Our goal at Braeburn Farm is to create a healthy ecosystem – one which works for humans, cattle, insects, birds, as well as all the critters swimming in our streams and waterways. We use the cows to help create that ecosystem through holistic planned grazing. No healthy ecosystem exists without animals.
Our cattle move almost every day, providing them with fresh, nutritious forage at all times. This also improves the land. A large number of cattle concentrated on a small area of grass will do many beneficial things. The cattle will be forced to graze everything, from the tastiest clover to the weeds and other grasses growing in the field. Their hooves aerate the soil while their manure provides fertilizer. And then they’re off the land, not to come back to that same area for many weeks or months, so that the land can rest, recover and regenerate growth in the grasses. This improves soil health, makes for healthier root systems, greater moisture retention, a livelier microbiome, etc. Over time, healthier pastures with increased topsoil can sequester carbon at a higher rate.
The water that leaves Braeburn Farm is cleaner than the water that enters. This is something we are proud of and have worked hard to ensure. Wells Branch, the creek that runs through the middle of the farm, is part of a conservation easement, established in 2002. Our cows do not have access to our many streams or ponds but instead get delicious, clean water from 17 watering stations scattered throughout the farm. This ensures that the cattle cannot damage the banks of the streams, or wallow in the shallows of the ponds, making the water dirty and damaging the ecosystem of so many insects, frogs, fish, birds, etc. It also ensures that our cattle have constant access to clean, cool water directly from our wells.
Beef can be good for you and good for the environment.
Grass-finished beef is one of the most nutrient dense proteins available. It is higher in brain-boosting Omega-3 fatty acids than grain-fed beef. Beef from grass-finished cows contains a certain beneficial fatty acid called CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). CLA can help prevent several diseases and conditions like obesity and diabetes. Clinical evidence concludes a decreased risk of heart disease with an increased consumption of CLA, a nutrient abundant in our beef. Grass-finished beef can help improve your heart health by:
- Antioxidants such as vitamin E
- High amounts of omega–3 fatty acids
- Less unhealthy fats
- Lower amounts of bad cholesterol (known as LDL cholesterol), a marker of cardiovascular disease
“If you eat a typical amount of beef per year, which in the United States is about 67 pounds, switching to grass-fed beef will save you 16,642 calories a year,” says EatWild.com founder Jo Robinson
Braeburn Beef 