Our Farm Protocols, Explained

Products with this badge have been certified organic by an approved certifier. That certification means no GMOs, no synthetic chemicals, no artificial additives, and no artificial hormones, verified by a third party.

Organic is a solid baseline, and we are glad to carry certified products from farms in our network. But it is a baseline, not a ceiling. USDA organic rules still allow animals to be fed grain, and more importantly, soy. A certified organic chicken or carton of milk can come from animals eating an organic corn and soy ration every day.

That is why many of our own products go beyond organic standards. Our grass-fed cattle never eat grain at all, and many of our products are also soy-free and corn-free. When you see the organic badge, you know it has been verified. When you see our other badges, like 100% Grassfed, Soy Free, and Chemical Free, you know exactly how far past organic that product goes.

Raw means a product never exceeds 105°F during processing. For our milk, the only processing we do is cool it down and put it in the bottle. It goes from the cow to the chiller to the bottle. How fresh is that?

Conventional milk is pasteurized at 161°F or higher, and often homogenized to break up the cream. Heat that high kills bacteria, but it also breaks down the natural enzymes and beneficial bacteria raw milk carries. Many people believe raw dairy's higher levels of good bacteria and enzymes help the body build a stronger immune system. Raw milk also keeps its fresh, sweet flavor and the cream line on top.

We take the responsibility that comes with raw milk seriously:

• Fast cooling. Milk is chilled right after milking to slow bacterial growth.
• Every batch tested. All raw milk is tested for bacteria, coliform, and pathogens.
• Clean practices. Healthy cows, clean milking routines, and good cooling systems keep risk as low as we can make it.

100% of the diet of our grass-fed animals is freshly grazed pasture and stored grasses. In the growing season that means fresh pasture, moved often so the herd always has clean, tender forage. In winter it means hay and grass baleage put up for the cold months. Free-choice minerals round out the diet for the health of the livestock, and the animals help themselves as they need them.

The word that matters is 100%. A lot of beef sold as "grass-fed" is grass-fed for most of its life and then grain-finished in the final months to add weight fast. Ours is grass-fed and grass-finished. No grain, ever.

Why it matters to you:

• Better fat profile. Beef and dairy from animals on grass tend to carry more omega-3s and CLA than grain-fed products.
• Richer flavor. Grass-finished beef has a deeper, cleaner taste, and our butter and cream turn that golden yellow you only get from green grass.
• Healthier animals. Cattle are built to digest grass. Keeping them on their natural diet means fewer digestive problems.

GMO-free products are raised naturally, without the use of genetically modified organisms. That applies to what goes into the product and to what the animals eat.

The biggest GMO exposure in meat and dairy is not the animal, it is the feed. Most of the corn, soybeans, alfalfa, canola, and sugar beets grown in the U.S. are genetically engineered, and those crops make up most conventional livestock feed. Many GM crops are engineered specifically to tolerate heavy herbicide spraying, which ties this protocol closely to our Chemical Free promise further down.

Our grass-fed animals eat pasture and stored grasses, so there is nothing genetically modified in their diet to begin with.

Why it matters:

• You know what your food ate. A clean diet for the animal means a cleaner product for you.
• Less herbicide in the system. Avoiding herbicide-tolerant GM crops means avoiding the spraying that comes with them.
• Supporting farming that works with nature instead of engineering around it.

Soy-free products are raised naturally without soy. No soybean meal, no soy oil, no soy anywhere in the animal's diet.

This matters more than most people realize. Soybean meal is one of the cheapest, most common protein sources in livestock feed, especially for chickens and pigs. As we mentioned in the organic section, even certified organic animals are often fed soy every day. What an animal eats shows up in its meat, fat, and eggs, so people who avoid soy in their own diet often look for soy-free animal products too.

Our 100% grass-fed cattle are naturally soy-free, since they eat only grass. For everything else, look for the Soy Free badge.

Who this helps:

• Anyone with a soy allergy or sensitivity.
• Families limiting soy for personal health reasons.
• Parents who want to keep soy out of the household.

As the seasons allow, pasture-raised animals live in the open pasture or field, as nature intended. They feel the sun, scratch and root and graze, and move to fresh ground regularly.

This is very different from the labels in the grocery store. "Cage-free" usually means birds in a crowded barn with no outdoor access. "Free-range" can mean a small door to a dirt lot that few birds ever use. Pasture-raised means the animals actually live outdoors on grass.

"As the seasons allow" is an honest part of the promise. In a Lancaster County winter, with snow on the ground and freezing temperatures, animals need shelter to stay healthy. They come in when the weather demands it and go back out as soon as it is safe.

What pasture-raising adds:

• Varied, natural diets. Chickens forage for bugs and greens. Pigs dig for roots and grubs.
• Deeper yolks and richer meat. Pastured eggs have rich orange yolks, and pastured pork and poultry have more flavor.
• Healthier land. Animals moving across pasture spread manure naturally, feeding the soil and next season's grass.

These products are processed without added synthetic nitrites or nitrates. The protocol mostly applies to cured and processed meats like hot dogs, bologna, sausages, jerky, and smoked meats.

Sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate are curing salts used in most conventional bacon, ham, hot dogs, and deli meat. They keep meat pink, add a cured flavor, and extend shelf life. Some people find nitrates cause indigestion and other health issues, and at high cooking temperatures nitrites can form compounds called nitrosamines that have raised health concerns.

We leave the synthetic curing salts out. Our processed meats rely on quality meat, simple seasonings, and smoke for flavor. Without anything artificial holding the color, you may notice they look a little different from what you are used to. That is a good sign.

A2 milk refers to the type of beta-casein protein in the milk. Beta-casein is one of the main proteins in cow's milk, and it comes in two common forms, A1 and A2. Most cows in the country produce milk with a mixture of both. Our 100% A2A2 dairy comes from cows that carry two copies of the A2 gene, so their milk contains only the A2 form.

Why does that matter? When A1 beta-casein is digested, it can release a peptide called BCM-7, which some research links to digestive discomfort. A2 is the original form, the type found in older cattle breeds and in goat, sheep, and human milk.

Milk higher in A2 protein can be easier to digest, which may help people who struggle with regular dairy. Many of our customers who thought they had to give up milk find A2A2 sits much easier with them. Everyone is different, and A2 milk still contains lactose, so if you have a diagnosed lactose intolerance or milk allergy, talk with your doctor before making the switch.

The A2A2 badge covers our raw milk, cream, butter, kefir, cheeses, and yogurt.

Animals behind this badge were never given growth hormones to make them grow faster, and never given antibiotics.

In conventional agriculture, hormones are used to push animals to market weight sooner, and low doses of antibiotics are routinely added to feed to head off illness in crowded conditions. We do not need either one, because our animals are not raised that way. Clean pasture, a natural diet, fresh air, and room to move are what keep them healthy.

Why we hold this line:

• Nothing extra in your food. You get meat, milk, and eggs, not traces of what was used to push growth.
• Protecting antibiotics for when they matter. Routine use in livestock contributes to antibiotic resistance, which affects all of us.
• Prevention over treatment. Healthy animals on healthy land rarely need medicine in the first place.

Gluten-free products do not contain gluten. Gluten is a mix of two proteins found in cereal grains, especially wheat, barley, and rye. It is what gives bread dough its stretchy, elastic texture.

For people with celiac disease, gluten triggers an immune response that damages the small intestine, so even small amounts can make them sick. Many others have a gluten sensitivity and simply feel better without it.

Plain meat, eggs, and milk are naturally gluten-free. Where gluten sneaks in is processed and prepared foods: fillers and binders in sausage, seasonings, marinades, and of course baked goods. The Gluten-Free badge makes it easy to find what is safe, including treats from our bakery partners made with gluten-free flours.

Our fish and seafood are sustainably wild caught and flash frozen. No aquaculture, no farm-raised fish.

We hold seafood to the same standard as everything else in our store: the animal should eat its natural diet and live the way nature intended. Wild fish do exactly that. Farm-raised fish, by contrast, are often kept in crowded pens and fed processed pellets, which can include soy, corn, and other ingredients our customers work hard to avoid. Wild fish also tend to have a better balance of omega-3 fats.

Flash freezing is what makes wild fish practical to get to your kitchen. The fish is frozen very quickly after the catch, locking in freshness, flavor, and texture. Flash-frozen wild fish is often fresher than the "fresh" fish at a seafood counter, which may have been sitting for days.

Why wild caught matters:

• Natural diet, which means cleaner fat and better nutrition.
• No feed additives or artificial coloring that some fish farms use.
• Sustainable sourcing that respects the long-term health of fisheries.

Chemical-free products are raised naturally without harmful pesticides or herbicides. The farmer's land is never sprayed with harmful chemicals, only fed with the natural, beyond-organic fertilizers needed to build healthy soil.

Everything starts with the soil. Grass grows from it, animals eat the grass, and milk and meat come from the animals. If the soil is sprayed and fed with synthetic chemicals, those inputs work their way up the chain. If the soil is alive and healthy, so is everything that grows on it.

How land gets fed without chemicals:

• Rotational grazing. Animals move across the pasture, spreading manure evenly and giving each paddock time to rest and regrow.
• Natural amendments. Compost, manure, and natural mineral inputs rebuild fertility.
• Diverse pastures. A mix of grasses, clovers, and herbs crowds out weeds and feeds soil life.

This is a big part of why we describe our practices as beyond organic. Organic rules allow a list of approved sprays. The goal here is to need none at all, by keeping the soil strong enough to do the work.

Corn-free products are raised and produced completely free of corn. That covers what the animals eat and what goes into the finished product.

Corn is everywhere in the modern food system. It is the backbone of conventional animal feed, and corn derivatives like corn syrup, cornstarch, dextrose, and citric acid show up in processed foods and seasonings. For someone with a corn allergy, finding clean protein can be exhausting.

Our 100% grass-fed beef never eats corn, because it never eats grain at all. For everything else, the Corn Free badge tells you both the feed and the processing are free of corn.

Who this helps:

• People with corn allergies or sensitivities.
• Anyone who simply prefers a corn-free diet.
• Shoppers avoiding GMOs, since most conventional corn in the U.S. is genetically modified.

No sugar is added at any point in making these products. What you taste is the food itself.

Added sugar hides in places you might not expect: sausages, bacon, deli meats, jerky, flavored yogurts, sauces, and seasoning blends. Even "healthy" products often lean on cane sugar, corn syrup, or dextrose for flavor and browning.

The No Added Sugar badge is an easy way to keep refined sugars out of your diet. It is especially helpful if you are following a low-carb, keto, or sugar-free way of eating, or just trying to cut back. Our sugar-free beef country sausage is a good example of how much flavor good meat and simple spices deliver on their own.