Westport River Rock Farm
Grass-fed, Certified Organic Angus Beef
We have been doing this since 1962. Ours is a closed herd, which means that we raise our own calves, bred by our own bull. This way, we are sure of the health of our animals and we are not prone to spread of diseases.
How Our Cattle Live
This natural environment is very different than commercial herd feedlots
At Westport River Rock Farm our cattle are on pasture from May through November. They have water and shade in every pasture. We use rotational grazing, which helps weed control and allows the pastures to rest and revive between grazings.
A Healthier Alternative
WebMD states that grass-fed beef is generally considered to be a healthier option than grain-fed beef. It has less fat and therefore fewer calories. It has up to five times the amount of omega-3 fatty acids compared to grain-fed beef.
These are good fatty acids and actually help prevent and treat diseases including heart disease, stroke, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Cows have a difficult time digesting grain and are given antibiotics to counter their resulting stomach problems. Doctors are concerned about excessive amounts of antibiotics in the modern-day diet and are worried about building tolerance to antibiotics.
Feedlot-raised cows are given growth hormones to fatten them quicker. With these hormones, feedlot operators can get a cow to maturity in eighteen months. For us at Westport River Rock Farm, raising the animals the way nature intended requires thirty months.
Worried about saturated fats in your diet? WebMD states that grass-fed has significantly lower levels of saturated fat compared to cows raised on grain, about the same level as skinless chicken.
WebMD also points to studies that show grass-fed beef as having more antioxidants than grain-fed beef. See also, ” A Review of Fatty Acid Profiles….”, Nutrition Journal, March 10, 2010. Antioxidants help prevent cell damage that can lead to serious diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
No one would claim that beef of any sort is a ‘health food’. But if you enjoy hamburgers or steaks, and are concerned about your diet, then grass-fed has to be an option.
Featured Recipe
Beef Burgundy
Adapted from the Artist
in the Kitchen Cookbook
Ingredients:
1 ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more to sprinkle on beef before cooking
4 lbs. mixture of shank and short ribs. Trim off fat from short ribs.
5 TB. olive oil
8 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1½ cups canned Italian plum tomatoes with juice
2 cups sliced carrots, 1/8 inch thick
3 cups sliced onions
8 whole cloves
½ cup chopped Italian parley
¾ cup red wine vinegar
3 TB. tomato paste
2 TB. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
3 cups beef stock, made from RRF soup bones or store-bought
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sprinkle pepper on shank and short ribs. Sear shank and short ribs in the olive oil. Drain on paper towel. When done return half the beef to the pan. Sprinkle with half the garlic, vegetables, cloves and garlic. Add the second half of the beef, garlic, vegetables, cloves and garlic ending with the parley.
In a bowl mix vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, salt, pepper. Pour over the beef and add beef stock just to cover.
Cover the pan, set over medium heat and bring to a boil. Bake in oven 1 ½ hours. Uncover and bake 1 ½ hours longer or until meat is very tender. Serves 6.
Westport River Rock Farm Pricing:
You can purchase by the ‘half side’, which is half of the cuts on one side of a carcass. This yields approximately ninety pounds of meat. Roughly one third hamburger, one third steaks and one third roasts plus short ribs, soup bones, organ meats, etc.
The price is based on the ‘hanging weight’, which is the weight of the carcass before it is butchered into portions. Our 2024 price for 1/2 side (1/4 cow) is $7.90 a pound, hanging weight, which works out to about $12 a pound for the mix of steaks, roasts, hamburger etc.. The price for a full side (1/2 cow) is $7.60 per hanging pound, and the price for a whole animal is $7.35 per hanging lb.
Most of our customers repeat, so we keep a waiting list and notify folks in the summer if we can provide their order in November. To get on our waiting list for November 2024, please visit our Contact Us page.
Throughout the year we also sell Ground Beef in 1 lb. packages with a minimum order of 10 lbs. for $11 per lb. For more information, please visit our Contact Us page.
If you want great taste, if you want to know where your steaks, roasts and hamburger comes from, if you care about the conditions in which the animals are raised, and if you want beef raised in a way that respects our environment, come to us.