Room to grow: NNY an opportune locale

There is much growth potential for grass-fed meat operations in the north country, according to Brent A. Buchanan, field agent with St. Lawrence County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

"It is a growing business," he said. "Especially when you look at the cost for fuel and the demand for grain that's now being used in ethanol."

John and Kassandra M. Barton's 8 O'Clock Ranch in DeKalb Junction has experienced tremendous growth since its inception in 2003. Mrs. Barton said that every year, except for this one, sales have quadrupled.

This year, Mrs. Barton said, the rapid increase isn't reflected because 8 O'Clock has been focusing on its infrastructure,

"We grew so fast," she said.

She also sees room in the local grass-fed business community for new ventures such as the LaMothe family's Beartown Farms in Antwerp. "From what we've seen, there's not enough quality product," she said.

About 85 percent of 8 O'Clock's sales are through the Internet, with the majority of orders sent throughout New England

Mr. Buchanan said the north country is in a position to tap major metropolitan markets.

"We sit not very far from enormous markets that will never have the ability to grow their own meat," he said.

He added that the north country can be an attractive location for grass-fed meat operations because of its abundant water, relatively cheap land and its agricultural infrastructure.

NEW USDA STANDARDS

Beginning Nov. 15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will impose standards for meat to be called "grass-fed."

"Grass and forage shall be the feed source consumed for the lifetime of the ruminant animal, with the exception of milk consumed prior to weaning," the policy states in part.

"That's good for consumers," said Mrs. Barton. "So many people were saying they had grass-fed beef, but we knew they were grain-feeding them."

The cattle seen on most Northern New York farms are dairy breeds, Mr. Buchanan said. Female dairy calves are kept and grown into milkers; male calves, which account for slightly more than half of all dairy calves born, are generally sold and shipped out of the area to be raised as veal or feedlot cattle.

Mr. Buchanan said that most of the cattle grazing in fields locally are fed foraged-based diets that are often supplemented with corn silage or other grains. Dairy cattle typically require significant grain supplementation to sustain a high level of milk production. Meat animals are usually grain-finished before they are ready to be marketed.

"However, local farmers are increasingly interested in raising livestock on forages alone, especially since the cost of fuel and purchased grains has risen so sharply," Mr. Buchanan said.

Mrs. Barton and her husband have dairy farming backgrounds and witnessed significant changes in the health and disposition of the animals when they were switched to grass.

Mrs. Barton said the benefits from eating animals that have been grass-fed "decrease amazingly fast" when the animals are grain-finished. Those benefits include fewer calories and greater amounts of omega-3 fats and conjugated linoleic acid, which some studies say is a anticarcinogenic.

"It's like switching a child from a junk food diet to a health food diet," she said.

The 8 O'Clock operation consists of three farms. Daniel and Chris Huntley of Crary Mills have 150 head of Hereford and Belted Galloway cattle. The Bartons have 150 head of cattle, 150 Suffolk sheep and about 20 pigs. The pigs are raised on grass and supplemented with home-grown grains.

In Madrid, John Barton's brother and sister-in-law, Jesse and Krista Barton, hope to have a goat cheese operation running in spring.

BUYING LOCAL

Dairy agriculture agents for Cornell Cooperative Extension in the north countrysaid there is no official database they operate on how many grass-fed operations there are in the counties.

The Jefferson County Agricultural Development Corp. does have a link on its Web site that lists beef producers in the county. Eight producers are included, among them Beartown Farms and the Lucki 7 Livestock Co. in Rodman. The Lucki 7 Web site notes that its animals are fed a strict vegetarian diet on pasture.

The Web site of the Adirondack North Country Association has a listing of farmers who "raise their animalsprimarilyon pasture" and sell directly to the consumer. It lists 15 such farms in St. Lawrence County, one in Lewis and none in Jefferson.

Michele E. Ledoux, executive director for Cornell Cooperative Extension for Lewis County, noted two grass-fed-only operations in that county she is aware of: Herrdale Acres and Grass Roots Meats, both in Lowville.

Bernadette E. Logozar, Cooperative Extension agricultural team coordinator for Franklin County, said there are about a half dozen grass-fed operations in that county.

"It takes a lot more management of land," Miss Logozar said. "Not everybody has the setup or the time for it."

Cooking tips and techniques

Here are some tips for cooking grass-fed meat from 8 O'Clock Ranch in Dekalb Junction:

■ Cooking time is 40 percent less than with "regular" meat. If you were to normally grill a steak for 10 minutes, you would want to pull the grass-fed steaks off at around 6 minutes to check to see if they are done.

■ Cook with moisture. Add water, broth, butter, oil and cover your cuts to keep in the tenderness.

To cook a hamburger from a grass-fed animal:

Place your patty over the direct heat from your grill (high or medium-high) for about 30 seconds to sear the outside — much like you would a steak.

Then reduce heat or move your burger to indirect heat for another two to four minutes per side.

Resist the urge to press or flatten the patty. Much of the juiciness is lost that way.

Take the burger off the grill 30 seconds before it is totally done and let it rest to absorb the juices.

Source: www.8oclockranch.com