Vandemark Grass Fed Beef

Have you ever had a meal made at home? Of course you have....but I mean really "made" at home, as in the ingredients produced where you live; beef raised up the road, sweet corn, new potatoes, tangy tomatoes and herbs cut and cooked up into dinners that morning? This is the intent of Catbird Griddle's Frozen Take Home Dinners, to bring local foods to our local community - locally grown, freshly prepared into tasty nutritious dinners, frozen, and available for you to take home to your family. Put your dinner in the microwave for a few minutes while you let the dog out, read the mail, or have a glass of wine...and your dinner is ready to eat.

We grow all our vegetables without the assistance of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. The meats we bring you have always been hormone free and responsibly raised. Now we are very happy to be able to offer truly local...

Grass Fed Beef from Vandemark Farm, Scio, NY.

The Vandemark farmers, Dan Sprung and Halle Reed moved to Scio 8 years ago and have continued to try and make the farm pay for itself. The Grass Fed Beef operation has evolved from their organic grass and abundant untiled acreage. The land had been used by The Snyder Family (of organic dairy fame in Alfred, NY) for the previous 6 years. The cows also enjoy Vandemark's two largest cash crops; corn and pumpkins.

Telling their story, Halle and Dan emphasize that "there are no chemicals, drugs or purchased grains fed to the cows. Any corn that is fed to them as a treat or 'finisher' is also from the farm".

In the winter, the cattle are fed hay that has been cut from the farm. Halle says "there is a down side to this process. Early on we had some calves die becuase we were not willing to chemically enhance their mother's prenatel and birthing process. We have since culled our herd and have naturally sturdy Moms".

Vandemark Grass Fed Beef is not only delicious, but healthy, safe and humane. Vandemark Farm is committed to the slow, safe and humane growth of this part of their farm business. The beef is a great economic choice for them, because the value of hand-raised, grass-fed beef equals the many hours of effort put into them. As an ethical choice, they themselves do not eat anything else. They have raised all of the mother cows. They have their steers processed at a local USDA processor and usually sell any extra heifers to small farms.

Congratulations to Dan and Halle for their efforts and we welcome the opportunity to offer their meats as part of our dinner menus.