We are a family of meat eaters, and I do not think that this will change any time soon. In fact, our oldest daughter would eat meat exclusively if we let her and has been that way since we let her gnaw on her first piece of steak as a toddler. The desire to have fresh, high-quality meat available was a big factor in why we decided to pursue this lifestyle. Not only did we want to have a better idea of what we were putting into our bodies, we wanted to know that the animals that were eventually becoming our food were treated humanely and with respect. On top of all of this is the universal fact that in order to eat a
perfectly cooked ribeye, delicious fried back-strap, or smoked chicken, an animal has to give its life. While this fact is unavoidable if you want to eat meat, we wanted to make sure our kids understood this reality, were ok with it, and were taught to respect any animal that would eventually be providing us
with sustenance.
We were able to separate our young steer while working the cattle a few weekends ago and got him pinned up to be fed out. The little ones had questions about why we weren’t turning this particular cow loose with the others, so we made sure to take the time to explain what we were doing, and since have made sure that they participate in the daily chores involving our steer. We want them to see that just because he will be filling our freezers in a few short months, that does not mean that we should treat him with contempt or neglect while he is still here with us. They’ll help us to make sure that his every need is taken care of and hopefully honor the sacrifice he will eventually make.
With our family being finally settled in our new home, we hope to expand our farming operations to include other food sources in the near future. We have plans for a chicken coop and run, pig pen, garden, as well as feed plots for whitetail hunting. We would love to share these adventures with you, and share some insights into our lifestyle along the way.