how the yield from each animal worked out:

#3 - Angus-Simmental heifer

Live weight -    1,145 pounds

Hanging weight - 657 pounds

Packed weight -  446 pounds

No. of packages - 250

#4 - Angus-Simmental steer

Live weight -     1,155 pounds

Hanging weight -  665 pounds

Packed weight -    436 pounds

No. of packages - 257

The pre-sales accounted for 14 orders at 25 pounds per order for 350 pounds of meat. We have now begun the process of marketing to others and are off to a reasonably good beginning. Our next posting will be the price list and a bit about what we think makes Windy Meadows Beef special.

Besides all the experiences that we have had in raising these animals, we are also beginning to reap some satisfying results on a different and potently personal level. In the past few days four or five people have come out to purchase meat. It is now an established fact that now we are living in the supposed isolation of the country, we are having lots more contact with folks than we had before, while living in suburbia. This gradual building of community over food was one of our goals when we began this venture and it is actually happening. I am also proud to report that due to the persistence of one of Kristine's colleagues we now have our first weekly vegetable customer. It was absolutely delightful to have Anita and Paul out to the farm yesterday and witness their delight at seeing where their produce was grown. We are grateful for all who have been such a wonderful web of support to us in our new way of life.