Healthy cattle produce safe, healthy, high-quality beef. Raising this kind of beef, day after day, year after year is our measure of success. It's our life's work. With experience accumulated by taking care of cattle in one way or another our entire lives, and the passion for continually learning how to do it better, we have high standards for cattle care on our ranch and feedlot.
While there is a lot that goes into taking care of cattle and keeping cattle health a top priority, a couple of topics bubble up in peoples' minds because they perceptively intersect with human health.
On Growth Promoting Hormones
The directly marketed beef available through this site comes from cattle that are not given hormonal implants. This choice simply satisfies some customer preferences so we are happy to offer it.
The majority of the cattle in the feedyard are custom fed - meaning we don’t own them, other ranchers trust us to get their cattle to slaughter weight in great health and condition. Cattle at the feedlot are typically given an FDA-approved, small pelleted implant with a low dose of hormones that allow them to convert feed to lean muscle more efficiently. This has been a common practice, safely in use since the 1950s.
On Antibiotics
Our approach is to do everything that we can to avoid using antibiotics, however antibiotics are a tool in animal health and sometimes a necessity. As caretakers of these animal, we refuse to withhold treatment to be able to claim every animal we raise is “antibiotic free”. We are unwilling to make an animal suffer when antibiotics are the right tool to use. What we can guarantee is that cattle are only treated when necessary and that they are treated under a Veterinarian’s consultation and prescription.
All antibiotics have a strict withdrawal period that must be adhered to before the animal can be harvested. We adhere to these labels (as do all ranchers and feeders) and are legally prohibited from shipping cattle to harvest prior to the label directed withdrawal period. This guarantees that there are no antibiotic residues in beef.
Preventing Animal Disease
Preventative measures range such as keeping pens, water, and feed clean. We also practice low stress handling techniques that help keep the cattle as calm and comfortable as possible. We take classes on it and have our employees trained by experts in the field. These low stress handling techniques range from using only cowboys on horseback to check the cattle each day, to attending seminars on “reading” cattle so that we read their body language to tell us how they are feeling.
The cattle at Post 5 Cattle Co. are managed and cared for by us personally and the help of just a few employees. Our daily goal is to do the right thing for the animals, our customers and everyone who eats beef. We are passionate about raising beef cattle and it’s our goal that it is apparent in our operations and the product 100 percent of the time.
