Keeping it on the Farm

The key to reducing the carbon footprint, diminishing environmental impact, and providing a truly superior local product all lies in our Compost Finishing Barn. 

Resting on the top of a hill behind our grain storage facility, the barn took years to design and construct - providing the ultimate in comfort and sustainability for our cattle and our farm. 

Having the ability to grain finish on site means a massive reduction in the carbon footprint. Instead of sending our cattle out west to finish on commercial feed lots, we're able to keep it local. The entire process from birth to slaughter happens in a 25 mile radius. 

Here's how it works

• The barn is built with solid concrete floors and perimeter, eliminating any runoff into ground water supplies.
• Once a month, we bring in a truckload of sawdust from a local saw mill to use as a bedding agent for our calves.
• Once a day - sometimes twice, depending on weather - we till together the sawdust with the waste, where microbes decompose the organic material aerobically.
• Once a year, we harvest the compost from the barn and use it as an outstanding organic fertilizer on our crops.
• Rainwater is collected from the Compost Finishing Barn and repurposed for irrigation on our farm. 
• A combination of fans, open ventilation and the composting means that the barn is virtually free of insects and foul odors.
• During cooler months, the aerobic activity within the composting bedding agent provides a natural heat source for our calves.