Rescue beef: The next logical step

During recent economic downturn, area ranchers have had a hard time making ends meet. More often than they’d like, some ranchers are forced—by the need for immediate cash, and the gamble of long-term market conditions—to wean their beef calves and immediately auction them off to industrial feedlots, where they’ll be quickly fattened on corn until they reach market weight. More times than not, these ranchers take exquisite care of their animals and no more want to see them end up in an industrial setting than we do, but they’re left with little choice given their resources.

At Revival Farms, we seek out and meet with ranchers in these circumstances, paying close attention to their cow-calf operations. If we like what we see, we purchase the calves, often paying above market value to ensure that we get the calves in the condition that we want.

Frequently, these calves enter our Rose Veal program, but if they meet higher quality standards, we’ll invest in their rearing and finish them in our pastures until they reach a suitable weight to be sold as beef. This innovative, collaborative program allows us to keep costs low, to make healthy, responsible beef as affordable as possible for families, schools, churches, and others searching for an alternative to the industrial food chain.