News from the farm...

Spring seems finally to have sprung, and the first of our 2016 calves are playing in the green fields. It's always lovely to watch them kick their heels up for the first time! We've had a busy 6 months at Chess Valley Beef. We've completed a third open fronted, airy barn for winter housing and calving and completed the fencing at our main base in Chalfont St Giles. This means we can manage our grazing more effectively. We are ever more committed to our pasture fed approach, because the more we learn about it the more we understand the benefits to the cattle, to the consumer, and to the environment. Grass feeding can make efficient use of what grows naturally, with minimum chemical intervention and without the need for fossil fuel to process and transport grain. Good grass management can help degraded soils to recover both structure and organic matter, and to hold carbon, and a diverse sward with rest periods provides habitats and food for wildlife. Grass fed meat has been shown to have a higher ratio of the “right kind” of fatty acids and a higher nutrient content than meat raised (or finished) on grain. Some also find it to have a more “meaty” flavour. We'd love to tell you more about it, so if you have questions do get in touch.