The Wanderlust Farmer Chef

Meat consumption of the average American is skyrocketing. The prediction for 2019 is 222.4 lbs of beef per capita in the United States (up more than 20 lbs since 2014) With the increased demand of meat products throughout the country, many options have become available.  This seems like it should be a good thing, but in reality, results in an overwhelming amount of research necessary to determine where your meat comes from, really. And how it was raised, really. For simplicity’s sake, this post focuses on several standards for beef, but some of the regulations apply to other meat products (especially pork). Let’s begin with country of origin. The United States used to have strict rules regarding products bearing the claim “Product of the USA”.  This all changed in 2015 when the Country Of Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef and pork was rolled back.  Essentially, with the current rules any meat product which was processed in the United States may be labeled as “Pro...

In the year of 1916, a man and a woman made their home in the foothills of the Bears Paw Mountains.  After many years, only a few of eleven children remained near.  Like many families of that day, these young Manuel’s made their own way in the big sky country.  Through dusty toil and pastures filled with nothing but grass and wind. We owe much of what we have to the grit and sheer determination  of our first and second generation. New opportunities arose with a new generation.  Reverting back to organic farming and ranching through USDA certifications, opting out of feed lots, implementing cover crops and rotational grazing- these are just some of the practices which have been implemented by our third generation. Meanwhile, in a world that is evolving rapidly, six children have grown up watching these things in action.  The trial and error, the success and failure, the old and the new.  Our fourth generation is diverse in talent, but s...