Blog — Farm Life

Most of us have gone our whole life thinking the term ‘cow’ represents all cattle - we’re wrong. Not all cows are cows, surprise.   Today we’re going to breakdown the difference between a heifer, a cow, a bull, and a steer. Let’s start with the ladies first; a heifer is a female that has never had a calf. Once she has given birth to one, this new moo-ma is immediately considered a cow! A cow in our herd is typically 3-15 years old. From an outsider's point of view, just looking out into the field, how can we see...

If you’ve tried or wanted to try grassfed beef, but don’t understand how it’s better for you, this is the post for you. First, let’s define “grassfed.” Technically, all cattle are fed grass for part of their life. Cattle were designed to eat and digest grass, but many farms use grain feed to help the animals gain weight and get ready for slaughter faster. As cattle expert Temple Grandin put it, “feeding cattle grain is sorta like a diet of cake and cookies.” But a diet of cake and cookies is no better for cattle than it is for humans....

My First Beef Bundle Experience. The first Foxhollow Farm steer we processed was in the fall of 2006. I was in college in Boone, North Carolina at the time. While finishing up my senior year, I was deep in the research and development stage of a business plan to market and sell Foxhollow Farm’s 100% Grassfed Beef. My Mom and I split that first steer among our family with each of us receiving ⅛ of the beef to taste test and share with friends around our dinner tables. I remember asking my dear friend, Liza, to bring the ⅛ beef...

7 Questions with Foxhollow Farm’s Head Herdsman, Derek Lawson This month we sat down with Derek Lawson, Foxhollow Farm’s head herdsman and Edible Louisville’s 2016 “Favorite Farmer," to talk about Spring at the farm and learn about calving. IT’S CALVING SEASON AT FOXHOLLOW FARM! What are some basics about calving for those of us who aren’t cattlemen? Heifers (female calves) become “cows” when they breed and become mothers. Cows gestate for 9 months, just like people. The difference is, these babies are 50-75 pounds at birth. Cows will have their first calf at age 2, and we have some cows...