Vendors Are Partners: Thousand Hills100% Grassfed Beef
Thousand Hills Founder, Todd Churchill, shares their story.
Beginning in 2001, I began a personal quest to learn more about my food; where it came from, what was in it, its nutritional value, its affect ecologically, etc. Having a young family, my interest in nutrition rose to a new level. In 2002, I came across Michael Pollan’s article, Power Steer, published in the The New York Times Magazine. His well-researched, all encompassing article opened my eyes to our conventional beef production model and, frankly, how it could be improved through keeping cattle on grass throughout their life.
This revelation led me to purchasing and sampling various types of grassfed beef. Some delivered delicious taste and texture and some, well, let’s just say, left room for improvement. I quickly learned that raising delicious 100% grassfed beef was both a science and an art. Cattle genetics, types of forage, forage diversity, seasons, moisture, minerals, soils and many other factors all play a role in raising delicious-tasting, healthful grassfed beef.In 2003, I launched Thousand Hills Cattle Co. I was raising 100% grassfed beef on my farm and sourcing from local farmers who were already committed to this model of raising beef. We learned from each other as we strived to produce the best beef possible. My goal in the first year was to sell two carcasses per week to restaurants and natural food co-ops in the Twin Cities area. I am eternally grateful for those precious few chefs and retailers who were ready and willing to purchase our grassfed beef.
Thousand Hills Cattle Co., now is represented on store shelves across our great nation as more and more people find themselves on the same quest I was on…to KNOW more about their food. Thank you for allowing us to play a role in your nourishment.
At Thousand Hills 100% Grass Fed Beef we focus on one MISSION: Nourishing soil, plants, cattle and people by holistically grazing cattle for their lifetime A myriad of factors are required to achieve this mission: sourcing cattle from small Midwestern independent family farms who strictly follow our protocol of NON-GMO, holistically managed, free-range grazing environments, suitable heritage breed cattle genetics, raised and finished on a 100% grass and forage diet, proven humane handling through the entire life of the animal and, finally, processed at the cleanest facilities possible, with stringent, proactive food safety testing. Thank you for trusting us to be a part of your family's "know your food" solution.
No Antibiotics, No Artificial Hormones and No Grain
Our cattle live freely on grass pastures and are never confined to a feedlot. In the winter, cattle consume stockpiled and/or stored forages, like hay. To qualify for our program, cattle must never be given antibiotics, never implanted with or given artificial growth hormones and never given grain in their lifetime. In the rare case an animal does require antibiotics due to illness or injury, it is treated and diverted to the conventional beef market, never to be used under our brand. In short, 100% Grass Fed to us means: No Antibiotics, No Artificial Hormones and No Grain—ever in the animal's life. Now you "Know No".
The difference between healthy and unhealthy red meat is as simple as their diet: grass versus grain. The majority of health research that is based on red meat, until more recently, contains negative results due to the cattle being grain-fed.
Featured health benefits of eating 100% grass-fed beef are, but not limited to, increased amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, D, E, & K2, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), lower in cholesterol, saturated fats, and calories when compared to grain-fed beef. We do NOT give any antibiotics or hormones to our cattle and the grasses they eat are NOT sprayed with synthetic pesticides or herbicides.
Cattle are ruminants. All ruminants have more than one stomach and contain a different set of enzymes and bacteria in their digestive tracts than non-ruminants. Ruminants thrive on digesting a salad bar variety of grasses and not grains. Because of a 100% grass-fed diet, this kind of beef contains a seemingly endless array of health benefits.
100% grass-fed diets coupled with holistic cattle management and rotational grazing is beneficial to the environment. Through this method, by default, oil-dependent machinery to work the land is virtually eliminated. When cattle eat their diet made up entirely of grasses, their carbon emissions are not only drastically reduced, but carbon dioxide is worked into the soil where it helps create new plant growth; this is also known as carbon sequestration. Additionally, the soil quality and fertility increases from the manure.
For more information and recipes, please visit:
Recipes: http://www.thousandhillslifetimegrazed.com/recipes.asp
Know Your Farmer: http://www.thousandhillslifetimegrazed.com/farmers.asp
