Field notes7 min
Cowboy 101: Frequently Asked Questions
The questions we hear most - about grass, breeds, hormones, pricing, and what makes a South Poll different.
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Gil Yearwood
2024-02-10
Photo · Ellett Valley archives
Q. What does 'grassfed' actually mean here? A. Our cattle eat pasture and stored forage (hay, baleage) their entire lives. No grain, ever. No corn silage. No distillers grains.
"Q. Do you use hormones or antibiotics? A. No growth hormones. No sub-therapeutic antibiotics. If an animal gets sick and needs treatment to save its life, we treat it - and it leaves the grassfed program."
Q. Why South Poll? A. They finish on grass in a Virginia climate. British breeds struggle here in July; South Poll thrive. The beef is tender, the fat is yellow from carotenoids, and the flavor is unmistakably ours.
- Gil Yearwood, from the porch, Blacksburg VA
