Our Standards
Southern Ridge Farm is committed to providing the highest quality local and regional food and as such, this page will provide the minimum quality standards that we require of ourselves as producers and will be required for us to partner with other
farmers or producers for each whole food item we carry.
We will also have whole food items that have more stringent quality standards above and beyond the minimum quality standards. Typically, they will come at a higher cost because input costs are higher for farmers and producers. We want farmers and food producers to make a good living because in turn, the barrier to entry for new ones becomes lower. As consumers, we should all want this.
The goal is transparency. While we may not check every box you'd like checked in terms of quality, you will at least be able to make informed decisions about what's best for you and your family. Ideally, we'd like to work towards fidelity of inputs across the board but as a food producer, and as anyone else in the farming and food production industry knows, this can be extremely challenging and cost prohibitive.
Minimum Quality Standards
Beef: local, grass fed, regenerative pasture raised, no pesticides, herbicides used on the pasture, no antibiotics, vaccines, or hormones.
Pork: local, diet consists of what they forage in woodlands, on pasture and non-gmo feed, regenerative woodland and pasture raised, no pesticides, herbicides used on the pasture, no antibiotics, vaccines or hormones.
Lamb: local, grass fed, regenerative pasture raised, no pesticides, herbicides used on the pasture, no antibiotics, vaccines, or hormones.
Chicken & Eggs: local, diet consists of what they forage on pasture and non-gmo feed, pasture raised, no pesticides, herbicides used on the pasture, no antibiotics, vaccines or hormones.
Dairy: local, grass fed, unpasteurized or low-temp vat pasteurized, non-gmo feed, no rBGH, not homogenized.
- We aim for unpasteurized as much as possible, with the exception of things like yogurt that need to be heated to make in which case the beneficial bacteria are kept intact, and the proteins & fats are not denatured – this is very different than pasteurization.
- Low-temp vat-pasteurized would be a "second best" option but there will still be a diminishing of overall nutrient density due to elimination or reduction of beneficial microbes and enzymes as well as inactivation of various co-factors.
- In cases where we carry fully pasteurized options, they will be labeled as such.
Seafood: Wild caught, sustainable - some farmed options for sustainable, responsibly raised items (like oysters for example) are also a great option and full transparency of the farming operation will be shared in the product description.
Standards We Will Try To Provide Above Minimum When Available
Organic, Beyond Organic, A2A2, soy and/or corn free feed, seed oil free feed, organic feed, soaked, sprouted, fermented, certified glyphosate residue free, Regenerative Organic Certified (and other Regenerative Ag Certs), biodynamic & no till gardening practices. This list is not exhaustive. We strive for continuous improvement in this area.
FAQs
Is Your Beef Grass-Finished?
Our cows graze freely on biodiverse pastures but also have access to a variety of grains for up to 60 days before processing that are not only essential but a natural part of their diet.
Undomesticated cows, out in the wild, will come across oats, wheat, rice and grains of all kinds and will naturally supplement their diet with the much-needed fats, oils, carbs, proteins and other nutrients found in these food sources. In fact, a cow will choose to include between 5-18% grains, rice, oats, etc in their diet depending on various factors, mainly having to do with life-cycle and lactation cycles.
We know that the vast majority of commercial meat operations rely heavily on grains and corn to a degree that is unhealthy. With keeping grain access to no more than 60 days prior to processing, we significantly preserve Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratios and CLA (the two primary talking points for why grass-finished is superior) while adding additional marbling for increased flavor, texture and additional fat soluble vitamins.
Our focus is on biodiverse pasture as their primary source of food which in turn creates a much more nutrient dense animal with high levels of antioxidants and a vast array of phytonutrients. They also have superior fatty acid and amino acid profiles because they're extremely healthy animals.
There's plenty of "grass-finished" beef that is vastly lower in quality and nutrient density than our animals because there's a lot more to the story than just being "grass-finished".
We appreciate the sentiment behind 100% grass-fed but that is simply a human idea and NOT what would happen naturally if a cow was allowed to graze freely.
Do You Vaccinate Your Animals?
No. We do not use vaccines in any of our animals and we never will. This should go without saying but this also includes mRNA technology (by definition they technically aren't "vaccines" anyway).
There are other ways to prevent disease in livestock that are indeed more labor intensive but we prefer to work with nature on this rather than man-made interventions.
What Is Regenerative Agriculture?
Regenerative agriculture is a holistic, systems-based approach to land management that aims to improve soil health, biodiversity, and overall ecosystem function
It focuses on increasing organic matter in the soil, which is anything that is alive or was once living. By improving soil health, regenerative agriculture enhances water infiltration and retention, nutrient cycling, and plant health, and can lead to increased crop yields, nutrient density in animals and disease resilience.
Importantly, it also focuses on moving carbon from the atmosphere into the soil. Regenerative agriculture is not a set of rigid rules but rather a flexible approach that varies depending on the grower and region, integrating practices that work in alignment with natural systems.