Above: Belted Galloway cows graze on the local pasture of Breakneck Hill Farm.
(Photo by Paul Bourdon)
The Metrowest Daily News ran a story on the Breakneck Hill “belties”. This one isn’t about feeding the cows. In a manner of speaking, it’s getting fed by them.
Earlier this year, I shared the news that the local farm donated grass-fed beef to a Boston food pantry.
Now they share news that they are selling beef wholesale to the public.
“Everybody who tries our meat will tell us, universally, how much better it is than anything they’ve ever had from a store,” said Paul Bourdon, operations manager at the farm.
Bourdon said he recently secured a permit from the Board of Health to begin selling meat raised on the farm. Cows are taken to a slaughterhouse in Athol and the beef is trucked back to Southborough, he said.
“We don’t use any growth promoters or antibiotics,” Bourdon said, adding that grass-fed beef is leaner and higher in omega-3 fatty acids.
Bourden went on to explain the environmental benefits. The cows are raised on pasture that isn’t ideal for other agriculture. Winter hay is brought from nearby farms and the slaughterhouse is only about a 70 mile roundtrip.
Are you surprised to learn that the town’s beloved “oreo cows” are being eaten? Never fear, the Breakneck Hill Cow Fund is just thinning the herd, not eliminating it.
Sale of beef will be used for “stabilizing income and keeping the beloved Belted Galloway cows up on the hill.”
In past years, some cows were sold off to make up for a drop in donations. Bourden now hopes selling the beef directly will raise more for the fund.
If you are interested in finding out more, you can email PaulBourdon1719@gmail.com or call 508-330-7216.
For the full MWDN article, click here.
I can’t help but wonder. . . would explaining to my picky-eater son that this is “oreo beef” make him more willing to try it? Or would associating beef with the cows he visited last spring turn him into a vegetarian?
Great news. Where will it be sold?
It’s wholesale, not retail. So looks like you have to contact them directly through the email/phone.
I’d be interested in a smaller fraction (like an 1/8) of the cow. It is my understanding that these are generally sold in whole’s or halves (big $’s), so I’m not going to bother Mr Bourdon with my request. If someone who is more interested does contact Mr. Bourdon and small fractions are by chance being offered, please post back here.
Just to clarify, We have been selling sides (1/2 cows). We now have a retail permit to sell cuts. They are frozen at the USDA inspected butcher and that is how we sell them out of our freezer. I am usually around weekends and evenings so please give me a call.
Interesting question posed above. If I and my family were not doing this we would probably not eat meat, or at the least very rarely. I am not certain how much longer the current food system can continue but I made the decision I did not want to participate in it any more. The following link gives some idea where our agriculture is heading.
http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/01/are-agriculture-exports-killing-us