Pre-purchase: You’re going to need a freezer. An 8-cubic-foot chest freezer
should fit a quarter of beef (about 100 pounds), with plenty of room left over
for your Ben and Jerry’s.
Ask your rancher: One of the benefits of buying local is knowing how your beef
was raised. Ebersole is more than happy to answer questions from first-time bulk
buyers about her family’s beef.
"Know what your animal’s been fed and know why you want that," she said.
Ebersole Cattle Co. sells grass-fed, pasture and corn-fed beef to cater to
different tastes. They don’t use hormones or routine antibiotics in their
90-head herd of Maine-Anjou cattle. Instead, they cross the breed to get the
hybrid bigger and naturally "finish" (be ready for harvest) earlier.
"Every calf sold as beef was born on the farm," she said. "I know what’s been
done to them every day of their lives."
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The Des Moines Register
