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Growing up in the 70's in a very European
family meant veal on the table at least once a week. I never
really considered the origin of my meal or even what type of
meat lay hidden under layers of flour, eggs and breadcrumbs.
My introduction to the world of veal came
some 20 years later when I befriended an Amish women named Sandy.
Sandy recounted her life growing up in an Amish family in Kentucky and
their lives as farmers. Her family raised veal and her description
of veal production horrified me and caused me to stop eating veal for
almost 20 years.
The typical life for a male calf is one
of inhumane conditions and torturous treatment. Conventional veal
are baby calves taken from their mothers at birth and fed a diet
consisting of an iron rich formula. This all-liquid diet keeps the
calves weak and in a constant state of anemia which allows for the milk
white meat. Calves are crated in box crates sometimes measuring a
mere two feet wide. This keeps the calves from exercising their
muscles in order to achieve that fork-tender meat.
With the start of our "managed milking
facility" we found ourselves faced with a dilemma; what to do with all
of our male calves. For the past few years we have sold them at
the sale barn, hoping they would not live a life of misery in a feedlot.
Finally, we could not face sending another calf to an unknown life and
so our search for an alternative method to produce humanely-raised veal.
Brayden always had the job of caring for
the calves, and so he made the initial offer to Dad to change the way we
handle our calves. He feeds them their mother's milk and keeps them
on pasture their entire lives where they get bigger, stronger and can
remain healthy and happy. Our calves are never confined or fed
formula but receive all the fresh grass and milk they need.
We have been pleasantly surprised by the
depth of flavor and rich rosy hue of the meat.
We hope that you will enjoy our veal
knowing that they were raised with care and kindness, enjoying a rich,
healthy life.
For more information about our veal
please see the
FAQ
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