Cattle Selection, Feeding and Harvesting Practices

TOTAL PROCESS CONTROL AND CATTLE SELECTION

By controlling the process from start to finish, the Brandt family is ensuring that their beef is what we say it is – The True Natural. Born and raised in the United States, their calves are hand picked and only the elite are selected to be in their natural beef program. They have chosen to raise animals that, through their natural feeding practice, are ready to harvest at just over 16 months of age. Through a tightly controlled feeding, harvesting and distributing process, they ensure that when you purchase Brandt Beef – The True Natural you are getting the finest and safest beef in the country.

NATURAL FEEDING PRACTICE

They allow their animals to grow naturally, the way Mother Nature intended. Unlike conventional cattle feeding practices, they do not utilize any type of hormones – ever. Instead they feed their animals a vegetarian corn based diet for over 300 days without the use of antibiotics by feed, water, or injection. The feed consists of steam flaked Midwest corn, Imperial Valley alfalfa, Sudan grass, bakery meal, molasses, vitamins and minerals. They add additional Vitamin E in the last 100 days, which has proven to extend shelf life and retain self bloom. This natural feeding process takes an additional 45 days for the animals to reach market, and although it is more expensive, it produces a higher quality beef that you can depend on.

CONSISTENT TENDERNESS

Recent Warner-Bratzler Shear tests confirm what they’ve known for years – their naturally raised cattle produce a more consistently tender beef. In this scientific study measuring cutting force, their Brandt Beef recorded scores of only 2.3 kg’s of cutting force which is far better than average acceptable tenderness standard of 3.6 – 4.9 kg’s of cutting force.

The selection of animals combined with their feeding practices produce youthful cattle that are ready for harvest at just over 16 months of age, resulting in consistently tender beef with stand alone flavor.

HUMANE HANDLING AND FOOD SAFETY

Animal handling and food safety are paramount to their operation and they are committed to providing beef raised and produced using the best and most humane technologies available. Furthermore, they also require that their processors complete and pass a Silliker Laboratories Audit. The audit consists of three parts: Humane Handling, SRM Removal, and GMP’s (General Manufacturing Practices). This extremely stringent, world renowned, 3rd party audit ensures that proper practices are being followed. Their seal of approval represents quality and confirms the highest of standards are being maintained throughout the production process.

Complete Source Verification

In order to know that your animals are truly natural, you have to know where they came from. They began source verifying their animals from birth long before the global marketplace began mandating it. Though the concept has always been to ensure the safety of their products, the means by which they do so has changed dramatically. By utilizing GTR Datastar’s state-of-the-art patented technology, specifically designed for Brandt Beef, they can instantly access real-time information for all of their food assets. Whether in production, processing, storage, or transit, this system helps ensure the safety of their product from birth to consumption. They are proud to be the first beef company in the United States to be tracking their beef throughout the entire process.