THE SOURCEROR: Local Meat

(The Sourceror is a feature on Local Forage giving you sources for the good stuff.)

Grass-fed beef, or beef produced from cattle finished on forage-only diets, is a more nutritious beef product. There are a number of reports that show grass-fed beef products contain elevated concentrations of beta-carotene and a-tocopherol, increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids, a more desirable omega-3:omega-6 ratio, and increased levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), all great substances for health. For more sources and good information about the nutritional benefits of pastured animals, check out the Chico State University Grass Fed Beef site.

The Sourcerors List — Beef and Meat

Marin Suns Farms
Ranch Location: Inverness
Retail Stores: Bi-Rite Market, SF; Guerra's Meats, SF; Good Earth Natural Foods, Fairfax; Marin Suns Farms Butcher Shop, Pt. Reyes Station; Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto. Click here for a complete list of retail locations.
Farmers Markets: SF Ferry Plaza, Point Reyes Station
Phone: (415) 663-8997
Email: david@marinsunfarms.com
Web site: www.marinsunfarms.com

Marin Sun Farms is one of our best and most local sources for grassfed beef. Run by David Evans, the ranches are modeled on Joel Salatin's approach, as described in Omnivore's Dilemma. All parts of the animal are available, and if you have a freezer you can buy a large amount and keep it frozen.

Prather Ranch Meat Company

Ranch Location: Various California
Retail Stores: Prather Ranch Store, Shop #32, Ferry Building
Farmers Markets: SF Ferry Plaza; Marin Civic Center, San Rafael; Oakland Grand Lake
Phone: 415-391-0420
Web site: www.prmeatco.com

Prather Ranch Meat Company is one of the best local sources for humanely-raised meat. It is a retail business run by Steven McCarthy and Doug Stonebreaker, who source their products from small-scale ranches in California and Oregon that practice old-fashioned, free-range animal husbandry. Their beef cattle are pastured for a while but are finished on organic barley, hay, and rice. (Steve and Doug claim that early testing of their beef indicates that the CLA and Omega-3 content is right up there with 100% grass fed and finished beef -- but official test results are still forthcoming.) They do carry 100% grass fed and finished buffalo and 100% grass fed and finished 'vitelloni' (free-range veal). Their pasture-raised pork is from hogs kept in Capay Valley where they are fed an eclectic organic diet that varies with what's in season -- watermelons, apples, winter squash -- all from organic local farms. They also have 100% grass-fed lamb from Willamette Valley in Oregon.

Chileno Valley Ranch
Ranch Location: Petaluma
Retail Stores: Direct only
Farmer's Markets: Directl Only
Phone: (877) 280-6664
Web site: www.chilenobeef.com

Chileno Valley Ranch is a very small operation that has offered a 'cow share' program where customers buy a percentage of a cow when it is still alive (usually either 1/2 or 1/4) and then pay to have it humanely slaughtered, dry aged, and frozen. This is a very economical way to buy a lot of grassfed, local beef and to comply with laws that govern the slaughtering of cattle. Because the cow (or steer) is owned by you, you can have the cow shot on the ranch— minimal stress, very humane —rather than force the animal to go to a slaughterhouse.

T.O. Cattle Company
Ranch Location: San Juan Bautista, CA
Retail Stores: Direct only
Farmer's Markets: Direct only
Phone: (831) 623-2933
Web site: www.morrisgrassfed.com
Email: info@morrisgrassfed.com

From the land of my birth (or very close to it!)...Rancher Joe Morris is from a cattle-ranching family and runs a business managing rangeland and raising grassfed beef. His work focusses on supporting native biodiverse grasses and protecting watersheds, and the fabulous beef is almost secondary to this important environmental work. His beef is available as frozen sides and split sides (ie. half a cow or a quarter of a cow) by contacting Joe directly.

Soul Food Farm
Location: 6046 Pleasant Valley Road, Vacaville, soulfoodfarm@aol.com   
Retail: Avedano’s Market at 235 Cortland, SF (Bernal Heights) 415-285 6328, Prather Ranch store at San Francisco Ferry Plaza, Slow Food Bay Area Meat CSA (917) 685-2573
Farmers’ Markets:
Phone: (707) 469-0499
Products: Pastured chickens - Freedom Rangers and Red Broilers They supply Chez Panisse

Highland Hills Farm
Ranch Location: Vacaville
Retail Stores: Direct only
Farmer's Markets: Direct only
Phone: (530) 908-5672
Web site: www.highlandhillsfarm.com
Email: mailbox@highlandhillsfarm.com

Highland Hills Farm has 100% grassfed beef from a specialty breed of cattle, premium scotch highland beef. They also have european wild boar, icelandic lamb, and cashmere goats.The cattle are raised on grass alone and finished on grass, all on the ranch run by Ted Fuller. Availability is seasonal and changes. Call Ted for information.

Western Grasslands Beef
Ranch Location: various California ranches, members of the Western Ranchers Beef Cooperative
Retail Locations: various Trader Joes locations; Speedy's New Union Grocery, SF; Berkeley Bowl, Berkeley;Berkeley Natural Market, Berkeley; El Cerito Natural Foods, El Cerrito, Enzo's, Oakland; Mill Valley Market, Mill Valley; Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto. Other locations.
Farmers Markets: Enzo's at Ferry Plaza Market, SF, Saturdays
Web site: www.westerngrasslands.com
Email: pamelacooper1318@msn.com

(Anyone know more about Western Grasslands?)

the following I found in an SF Chronicle article

Clark Summit Farm
Ranch Location: Tomales
Web site: see www.eatingwild.com listing
Phone: 707-876-3516
Email: clarksummitfarm@aol.com

Small quantities of grass-fed and grass-finished beef, pastured pork, chicken, turkeys and eggs.

Devil's Gulch Ranch
Ranch Location: Nicasio
Web site: www.devilsgulchranch.com
Phone: 707-953-0923
Email: clarksummitfarm@aol.com

Small amounts of pork, spring lamb and rabbit when available. Summer agricultlural camp for kids.

Deep Roots Ranch
Ranch Location: Watsonville
Web site: www.localharvest.org/farms/M14377
Phone: 831-359-5997
Email: jalysonh@yahoo.com

Lamb, chickens, eggs; sold out for 2006

Double-Bar-O Angus Ranch
Ranch Location: Esparto, Yolo County
Web site: www.doublebaroangus.com
Phone: 530-787-3228

Pastured Angus beef, supplemented with alfalfa pellets, almond hulls, rice bran and corn. sold out for 2006

Magruder Ranch
Ranch Location: Potter Valley, Mendocino 
Phone: 707-743-1538
Email: Magruderranch@pacific.net

Pastured beef, fed hay in winter. Sells to Chez Panisse and other restaurants, and through Woodland Market in Kentfield.

TLC Ranch
Ranch Location: Watsonville
Farmers Markets: Santa Cruz Westside market
Web site: www.localharvest.org/farms/M8962
Phone: 209-505-4558

Chickens; Tamworth, Berkshire and Blue Butt pigs. Pickup at the ranch; drop off in Los Gatos.

Hard-to-find items i.e.rabbit and duck confit
Location: Cafe Rouge meat market, Fourth Street in Berkeley.
Phone: 510-525-2707

As always, readers, please weigh in with any other suggestions or comments. ~ Carla

Comments

[Carla]

I updated the list with suggestions from the Chronicle article: Clark Summit Farm, Devil's Gulch Ranch, Deep Roots Ranch, Double Bar O Angus Ranch, Magruder Ranch.

[Scott]

We are also raising pastured hogs and do direct sales as well as restaurant sales. We have a few cattle we will be slaugtering in January if anyone is interrested.
scott@hudsonvineyards.com

[M Palmer]

A great way to buy superior quality meat at a reasonable price, is at your county fair "Jr. Livestock Auction". Kids from 9 - 18 years of age raise market animals (steers, sheep, hogs, goats and rabbits). Each animal is raised humanly, usually just 2 or 3 at a time, with oversight from local 4H or FFA leaders. You can meet the person that raised your food, you'll know exactly where your meat comes what that animal was fed, and you'll be supporting the next generation of Bay Area farmers and ranchers. There will be other folks there that may only want 1/2 or 1/4 of an animal, you can make deal to share. Alameda County Jr Livestock Auction is July 12th, 2009 - Pleasanton, CA