Custom BEEF Season Started Today
- Allie@FoothillFrolicFarm
- Jul 2
- 5 min read
Custom Beef Season officially started TODAY—
July 2nd—here at Foothill Frolic Farm!
Early this morning, we headed out to the pasture where our steer herd is currently grazing on their latest rotation. We had already selected the six steers for our first harvest based on their age, size, and overall condition.
Our steers are incredibly gentle and a joy to work with because we've been with them every day since the day they were born over 2¼ years ago. Thanks to our rotational grazing practices, our cattle have developed an even stronger herd instinct than is typically seen in conventionally managed herds. They move together exceptionally well and naturally stay close-knit.
All of our turquoise-tagged steers have been together since birth, grazing and rotating through our pastures as one herd. They are athletic, strong, and in excellent condition. They have spent their entire lives thriving on the rich Northeast Tennessee terroir here at Foothill Frolic Farm, growing exactly as cattle were designed to grow—with plenty of daily movement and a 100% grass-, clover-, and diverse forage-based diet from birth until harvest.
Despite the heavy humidity and thick summer air, Dad, Matthew, and I enjoyed a calm and peaceful harvest morning. We simply entered the herd, quietly selected the six steers, guided them to the loading corral, and gently separated the remaining cattle so they could continue grazing undisturbed. From the corral, we calmly loaded the six steers into the cattle trailer and headed north to our trusted processing partner, Russell Meat Packing (the Couch family) in Russell County, Virginia.
All six of these custom beefs had already been reserved, and the families who booked July custom beef shares have now been paired with these animals. This harvest includes share sizes ranging from a whole beef all the way down to an eighth share. If you're one of those families, you'll receive your personalized Custom Beef Shareholder information packet within the next week.
We wanted to share this update not only to announce that our Custom Beef Season has officially begun, but also to give those who have been considering a custom beef share a better understanding of how the process works.
Above...photos of the Steers that were harvested today. (LOVE & GRATITUDE TO EACH AND EVERY ONE!! WE LOVE OUR CATTLE DEARLY...ALWAYS TREATING THEM WITH UPMOST DUE and RESPECT...they truly are
Names from left to right...
441S "Gusty Bellow"
439S "Crimson Cast"
421S "Auburn Diggetty"
410S "Twin Acclaim"
416S "Ace in Pocket"
427S "Top Notch"
Current Availability
As we harvest 6 Whole Beefs per month for our custom beef season, Our July, August, and September harvests are now completely SOLD OUT!
The good news is that we still have one to two beefs available in each remaining harvest month of the season, so there are still opportunities to reserve a custom beef share before those fill as well. Both October and December only have 1 Whole Beef Share or less remaining, while the months of November, January, February, and March have 2 Beefs remaining per month.
Recurring Custom Beef Share Option
We also offer recurring live animal custom beef share options when placing your order.
Because our pricing is based on hanging weight and share size, recurring customers receive the same volume pricing benefits as larger one-time purchases. For example, if you purchase a recurring monthly 1/8 share, and your total purchases throughout the season equal the volume of a whole beef, you will automatically receive the same per-pound hanging weight pricing as a whole beef customer.
This allows our families who purchase throughout the year to enjoy the best possible bulk pricing while spreading their purchases out over time.
To learn more about our Custom Beef Shares Click here below....
Jonesborough Farmer's Market
Photos from Foothill Frolic Farm at the Jonesborough Farmer's Market over the last two weeks...
The market is not open this July 4th weekend, but we will be back there on July 11th & July 18th.
This gives locals a great way to sample our high quality and delicious 100% grassfed-grassfinished - organically raised - regenerative beef!
Foothill Frolic Farm in the Fields
As we've officially entered the summer season, we are incredibly thankful for the much-needed rainfall that arrived during the second half of June.
Throughout the spring, we barely got by with only small amounts of rain. Then, beginning on June 14th, the weather finally turned in our favor. We received 0.75 inches on June 14th, 1.5 inches on June 18th, 0.75 inches on June 23rd, and then finished the month with a wonderful 1.9 inches over this past weekend.
Altogether, we received just shy of 5 inches of rainfall, which made an incredible difference. The moisture thoroughly soaked into the soil, replenishing what had become very dry ground after an unusually dry spring. In fact, this stretch of rain delivered more precipitation than we received during nearly the entire spring season.
While continuing our daily rotations of all four herds and ensuring each group has fresh water through our pumping systems, we've also been busy cutting and putting up hay.
Because of the cooler, drier conditions throughout the spring, hay yields have been noticeably lower across the region this year. So far, we've harvested approximately 300 large round bales. At this same point last year, we had already put up around 500 bales.
It's a great reminder of just how much precipitation and temperature influence forage growth and hay production. Every growing season is different, and Mother Nature always has the final say.
While we're incredibly thankful for the much-needed rain, the extreme heat we've experienced at the start of July has given us something else to be thankful for...and maybe not so thankful for! By the end of a long day's work, our clothes have been completely soaked—not from the rain, but from sweat. That's just part of farming this time of year!
To wrap things up, I just had to share this photo that I snapped yesterday while heading out to the fields to rake hay.
Our trusty Massey Ferguson tractor has developed a very small hydraulic leak, and while we're still waiting for the replacement part to arrive, I had to get a little creative. In true frugal farmer fashion, I repurposed an old relic from Easton's baby days—an Under the Nile organic cotton bandana bib—to catch the leak!
Sometimes you just have to work with what you have until the parts show up. Around the farm, we believe there's almost always another use for something before it's ready to be thrown away!
Until Next Time, Eat Well and Be Well and Please Pass Along through your favorite media!,
(even though we have held off on having a social media presence, we are perfectly fine for our readers to share.)
Allison Mills Neal of Foothill Frolic Farm
Comments