Farm Practices

How and where are your animals killed and processed?

Our livestock are processed at Mt. Angel Meat, Co.

Mt. Angel Meat is extremely concerned about animal welfare and the humane treatment of animals and is certified with the Animal Welfare Institute. They are located less than 30 minutes from our farm.

Livestock animals are handled one-at-a-time.  There are three workers (two employees and one USDA inspector) that are involved in killing every animal. So unlike the large factory killing facilities that kill hundreds of animals an hour using electrocution and robots, Mt. Angel Meat Co. uses a captive bolt to ensure the job is done correctly the first time in the most humane way possible.

Is your meat organic?

Though we have chosen to not seek organic certification, we follow practices that preclude the use of pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, growth hormones and routine antibiotics on our farm.

We believe our food is nutritionally superior because in addition to feeding locally produced, certified organic, non-GMO, soy-free and corn-free feed, we focus on more important factors including sanitary living conditions, green pasture, sunshine and fresh air, naturally sized groups and general comfort, low stress, and marketing and processing in the cleanest most efficient way.

As we know from our own lives, factors other than diet (like lifestyle and general disposition) heavily impact health. It’s the same for animals and their meat.

When you visit our farm, you will find clean, healthy and happy animals that are enjoying their lives.

What do your animals eat?

Chickens and Turkeys: Grass, clover, weeds, insects, larva, and locally produced, certified organic, non-GMO, soy-free and corn-free feed.

Cows: Grass & grass hay.

Hogs: Hogs root around and find roots, grubs, nuts from hazelnut trees in their pasture, plus locally milled non-GMO hog feed.

Goats: Weeds (especially blackberries), grass, brush and other browse

What is non-GMO? or GMO Free?

GMO means genetically modified organism. Scientists have genetically modified certain plants, especially corn and soybeans, but also including alfalfa, to survive when sprayed with certain chemical herbicides. This allows industrial farmers to save money on cultivation of weeds.

These chemical herbicides work to kill plants by blocking the plant’s ability to absorb nutrients from the soil. These same chemical herbicides even block nutrients from GMO corn, soybeans, and alfalfa, but not enough nutrients to actually kill the GMO plant. But since GMO plants have taken up fewer nutrients from the soil, it’s reasonable to assume GMO plants contain less nutrition than non-GMO plants.

We at Full of Life Farm do not feed genetically modified feeds to our animals. Of course, our ruminants (e.g. cows, goats) only eat non-GMO grass or hay. And our poultry and hogs, both of which are omnivores, are fed non-GMO grains.

How do you raise your animals?

Our animals and birds live the lives they would in Nature, only they’re protected from predators and have regular, easy access to clean water and their natural foods.

All our animals:

• Live outdoors
• Roam freely
• Have access to shelter

They eat their natural diets.

• Cows eat grass
• Hogs eat forage, grains and root around in the dirt
• Goats browse on brush and grass
• Chickens and turkeys feed on grass, weeds, insects, and grains

They are encouraged to behave as they would in Nature.

• Cows stay in herds, wander around eating grass, ruminate, trample, lay in the sun, etc.
• Hogs socialize with each other, eat grass, root, forage, and wallow.
• Hens stick together, peck and scratch, take dust baths and sun baths, and roost at night.
• Goats wander in small herds, browse, buck, butt, and play.

Do you use routine antibiotics or use growth hormones?

Never. We guarantee our meat to be free of antibiotics and artificial growth hormones.

What do you do about antibiotics when an animal’s sick or injured?

Our animal husbandry practices minimize the need for antibiotics because animals rarely become ill or injured.

Should an animal become sick or injured, we use antibiotics only when absolutely necessary, to spare unnecessary pain or suffering.

We give only appropriate, precisely targeted doses for the specific situation. And we use antibiotics responsibly to avoid introducing them into the environment or render them ineffective for future treatment.

We don’t rush an animal treated with antibiotics to market. After treatment, we keep the animal on pasture for many months, ensuring that it’s fully recovered and is antibiotic-free when harvested. We guarantee our meat to be free from antibiotics.

Do you raise your cows from birth?

We began as a “cow-calf” operation, breeding cows and raising calves from birth. However, we couldn’t sustain that model  due to space constraints.

Raising cows from birth required us to feed four cows—a mother, a newborn, a one-year-old calf and a two-year-old calf—for every one cow we harvested. The acreage on our farm isn’t sufficient to support the volume we need to be profitable.

Now we buy young cattle from a neighboring farmer or from ranchers who we know and trust who raise cattle to our standards. Then we raise them on our farm for many months until they weigh enough to harvest.

What is Grass Farming?

Grassfarmers are dedicated to keeping soil and grass healthy, and grassfarming employs farm practices to achieve that end. The farm practices mimic Nature’s design.

A few grass farming practices include:

• Using only natural substances to amend and fertilize soils.
• Encouraging the growth of the right plants through animal activity.
• Stocking pastures with the right number of animals (not too many or too few) to keep grass at its most nutritious (“vegetative”) stage.
• Rotating animals/birds through pastures.

Grass farming closely follows the patterns and rhythms of Nature. The animals are healthy and well cared for (actually living a life similar to that of the prairie). The local ecosystem is protected and enriched. Farmers make a decent living. And customers benefit from healthy, nutritious food. Everyone wins.

We, at Full of Life Farm, consider ourselves grassfarmers and follow good grassfarming practices.