When she was 10, while most children are asking their parents for allowance money and believe that eggs come from the grocery store, Shelby Grebenc was soliciting her grandmother for a loan of $1000 to start her own pasture-raised egg business. Shelby and her parents live on four acres in Broomfield, Colorado, 20 miles outside of Denver. She began caring for laying hens when she was just 6-years old. “Dad was trying to teach me to be an adult,” she says, so he gave her chores—watering, feeding, and letting out the family’s small flock of chickens. In the summer, she loved it. When it was 20^oF during Colorado’s winters, she hated it, but that didn’t keep her from learning everything involved in raising hens on pasture and starting her own business selling eggs to help expand the family’s income when her mother, Nancy, who has multiple sclerosis, was in a nursing home.

Shelby’s Animal Welfare Approved standard leghorn, Ameraucana, Rhode Island Red and Plymouth Rock laying hens roam on pasture all day, eating bugs and giving themselves dust baths and roosting indoors at night. Although balancing her business with her 4.0 grade point average and an abbreviated social life can be full of challenges, keeping the chickens safe from predators is Shelby’s biggest concern.  It requires that  someone is always home to lock the poultry into a well-secured coop at night, and feed, water  and let them out onto pasture in the morning. Shelby isn’t fazed by this responsibility, however. It takes her about an hour each day to feed her hens, put out fresh water, and collect and clean the eggs.  Her flock currently has 130 hens, which produce between 28 – 56 dozen eggs a week.

What do her middle school peers think about Shelby’s entrepreneurship? They’re “astonished,” she laughs, when she goes to the bank and, using her Colorado state-issued ID, withdraws money to buy feed. While some friends think it’s pretty cool, those that don’t have a familiarity with animal agriculture think “it’s gross. Many don’t understand farming. As my dad says, it’s part of life, BUT it is our job to make sure [our] animals have the best, most enjoyable life possible while we have them.  I love my animals and I make sure they are happy but I also understand the outcome.”

Shelby sells most of her eggs to neighbors in Broomfield. Customers can call her or look for the big yellow sign she places at the end of her driveway when she is available to make sales. She and her dad will also deliver eggs within one mile of their home. Shelby doesn’t have any plans of giving up her business anytime soon. “I’ll definitely raise [chickens] forever,” she states. “I love chickens. They’re interesting and fun.”

Jessi and Dennis wanted to certify their dairy herd Animal Welfare Approved in order to have an unbiased third party reaffirm that they’re doing the right thing. They have received a lot of positive feedback about their AWA certification from their customers. Not every consumer can come out the farm to see how Lucky Hook raises its animals, but still want to know about the source of their dairy products.

Jessi is proud that Lucky Hook goats are raised on pasture without the use of unnecessary antibiotics or growth promotants. Lucky Hook Dairy goats have access to pastures of clover and mixed grasses during the spring, summer and fall months and are offered an alfalfa and grass mix from pesticide- and herbicide-free fields on a free choice basis, throughout the year.

While the economics of farming are tough, Jessi and Dennis are excited about continuing to grow their small business, improving animal welfare practices and farm infrastructure. Their goat milk is sold throughout the Moses Lake area.

Debbie and Mark’s flock of pasture-raised laying hens include Brahma, Americana, Welsummer, naked neck, Black Cuckoo Maran, Barred Plymouth Rock, and Delaware breeds, which produce colorful nutritious eggs. Millsaps Farm’s chickens are able to dust bathe, forage on well-managed pastures, and run around all they like. Allowing their goats to rotationally graze on pasture keeps the farm’s grasses mowed and more accessible for their chickens.

Certifying their goats and chickens with Animal Welfare Approved has helped Mark and Debbie assure their customers that they are using the best animal welfare practices possible. “People are confused,” says Debbie about all the label claims that consumers are confronted with. “There’s a lot out there that’s just a façade and with AWA we can say, ‘No, really. This is really what it says it is.’ [AWA] is behind us and understands what we do.” Debbie believes that AWA is one label that her customers can understand because they “do a fantastic job portraying what farmers actually do.”

The Millsaps look forward to continuing to grow their small business and are glad that their two children are being raised with an understanding and respect for the source of their food. Debbie is glad to say that, “This is a real ag family.”

All of the animals at Holy Cow Grassfed, as well as their feed, are grown on the farm’s Certified Organic fields. Janelle reduces the stress on her herd by keeping calves with their mothers from birth through harvest. In order to ensure the health of her herd, Janelle makes sure to rotate her cows to fresh pasture every three to four days, making sure they have tall grasses to eat, and that they will not damage the fields.

Not only do the cows benefit from these practices, but Janelle believes that they ensure that the consumer is receiving the best possible product. Her Limousin cows provide both longer loin muscle and docile breeding genetics, while the Certified Angus bulls provide ideal marbling characteristics resulting in the best beef flavor and tenderness possible. All of the animals raised at Holy Cow Grassfed Beef are age verified and are bred year round to ensure that customers can expect a steady supply of product. “I want to provide the best eating experience a family can have. If you want the best beef you have to have the best genetics you can and feed them the best food you can.”

Janelle was excited to become Animal Welfare Approved as verification that she is raising her animals to the highest possible standards. “By telling the public you’re Animal Welfare Approved you’re telling the customer you have standards. AWA hits the nail right on the head: you’re doing it the right way. AWA has someone that really checks that you’re doing what you say you’re doing. People want to know that the animals are well taken care of– there is also a loving and respectful way to raise cattle and provide the healthiest and happiest experience with beef. I went the extra step of becoming Animal Welfare Approved because I want the customer to know that they are getting the best that they can get. There is a better way to eat beef!”

Holy Cow Grassfed Beef is available for purchase direct from the farm and is delivered weekly to various drop-off sites in major cities throughout Washington, Oregon, and Northern California.

In 2000, the Jacobs began with only five or six cows and they’ve grown slowly over the years to be what J Brand Cattle is today.  The Jacobs are proud that they let their business grow slowly and naturally.   They are very careful about managing their growth to keep up with retailer demands.  Steve says, “It’s really growing into a viable business.”

Something that drew the Jacobs to raising natural grassfed beef is the idea of having control over the animal from birth to death and taking care of the animal in the best way possible.  Steve really takes a lot of satisfaction in having his own bulls,calves, and replacement heifers.  Steve says, “We do everything we can to give our cattle the best life possible and we see the results.  We’re really proud to be a sustainable ranch that doesn’t breed the heifers until they’re 24 months.”

On applying for AWA certification, Steve says, “When I read AWA’s guidelines it was an easy decision for us to apply.  AWA’s philosophy is how I to do everything anyway… AWA is very animal oriented, but also common sense farming oriented as well.  It’s a good marriage between the two.”

Steve and Marci are also active in giving back to the community.  Marci is former president and is still very involved with the Healdsburg Future Farmers County Fair.  Steve is on the board of the directors for the California Cattlemen’s Association (Sonoma Marin Chapter), while Marci is on the board of directors for the California Cattlewomen’s Association (Sonoma Marin Chapter).

In their spare time, the Jacobs enjoy horses and skiing.  Of course, most of their time is spent with their three children.  Steve said, “It’s really rewarding to work on the ranch with our kids.  I can see as our family grows that the ranch will always be something we can come back to as a family, to farm and ranch together.”

To find out how to purchase beef from J Brand Cattle Company, visit the AWA Online Product Directory.

After Michelle had her twins, she started really thinking about their nutrition and what they were eating.  She wanted to have the healthiest eggs possible so she started raising her own hens.  She is most proud that the care she takes in raising her hens makes her feel completely comfortable feeding these AWA eggs to her babies. Michelle said, “That’s how comfortable I am with my hens.  They’re out being hens.  I’m so comfortable that I’m feeding the eggs to my babies.”  She jokes that, “They’re an absolute pain in the butt because they’re up on the hill, in my backyard, just being chickens.”  But, of course, she really does love that the hens are all over the place.

Michelle and her family applied for AWA certification after reading an article in the local newspaper talking about all of the different egg labels out there.  She said, “They mentioned AWA had the highest level of humane and environmental standards.  I looked into it and I was already doing those things.  I wanted to share with my customers how good a life my gals have.”  Michelle went on to say that customers are very enthused that Leisen Family Farm’s eggs are AWA certified and that “Sonoma County is the perfect place for this to happen.”

While Tom hasn’t been farming his entire life, he did grow up on a large commercial farm.   After college he started another career in an office job, but after a while he decided he was over the desk job life and went back to farming.   He said with a laugh, “Now, unfortunately, I do both, the farming and the desk job!”  That is, until he’s able to make all of his income from the family farm.

The Powells are most proud that they let their chickens behave naturally.  Tom said, “Everything is completely natural.  We try to do as little with the chickens as possible.  We never lock them up.  They come and go as they please.  We check them once a day for health and we collect the eggs once per day.  They are in a completely natural state.”

On applying for AWA certification, Tom was honest about the initial draw to AWA, which was the fact that the certification is completely free to farmers.  However, Tom went on to point out that, “There wasn’t any trickery [with AWA] like there is with some other standards.  With USDA and Organic, they only say they should have access to pasture…[AWA] says there’s a specific amount of pasture that the animals have to have .  I like that.  The standards are more well-defined.”

When Tom isn’t farming, you might find him fly fishing or playing with all of his kids.  Tom noted that having nearly five kids is quite the “hobby.”

To find out how to purchase eggs from Real Food Farms, visit the AWA Online Product Directory.

Farming is a second career for Greg and his family.  They’ve only been farming for seven years and Greg said with a laugh that his learning curve is “going up like a Saturn missile with a tremendous amount still to learn.  I have wonderful mentors who have kept me from some train wrecks.”  In fact, Greg’s desire to learn more about raising his animals is one of the reasons why Windy N applied for AWA certification.  On applying for AWA, Greg said, “I don’t have a ranching background and I’m trying to learn as quickly as possible from every source I can.  [AWA] felt like a very progressive operation promoting what’s important to me: the fair treatment of our animals and good ranching practices.”

When he’s not farming or spending time with his family, you might find Greg paragliding or practicing martial arts.  Greg’s hobbies definitely rank among the most exciting of all AWA farmers!

For more information about Windy N Ranch, please visit http://www.windynranch.com/.  Greg and Laurie welcome prearranged tours of the ranch.

Grassfed beef is known to be higher in Omega-3 fatty acids, often called “good fats” because they play a vital role in every cell and system in the body. Grassfed, pastured beef can also have higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA – a powerful cancer-fighting agent) and carries a lower risk of pathogenic E. coli.

Swope Cattle Company’s quality grassfed beef can be found through Shire Gate Farm.

Simon Boers Meat Goats

Simon Boers is in the lovely Hagerman Valley in Idaho, set among the Snake River canyon and hay fields, and home of many public wildlife preserves. Evelyn Simon and her husband, Joe Bennett, are the team behind the farm, working together to raise champion goats–prized for their look and the taste of their meat. Judges from the American Boer Goat Association have described the goats as high quality, beautiful animals with excellent Boer characteristics, like a bold curved nose, strong shoulders and a glossy coat of white and brown hair.

Evelyn and Joe had their farm certified by Animal Welfare Approved because they believe in a kinder, greener way of farming.  Evelyn spends a good amount of time working with the goats, observing them for hours and figuring out their behaviors. By doing that, she can tell just what kind of care and attention they need.

As for the meat produced by these animals—you can call it “the other red meat.”  It’s lighter and leaner than even chicken, and high in iron and protein. If you’d like some of Evelyn’s soon to be famous recipes, just drop her an email at simon_boers@q.com and she’d be glad to share.