How Do Cows Handle the Cold?

Old man, winter finally arrived this week! It is typical for us to receive most of our snow and cold weather between January and February on the ranch. However, it has been several years since we've seen this much snow at one time!We commonly get asked this question when we have significant snow. How do cows handle the cold weather? We respond with the way God made them! Cows have a nice thick coat that keeps them nice and insulated even in the nastiest of temperatures. Even when covered in snow, they can remain warm as long as they have access to feed. When cows have a full belly of feed, they can withstand very low temperatures. Cows are very good at grazing for feed, even when a large amount of snow sits over the top of the grass. Cows can push through up to 2 feet of snow to find feed. The biggest enemy of grazing through the winter is ice. So if the snow is fluffy and easy to push, the cows can graze, but if it is crusted with ice, then the cows cannot push through to graze. As you can see in the photo below, the cows are grazing through the snow to find fresh feed. This cow found a clump of grass that's still nice and green in the middle of winter! Cows naturally want to graze, even when there's plenty of snow, but when the grass is all gone or the conditions are not favorable, then feeding hay is the next best option. During the summer months, we raise all the hay we need for the winter season. The grass is baled in round bales and kept in a stackyard until the time comes to feed hay. About ten years ago, we owned a team of horses, and we spent the winter season feeding hay with our beautiful team of Belgian draft horses. It was slow work, but Sean enjoyed the satisfaction of working with a well-trained team of horses to feed the cows. (it also made for some life-long photos that we love to look at). Here, Sean and his brother are unrolling a bale of hay for the cows to eat. We now are back to using tractors to feed since it's much faster and draft horses are difficult to find these days. The winter months can be difficult, especially when it gets cold, and you have to break the ice daily to ensure that the cows, pigs, and chickens have reliable water. But there is beauty and satisfaction to provide your livestock and tended to and have a nice belly full of feed and fresh water to drink. 

We do NOT use mRNA Vaccines on our Livestock

To be clear: We are NOT using mRNA vaccines on our livestock. PERIOD.

Is Organic Worth the Cost?

Some people wonder if organic is worth the extra cost. Does it help my health? Is there a difference in quality? All of these are legitimate questions.This video summarizes very quickly the toxins present in conventionally raised agriculture products.Watch this 1.5 minute video and decide for yourself if organic is worth the cost.

New Owners of Cliff's Country Market

Sean and I bought a grocery store!We are now the new owners of Cliff's Country Market in Caldwell, Idaho. Since the shutdowns in 2020, we have felt called to help be a part of food security and provide local, quality food for the community. Cliff's Country Market focuses on sourcing local, organic, non-GMO, and gluten-free products. Owning a grocery store fits perfectly into our future goals. Cliff has done a fantastic job serving Canyon County and has been sourcing quality produce and food products for over 25 years before organic was cool and popular! Marilyn and Cliff have been a great team in building this business, but as they approach their 80th birthday, it is time to find a new owner who will continue the vision of their store.We officially take over the store on October 1st!We will have a soft opening on Saturday, October 1st, to celebrate the transition. What does this mean for Cunningham Pastured Meats?The first exciting thing about acquiring Cliff's Country Market is that we now have a retail location for our meat! So, if you missed placing your order or need some last-minute meat, you can come into the store to purchase our meat right off the shelf.Secondly, we will have Cliff's Country Market as a pickup location for orders. Right now, the only pickup location we have is at Boise Cold storage, so we are excited to be able to offer another pickup location for those who want to order a smaller order or live outside of our delivery location. (This pickup location will open the first week of October). In due time we plan to offer more quality products through our home delivery services, so keep an eye on our emails in the future! We also plan to bring all our cold storage and packing to the store, but for right now, we will continue our meat delivery out of Boise Cold storage. If you have never been to Cliff's Country Market in Caldwell, Idaho, we highly recommend driving to the store to check it out! (Here's the Google Map Location).Here's a short list of products that the store carries:Cunningham Pastured MeatsRaw Milk! Pasture-raised eggsAll types of quality dairy productsOrganic, local, and low-spray produceA wide variety of gluten-free products, including baked goods made right in the store (a separate bakery for gluten-free products)Large selection of flours and cooking supplies (hard-to-find, gluten-free, cooking flours)And many more products!Please join us on October 1st for our soft opening of Cliff's Country Market. We will be grilling up and sampling our meat!We are thrilled to have a new avenue to serve you and your family on a new level.If you would like to join our new mailing list for Cliff's Country Market, we will offer exclusive email-only offers and coupons.Sign Up Here for Email Exclusive Coupons

Boise's Best Newborn Photographer: It's Sunny In Boise

Want to know who is the #1 best baby newborn photographer in the Boise area? Then you need to check out It's Sunny In Boise Photography!

How Chickens Poop Money 🐓💩💲

Who would've ever thought you would open an blog about chicken poop? 😉Now since I've peaked your curiosity lets explain where I'm going here...This is the first year that we have raised our pasture-raised chickens here on the ranch. In the past Brian would lease small acerages in the Treausre Valley and raise the chickens close to home. This year all things fell into place for him to bring the chicken operation up to the ranch.We knew that chicken manure was a powerful fertilizer, so we knew there was certainly a benefit to having the chickens here, but we did not expect what a fast change we would see to our pastures.On our ranch we have not used nitrogen fertilizers in over 30 years. Due to our management of our cattle, we get everything we need directly from the cattle and don't need that extra input from outside sources. That doesn't mean the land doesn't benefit from extra fertilizer, but we didn't need it.When there is a concentration of animals in one area it can leave amazing nutrients or it can ruin the ground. This is why moving the chickens every day is absolutely critical. In one day they can leave a significant amount of manure, and leaving them more than 2 days can end up killing the pasture. Here are the chicken enjoying their fresh grass after being moved.Here is their pasture from the the previous days. You can see the concentration of chicken manure they can put down in just 24 hours! The amazing thing is looking further back in the photo you can see how quickly that grass begins to grow again! In this picture you can see the line where we had the first day of chickens on pasture. Look at how lush and green the grass is on the left compared to the grass on the right! We certainly didn't expect to see such dramatic results like that! As ranchers our entire business revolves around growing grass. The more grass we grow = running more cattle = more profitable ranch for our family.The amazing thing about regerative agriculture is that you can build up the fertility of land and the land actually gives back more. It doesn't degrade the land over time, but increases it's health and fertility. This is another reason why diversity on the land is important too. Chicken manure is "hot" which means it has a lot of nitrogen, as well as other minerals like phosphorus and dozens of trace minerals. The grass is able to utilize it very quickly, which is why the grass looks so dramatically different after running the chicken houses across the pasture. The chemical nitrogen that most commercial farmers use also allows for quick growth, but it doesn't have the balance of other minerals that chicken manure has. Because if this lack, chemical nitrogen will cause the grass to suck other minerals out of the soil to fuel the rapid growth. This is why chemical fertilizers diminish the soil over time.By bringing the chickens up to our pastures this year, we are seeing a massive increase in the fertility of our pastures, which will have long-lasting benefits to our ranch fertility into the future. With proper grazing management, these nutrients will be recycled into the soil for use next year and for many years to come.Basically, everyday the chickens are here, they are pooping money all over our pastures!Poop on chickens, poop on.

How We Raise Chickens On the Ranch🐓

Raising chickens on the ranch isn't without trials, but worth it to keep an eye on the how the chickens are raised from start to finish.

Chicken Ranchers

We have a huge change coming this upcoming season! We are bringing our pastured chickens to the home ranch!Guess we are going to become chicken ranchers 🤠 🐓 Some of you might be surprised to hear that we have not raised our chickens on our ranch. This has been due to several factors: not having enough help on our remote ranch, difficultly of raising the chickens at our elevation and distance from the chicken processor.Our chicken producer, Brian, has been raising our chickens for the last several years in the Treasure Valley on different pastures over the years. Brian has worked on perfecting chicken raising over the last several years so with the help of our new team member we can now raise chickens here on the home ranch. This last week, Brian has been working on getting the chick brooder assembled and building the portable chicken houses for the upcoming season. We are excited about the new changes and having our chickens raised in our pastures!Chicks arrive this next week! We are so excited! 🐣The other change we are experimenting with this season is raising a slower-growing chicken. The reason for this is that the Cornish cross chicken (which we have been raising all these years) struggles to adapt to outside conditions. These are the same breed of chickens that are at the supermarket. The Cornish Cross have an impressive growth rate unlike any other chicken out there, but it comes at a high cost to their health and stability. They are designed to be raised in confinement situations, with little to no temperature fluctuations, which is not possible when raised on pasture.Slower growing chickens will look and taste different than the Cornish cross that we currently sell, but we promise it'll be a better tasting chicken!

Which Is Better Organic or Grassfed?

Recently, we were interviewed by a blogger asking us the difference between grass-fed beef and organic beef.She wrote a very good explanation of the differences.Twocupsofhealth.com blogger Pamela Younghttps://twocupsofhealth.com/discover-why-grassfed-beef-is-much-healthier-for-you-than-organic/

New Products Now In Stock: Broth, Cheese & Butter

We are happy to announce the newest products we are adding to our store!Just in time for fall and colder months, we are now carrying a NEW line of delicious broths: Chicken Broth, Pet Broth, and Vegetable broth.Brooks Broth is a local Boise business that uses our pastured chicken to make their incredibly delicious and nutritious chicken and pet broth. We are very excited to be carrying Brooks shelf-stable broth that is not even comparable to the "broth" they sell at regular stores. You will never be able to go back to store-bought broth after tasting Brooks Broth.In addition to adding this fantastic broth line, we are now carrying Kerrygold products: Cheese and butter.Kerrygold is not a local dairy from the Boise area, but we tried to find a local dairy to supply butter and cheese. We almost ordered a large amount of cheese from a local Idaho dairy, but we found out at the last minute that they could not guarantee that their dairy cows received GMO-free grains. This was a disappointment because we wanted to work with other small producers like ourselves, but finding a dairy that uses non-GMO grains and grass-fed cows isn't easy.If anyone has any leads on a dairy that would fit our criteria above, please let us know! But for now, we wanted to make sure everyone has easy access to quality grass-fed butter and cheese!With all these new products, we have created a new storefront page called Cooking Essentials. In the Cooking Essentials storefront, you will find Brooks Broth, the Kerrygold cheese and butter, cooking lard, eggs, and honey.We are always looking for new products that fit well with our business mission of providing food you can trust that will help make it easier for you to cook the highest quality food for your family.

Why We Will NEVER Sell Fake Meat "Alternatives"

Why would a meat business be talking about meat alternatives? You would think that a meat business would be opposed to such an insult as calling a concoction of ground-up plant proteins "meat." But this is not the case for the most prominent meatpackers in the US!The largest meatpackers in the United States (Tyson, Cargill, Smithfield, and JBS) are no longer caring about animal proteins as their sole product. They are now labeling themselves as a "protein" business.One can assume that this means at their core, these meatpackers don't believe in their products; it's just about what makes the most money.At Cunningham Pastured Meats, we believe that the meat we sell is good for your health and the environment. If we didn't believe that our products were inherently good for you, then we wouldn't be selling them. I would never sell a product that I wouldn't feed to my own family. That's why I will never sell "meat" alternatives or, as I call it, FAKE meat.I believe that FAKE meat is inherently bad for you and the environment.Two main things concern me about FAKE meat.(You can read my analysis of FAKE meat here.)1. IngredientsThe ingredients are sketchy, contain plenty of GMO crops, and are highly processed.2. Farming PracticesThe crops that provide the ingredients are raised using conventional agriculture. This means high amounts of tillage and heavy use of chemicals, leading to erosion and polluted water systems.This picture sums it up.Our promise to you is that we only sell products that we can stand behind and feed to our own family. We believe these products are good for us and good for the earth.

Buying Bulk Meat In Boise

Are you looking for a place to buy bulk meat in large quantities in the Boise area? Look no further!At Cunningham Pastured Meats you can purchase all the way down to a single steak up to a whole beef! You can purchase a whole cow in the Boise area.You can purchase a 1/4 beef in the Boise area.You can purchase a 1/2 beef in the Boise areaHow does it work to purchase bulk meat in Boise?Simply go to our bulk ordering page to see the whole process.We are Boise's #1 place for purchasing bulk grass-fed meat!Cunningham Pastured Meats is Boise's #1 place for purchasing grass-fed beef.

What Is Lard?

Want to know what lard is and how to use it? Look no further than here!

New Family Photos For 2021

We were overdue for some new photos, but here are our 2021 photos of our family!Living the dreamA whole family of cowboys and girls!Got my dream-come-true of marrying a cowboy.

Alan Savory and Holistic Management

Alan Savory's Ted Talk

A Snow Day On The Ranch

I have to apologize for the tardiness of my normal Saturday email...I didn't have access to the internet for almost 24 hours!!!We had a snow storm come through on Friday evening that knocked out our internet.This might not seem like a big deal, but we don't have cell phone service at home, AND we no longer have a landline, so we depend on the internet for our phones as well.So, there I sat on Friday afternoon... looking at my phone, refreshing my internet, and... nothing happened. It's amazing how many times you will look at your phone when you are not sure when you will get a connection again, but finally, after 30 minutes, it became apparent that the internet was not coming back for a while.Since it had snowed, the temperature had dropped, so we started a fire on our stove. The kids were so excited for the new snow, so they took off outside to play before the sun went down, and Sean and I just curled up in a chair next to the fire and watched the kids play in the winter wonderland outside. (Yes, we still have our Christmas tree up)We then broke some card games, played games the rest of the evening, and called it an early night, about 9 pm.The next morning, I awoke to see that the internet was STILL not working. I once again felt a little frustrated but quickly realized that there was nothing I could do and that I would have to wait until the internet company came out to fix the problem.The kids were super excited to get outside and go sledding, so we all bundled up and headed out into the snow!We actually don't get very much snow here, so when it snows, you'd better get out and play in it because it'll most likely be gone by tomorrow!We all sledded for about an hour until the toddler was cold and the baby was screaming. Then after some hot chocolate, we started up the snowmobiles and did a couple of rounds driving around the valley.These are all things that I probably would not have done if I had my normal access to the internet.I would've told Sean, "Go ahead and take the kids; that'll give me some quiet time to get some work done." Instead, my normal routine was broken, and I spent all evening. All of the next day just being with my family without the interruption of phone calls, text messages, emails, and all other forms of digital distraction.In the end, being without the internet for almost 24 hours was the best thing that could've possibly happened to me.

Mowing the Lawn With Sheep

We lean towards being a little lazy around here on the ranch...If there is a way we can make our life a little easier, we will do it.This includes mowing the lawn.Sheep are amazing lawn mowers and do a great job getting into the areas that are hard to reach with a lawnmower or weed wacker.Not to mention that they fertilize the lawn as they go!Now, we don't let them graze our lawn every time we need the lawn cut, but when they are close to our house, and the lawn is getting pretty tall, we throw up some temporary fence and herd the sheep in.Clean, organic, and free fertilizer, what could be better?Ok, I get it; not everyone has a herd of sheep around that they can use to cut their lawn, so what's a better alternative?Well, if you live in the Boise area, Clean Air Lawn Care might be the solution to your lawn maintenance problem!At Clean Air Lawn Care, they believe there’s a better way of taking care of a lawn. Their customers want clean, sustainable lawn care that protects the environment and their families. That’s why Clean Air Lawn Care offers services that use quiet, zero-emission equipment and organic lawn care products that never compromise on quality. They guarantee that your lawn will look better than it has in years, be safe for your kids and pets, and give you a sense of peace knowing you’re helping reduce noise and air pollution.We want to give a shout-out to Clean Air Lawn Care since they follow our similar values of reducing pesticides and herbicides. Clean Air Lawn Care makes their lawns safer for kids and animals! We hope you can support this great local Boise business.

Why Is Chicken So Cheap At The Grocery Store?

Have you ever picked up a package of chicken at the grocery store and see a big sticker that says:Or what about Costco's famous rotisserie chickens at $4.99 for a whole cooked chicken!It's a pretty magical feat to be able to offer chicken so crazy cheap considering that the chicken had to be hatched, fed for 6-8 weeks, butchered, cut/wrapped, transported multiple times, and then put in a grocery store for its final sale.Who do you think makes the most money in this transaction when the final product is only $0.99/lb on a 5 lb chicken?I can guarantee you...It ain't the farmer.As a typical rule of thumb, the further you are down the line from the final product, the lower your percentage of the price. The chicken farmer is way down the production line and receives very little for that chicken that ends up on the shelf.Chicken is so cheap because people want cheap chicken, so the corporations demand the farmers to raise cheap chicken.Farmers enjoy raising their animals, but they do not want to market their products. Instead, they get into contracts with big corporations like Tyson or Costco that make it "easy" for them to sell their chickens. In reality, it locks them into a long-term contract where they are forced to keep up with the newest technology and equipment or lose their contract. Most chicken farmers are basically enslaved to these big corporations, and often, the only way to get out is to sell the farm. This is due to the high debt loads that are taken on to build the infrastructure required to raise chicken, which doesn't pay for the upgrades. Financially it's a terrible choice for farmers, and that doesn't even address the health of the land, the farmers, and the community when these gigantic chicken houses are built, and their waste is spread back on the land.Cheap Food = Cheap Production = Cheap Labor = Cheap GMO Feed = Broke FarmersThere's just no way around it.If we want farmers to make a living and be true stewards of the land, not just factories on the farm ground, we must be willing to pay higher prices to make a good living raising quality food for our families.Our pricing philosophy is simple at Cunningham Pastured Meats.Allow our producers to set the price that lets them make a good living.We then figure in marketing/shipping costs, and then our final price is determined.We do not beg the producers to get their prices cheaper. We do not beg our processors to offer cheaper processing.We want both the producer and the processor to have a quality life and a good living without sacrificing the quality of our product.Realistically, in the end, Cheap Food = Sick People and Sick Land.All this being said, this is why we create relationships with small-scale producers who want to raise their animals right without sacrificing quality. In fact, that's why we started Cunningham Pastured Meats in the first place. Before, the only avenue we had available was selling our cattle was through an auction that would eventually land them in a feedlot somewhere in the cheap meat cycle. We wanted more stability in our family and our business, and we wanted to provide quality grass-fed beef to people in the Boise Valley. We believe transparency is important for a safe, healthy, and renewable food supply.

What Is Up With All The Hype About Fake Meat?

Would you eat synthetic, lab grown, "meat"?

Chicken - More Than Just Big Breast

Chicken breast is by far one of our most popular selling products.It's easy to see why people gravitate towards this delicious, simple cut. Chicken breast is easy to cook, can be used for various meals, and almost always turns out moist and juicy.But there are more parts to a chicken than just the big breast portion.They have meaty dark thighs and delicious drumsticks. I want to take a minute to reintroduce the rest of the chicken...Let's start with the wonderfully delicious and juicy drumsticks:(click the picture for the recipe)I'm not quite sure why drumsticks are not as popular. They are great finger food, are moist and juicy, and have fabulous dark meat. Drumsticks are a hit among kids since they love eating with their fingers!We cooked up a batch of drumsticks the other day.  A super simple meal that made everyone happy. We were all fighting for the last drumstick!Next are the chicken thighs:If you are looking for a very satisfying meal, chicken thighs will fit the bill. Chicken thighs have an abundance of dark, juicy, flavorful meat on them by leaving the skin on your lock in all that moist and savory chicken flavor. Finally, you have the humble chicken wings:Chicken wings have become very popular in the last decade. They are great finger food for game day or a family BBQ. All these cuts are the "forgotten" parts of the chicken. I argue that they are more favorable than chicken breast. And, these are significantly more economical than the popular chicken breast.You are in luck. Right now, all these alternative cuts are nicely discounted as we make way for our new batch of chicken. It is the perfect opportunity to stock up a bit while giving some overlooked cuts of our premium pastured poultry a test drive. You won't be sorry!We are your one-stop shop for pastured chicken in the Boise area.

What In The World Is Going On With the Beef Industry?

The beef packing industry is broken.4 major companies own over 80% of the packing plants in the United States, and 2 of them are foreign-owned.100 years ago, the Packers and Stockyard Act broke up the major monopolies dominating the cattle and packing industry at the time, but 100 years later, we are at the same place again.We here at Cunningham Pastured Meats are not as dependent on the cattle market and packing industry as we used to be, but it still affects our cattle ranch, our neighbors, our community, and in the end, the consumer. The small family ranch is one of the last holdouts of the consolidation of the farming/ranching industry. There are still many FAMILY OWNED cattle ranches in the west, but they are becoming rarer as margins become razor-thin. The cost of raising cattle continues to rise, yet the price of cattle has not risen at the same time. This is largely blamed on the large packing plants that control the industry's end product and are working together to artificially keep cattle prices low while still increasing prices to the end consumer.Even though we have made more direct-to-consumer sales, it is still a very tiny percentage of all beef sales in the United States. Also, USDA laws make it difficult for small producers to open small-scale processing plants due to overwhelming regulation and costs that the average small producer cannot justify.Another part of this problem is that the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is no longer in place, and meat brought in from out of the country can still be labeled as "Product of USA" even if the cattle were raised their entire life in another country and were slaughtered or packaged in America. We raise the best beef in the world, yet we have thousands of cattle a week being imported from outside country's that can be labeled as "Product of USA" (see my article here about misleading labels on meat). Our mission is to be transparent about everything we do in our business, to build trust, and keep you informed as a consumer.We understand that this is why you choose Cunningham Pastured Meats as your trusted source for meat, but as stated above, this affects several layers of people and not just our business alone. 

The Father's Role On The Ranch

What is the father's role on the ranch? We have a big deep love for our fathers!

Meat Shortages, Inflation, and How That Affects Meat Prices

Meat shortages, inflation, rising fuel prices, and rising grain prices in the Boise area...Topics that are not much fun to discuss.The question I'm sure on everyone's mind is...Does this all mean we are going to raise our prices?The quick answer is NO... For right now. Let me explain what I mean.As we know, commodities are constantly in flux.  Fuel cost is always up and down, and grain prices are constantly on the move as well. We can certainly agree a wide swing in either or both of those two commodities will have affect livestock pricing. Remember a few years ago when cattle prices went sky high and then came back down? That disparity followed the huge jump in fuel prices that eventually came back down. We see that fluctuation again. What we see at the pump is reflected in prices at the grocery store!  At Cunningham Pastured Meats, we are committed to holding our pricing through the Summer.  Once grain harvests are complete in the Fall in the Treasure Valley, we will know what happens to our feed cost for some animals. We will address the price issue at that time, adjusting only if necessary to maintain our quality. Speaking of grocery store pricing...let's talk about the increase in beef, pork, and chicken meat prices. The gigantic industrial packing plants are saying the increases are fall out from a cyberattack and lack of labor. While both may be true to an extent, the big packers are still racking in extremely high profits while meat prices are going up; yet farmers and ranchers do not realize any increase in profit on the sale of their products. Hmmm...Something is fishy. This is why we have tried our best to break away from this vicious cycle that most ranchers are stuck in. It is because of amazing customers like you who have decided that you don't trust the big packing plants and labels they slap on their products. Customers like you who are voting against Big Ag using your food dollar.Instead, you have chosen to have a relationship with your rancher. A relationship with transparency and trust, so you know exactly how your meat is raised, processed, and packaged. And a relationship with folks who shop where you shop. We are all experiencing uncertainty with commercial supply chain disruptions of all kinds, from panic buying creating out-of-stock situations on essentials to supposed cyberattacks that interrupt supply, along with the sharp twinge of rising fuel prices. We get it.  There is one way we can defeat these large corporations that have a stranglehold on most farmers and ranchers right now. That is a return to smaller-scale direct-to-consumer production and distribution. Buying Boise local. It is the only thing that Big Ag Corporations cannot replicate. It is the only way to have confidence in food safety, supply, and pricing.  Hasn't this last year been painful enough, the uncertainty of so much keeping us all awake at night? At Cunningham Pastured Meats, we offer you a relationship with your rancher. So you can rest easy, knowing where your food comes from. Safe food, all-natural products with integrity and full of wholesome nutrition - dare I say healing nutrition - all at a price you can count on.  Given what is happening in our global society, doesn't it just make sense to support sustainable production and distribution by voting with your food dollar?  Cast that vote with us. You won't regret it.

Spring on the Farm in Treasure Valley

Have you ever wondered what do farmers do in the spring in Boise, Idaho? Spring is one of my favorite seasons on the ranch because new life is abundant. From the grass that is growing to the trees that are budding and even to babies that are being born every day - it’s an exciting time of year!

How Do Our Animals Handle the Heat?

I hope you are all staying cool this week! I know it's not easy! Sometimes we get asked: "How do your animals stay cool during these hot summer days?"They can't just jump into the pool when the temperature gets too hot. (though it sure looks like the pigs can! Keep reading below)Every animal we have here on the ranch is different and has different needs for staying cool.Cattle:We have very little natural shade here on the ranch due to the lack of trees. This means that we have needed to select heat-tolerant cattle so they can thrive in our hot and dry climate. One of the reasons we have gone to red Angus cattle is because they are great beef cattle, but red Angus cattle are more heat tolerant. In fact, compared to black Angus cattle, red Angus can be several degrees cooler than black Angus, which means there is less stress on them during the peak of the summer months. They do great out here on the high desert!Sheep:Our sheep are also genetically adapted to hot temperatures. On our ranch, we have hair sheep. The biggest difference between hair sheep and traditional wool sheep is that hair sheep shed their "hair" during the late spring and are left with a nice short, slick coat, ready for the summer months.Hair sheep are originally from Africa and are naturally heat tolerant. The nice part about these sheep is that they have adapted to our changing climate and grow nice thick coats during the winter and then shed it all off in the spring. The picture below is in May as the sheep are losing their winter coat.Pigs: Pigs have different needs than cattle and sheep do. Pigs do not have much for sweat glands, so they head to the closest water source or mud hole to cool off when it gets hot. Since our pigs get to roam all over the ranch, they can go to the creek or make a mud puddle out of a wet spot. When pigs get covered in mud, it helps them stay cool, keeps flies away, and acts as a sunscreen. Since pigs don't have much hair, they can get sunburned, so a nice mud bath helps keep them from getting roasted! We also have specific shelters built for our pigs to have a nice shady spot on a hot summer's day. (I wish I took a picture the other day of one of our big pigs climbing into our water trough! He sure looked nice and happy wading on the water!)It can be hard for us to relate to animals and feel sorry for them during extreme temperature conditions, either hot or cold, but they are designed to live outdoors year-round. However, by selecting good genetics, our animals can thrive in our climate year-round.

Making Hay

Making hay while the sun shines!

Benefits of Ecosystem Restoration

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find healthy functioning ecosystems today in our world.We see around us:polluted watererosionlack of diversitythe decline in insects and songbirdsthe decline in wildlife as a wholeIt seems pretty grim...What can be done?Well, this was the topic of a speech Sean and I gave yesterday at the Harvest and Hearth conference at the College of Idaho.We were asked to speak about the Benefits of Ecosystem Restoration.It seems like a complicated topic, but it really means restoring the land around us to a healthy, functioning landscape that includes a diverse mixture of plants, animals, and people.On our ranch, we have been continuing the work Sean's father started (40+ years) with restoring ecosystem function to our ranch after a poor prior history of overgrazing when this part of the country was settled. Proper management can restore degraded landscapes to proper functioning, but it takes more than just management; it also understands and appreciates stewardship.If we are stewards of the land, we realize that this land is not our own; it was given to us by God to manage and care for. It makes us see beyond the short term and look at the long-term health and future of the property we have been called to manage.On our ranch, we have 3 main types of ecosystems:1. Irrigated Native MeadowsImageIrrigated meadows are the backbone of our ranch. They are highly productive, flood irrigated ground that makes amazing feed and forages for our animals.Over 30 years ago, my father stopped using chemical fertilizers on our property. At the time, our organic matter on the ranch was only 3-4% in the meadows, and now today, it is between 5-8% depending on which part of the meadows is sampled. A 1% increase in organic matter increases the amount of water stored by 25,000 gallons per acre. When it rains, the water stays in the ground and does not take off the topsoil and pollute the streams and rivers.Increased Organic Matter > Healthy Soil > Healthy Plants > Healthy Livestock > Health PeopleOur entire business is actually based around soil health, so if the soil is healthy, it directly affects us all the way up to the human person!2. Native RangelandImageThe native rangeland that we are surrounded by was historically overgrazed in the early days of this part of the United States.Since we only get 8-10 inches of rainfall a year, this makes this type of landscape very brittle, meaning if the damage is done to it, it takes a LONG time to recover, thankfully we are at a perfect place now with our rangeland where it has been recovering very nicely for the last 50+ years.Through proper management and stewardship, the rangeland is actually a very productive land that is RICH in the diversity of plants and wildlife.By knowing the critical growing season of the rangeland, we can manage our cattle appropriately to allow the grass to grow to its potential and still stimulate its growth by proper grazing management. We see a very bright future for the rangeland at this point!3. Riparian AreasImageRiparian areas are typically very diverse creek bottoms thick with trees, willows, cattails and support an abundance of wildlife.These areas were also historically overgrazed and had very little willows on them less than 30 years ago.Temporary electric fencing has allowed us to manage these riparian areas and allow explosive growth of willows to happen.This has allowed beavers to move back into our creeks and start making dams. These dams are critical for restoring the water table to a functional height. Instead of a 4-foot deep creek bank, the water is now to the top of them due to the beavers making dams that back the water up.This has been one of the coolest and quickest transformations that we have seen on our ranch since it has only been about 4 years since the beavers have moved in. We used to jump across the creek in most spots to get to the other side. If you want to cross the creek, you have to cross on a beaver dam or go for a swim because the water is about 2-3 feet deep in most spots.By raising the water table, we are less prone to drought and allows our meadows to grow longer even after our water is done for the season. ImageIn the future, all the ecosystems on our ranch are looking very good. As we see more species of plants and animals emerge every year, we know that we are headed in the right direction to restoring our ecosystems to their full function.Through the support of amazing customers, like you, who not only care about your health but the health of the land that makes all this work possible.So thank you for all your support, and you can feel good about eating the meat you have bought from us because you know you are making a direct impact on the health of the land.

Why does pasture raised beef taste so good?

Pasture Raised Meats You Can TRUSTI've been eating grass-fed beef now for 10 years.To say that I'm a meat snob, is sort of an understatement... 

Grass-fed Beef At Cunningham Pastured Meats

Take a look at how we raised grass-fed beef at Cunningham Pastured Meats On Pasture At Cunningham Pastured Meats, we take great pride in raising the best grass-fed and finished beef. We move our cattle frequently and use temporary fencing to assure that they have the best available grass to graze on. Our beautiful meadows are diverse in grass, clover, and legumes and naturally fertilized by our cattle.  Our Cattle  Our animals are handled in a humane and low-stress manner and we find that they thrive under these conditions. When choosing which cattle are ready for harvest, we are very careful in our selection. We look for a broad, thick frame all the way through from the rump to the shoulders. We also look for fat deposits, which is a sure sign that the beef is ready.  Our Promise It is important to know where your meat is coming from and how it was raised. Here at Cunningham Pastured Meats you can rest assured that you are getting the healthiest and best-raised beef in the Treasure Valley. 

Why do we have lambs in January?

Why do we have Lambs in January?Looking at our ranch this week you would've thought that it was spring or something! We have baby lambs being born left and right!But wait... It's January?Yes, it is January and we are certainly thankful for the beautiful weather we have been having, because this lambing thing could have been a real disaster if it was super cold and snowy. So how did we end up with babies in January?The short answer is: that rams don't care what time of year they breed, they just breed when given the chance.The long answer... Well, here's the story:Our normal PLAN is to turn our rams out the right around Thanksgiving to start breeding our ewes (female sheep) which gives us end of April / beginning of May lambs. The weather is usually beautiful, there's green grass and it's warm.BUTThe longer I live on a ranch the more I realize, our plans can be foiled by animals who don't behave by the rules, but just do what instinct tells them.Most of the year our rams and ewes are separated in two different locations far apart, so that rams can't smell or see the ewes, which usually eliminates the problem of them escaping. Apparently, they were not far enough apart. We also have a lot of ewes and rams. We sell rams to other people who have sheep, so we usually have 10-15 rams around in the fall and they all hang out in a bachelors club in a pasture of their own.Everyday we drive by the field with the ewes and the rams and just glance over them to see if everyone is doing well. Since there were several rams in the bachelor club we never really took time to count every single one everyday to make sure they were all there...Well, one day Sean noticed that there was a ram in the pasture chasing ewes and having a good time.It only takes 1 day to make a huge mess out of our breeding program, who knows how long that ram was in there, maybe a week, maybe a few days, but it didn't matter, that meant babies would be born in January.Our sheep are very fertile, so in the few days the ram was out he was able to get 15 + ewes bred, so in the last 2 weeks we have had at least 1 momma give birth everyday. It has been a very MILD winter here, so during the day the temperatures have been in the 40's, which believe it or not, is just fine for lambs to be born and thrive at.So despite the terrible time of year to lamb, we have been spared, and we have lots of healthy bouncy little lambs around, which is a sure sign that spring is on it's way!!

Cunningham Pastured Pork

A day in the life of our Pastured Pork  At Cunningham Pastured Meats, we raise the happiest pigs around. Our pigs get to roam all around the ranch and are never in confinement. They are allowed to express their natural instincts by rooting through the soil and wallowing on a hot summer's day in the mud. Pastured pigs get a diverse diet due to their unique ability to roam free. They eat grass, roots, and insects. They are also supplemented with barley and peas and get our fruit leftovers which they are extremely fond of. Depending on what our situation is at the time, we raise our piglets from birth or get our piglets from a trusted source. Either way, we start from when they are little piglets and raise them until they are full-size. Our pis are never given any antibiotics or GMO feeds. We raise them as natural as possible. At Cunningham Pastured Meats, we work hard to raise pigs that are loved in the way God created them. This makes for the most delicious pork you have ever tasted and you know it comes from a good home. 

Our Mission : Cunningham Pastured Meats

Check out a quick video explaining the mission for Cunningham Pastured Meats!  Our Mission and Practices  Cunningham Pastured Meats is a small family ranch in a remote part of eastern Oregon. Our mission at CMP is to provide high-quality grass-fed meats at a price families can afford. After returning to the family ranch in 2010, Sean and I realized that we had the capability to raise meat. It was not only extremely healthy for people but also healed the landscape. Since then, we went from a ranch that strictly raised conventional beef to a ranch that now raises a diversity of animals. We raise pigs, cattle, chicken, and sheep. We used holistic management on the ranch to improve the performance of our animals while increasing organic matter and making the ground more fertile. These management practices help improve the quality of life everywhere on the ranch: from the soil, to the wild life, to the livestock, and our lives.  Family We work side by side with family and neighbors and our kids are with us daily. They are learning how to continue to steward the land and animals into the next generation. From our family's ranch to your family's table, we are proud to offer our quality grass-fed meats at a price that your family can afford! 

Grass-fed lamb at Cunningham Pastured Meats

Grass-fed Lamb At Cunningham Pastured Meats, we strive to raise the healthiest, best-tasting grass-fed meat around. Our grass-fed lambs are born in May on the large grassy meadows of our ranch. The lambs live the fun life on their mother's side receiving the best nutrients directly from her. The sheep are never fed any grains or given any antibiotics or hormones, just raised the way nature intended it. We move the sheep regularly to new pasture so we get the freshest nutrient-dense meat available. All the lambs that we harvest are under a year of age and have an incredible flavor that can only be achieved by being fed on a lush, grassy mixture. At Cunningham Pastured Meats we work to provide the best grass-fed lamb available in the Treasure Valley. Wondering what the llama is for? He's a good protector against coyotes!

Why We Use Lard Everyday

I want to start a new trend!I want to revive LARD again. It's hardly calling it a new trend when that's what EVERYONE used to cook with, but it's been such a long time since most people have cooked with lard; most people born after 1970 don't even know what it is or how to use it.What a shame.The history is that lard and butter were framed for causing heart disease, which has proven not genuine. Despite how we feel about the lie, it caused a significant shift away from people eating nutrient-dense fats, and now it's time to bring it back!Here's a great list of reasons why lard is AMAZING from Empowered sustenance blog post: 10 reasons to bring lard backLard is heat stableLard is heart-healthyLard is neutral flavoredLard is economicalLard is high in vitamin D - 500 IU per teaspoonLard is sustainableLard is localLard is great for bakingLard is a healthy source of cholesterolLard is traditionalHere's how we use lard every dayFrying Eggs or frying anything. Pan-fried eggs in lard are out of this world delicious. Nothing compares.Use it in baking. Leaf lard is best for baking, but regular lard works as wellJoin the new trend. Eating healthy, sustainable, locally raised fats is good for you.You can purchase all your lard and lard making needs:Pasture-Raised Lard (Best for frying/cooking with)Pasture-Raised Leaf Lard (Best for Baking)Pasture-Raised Pork Back Fat (Used for rendering into lard)

Premium Beef Bulk Meat - What You Get

Here are the basic cuts you get when you order a bulk premium beef: *PLEASE NOTE - Depending on the size of the beef and your order size these quantities can fluctuate!Fillet Mignon: 1-2 packages (2/pkg)Ribeye Steaks: 2-3 packages (2/pkg)New York Steaks: 2-3 packages (2/pkg)Sirloin Steaks: 2-3 packagesAssorted Steaks: 1-3 packagesBrisket: 1 roastRoasts: 3-4 roasts (3-4 lbs)Short Ribs: 1-2 packagesStew Meat: 2-3 packagesCarne Asada (Fajitas Meat): 1-2 packagesGround Beef: 40-50 lbs (1 lb/pkg) (80/20 ground)Bones: 1 BagOrgans: Tongue, Heart, Liver (upon request)Here's a very quick video showing all the cuts you receive from a 1/4 premium beef: Ready to buy? Here is the link to purchase bulk meat - Buy Here

Our Take On The "Impossible Burger"? Would You Eat It?

I feel like I'm in good company here. Most of you are very informed customers. You do your research and you carefully chose what to feed your family. The reason that we started selling our meat to people like you is because we are informed people as well and we struggle to find good food for our family. That's why the "Impossible Burger" is pretty scary to me.If you haven't heard it all over the news, the Impossible Burger is a plant based, meat replacement that apparently tastes and looks exactly like meat.  Impossible Burger also claims that they use significantly less resources to make their "burger" compared to the conventional beef system.  My 2 biggest concerns are: 1. The ingredients that they use in the Impossible Burger 2. Is the Impossible Burger really having less of an environmental impact compared to the beef industry? Let's start with the obvious question everyone always has when a new product hits the marketplace: 1. What ingredients are in the Impossible Burger and what are the possible long-term effects? The key ingredient in the Impossible Burger is a protein called soy leghemoglobin (SLH), derived from genetically modified (GM) yeast.First red-flag is that most of the burger is comprised of genetically modified materials. Which according to this article by GMO Science that very little if any long-term testing has been done on the safety of Impossible Burger on humans. Not to mention that since GMO soy is the main ingredient in the Impossible Burger it is testing very high for glyphosate residue.No thank you. No "testing" on me or my family. 2. Is the Impossible Burger really having less of an environmental impact compared to the beef industry?The Impossible Burger has put out the claim that they apparently use waaay less water, less greenhouse gas emissions and less aquatic pollutants compared to conventional beef production, but I think they would be hard pressed to really prove their claims in the end.  If all their ingredients are coming from conventional agriculture farming practices (which is where GMO crops mainly come from) then they are certainly not improving the planet like they claim to be.  Conventional agriculture is stripping our nation's topsoil and nutrients at an alarming rate and not to mention the health risk potentials as I listed above. Don't get me wrong, both conventional agriculture and the conventional beef industry are both detrimental to the environment, so I'm not trying to compare the two, but the Impossible Burger would like you to believe that ALL cattle ranchers are responsible for this problem and are causing massive harm to the planet. This is completely false and gives no credit to those who are making a solid effort to practice regenerative agriculture and seeking to heal the landscape, reduce carbon and improve the health of the land and the water.  I really like this quote from the Savory Institute in response to the Impossible Burger belittling their work: "In a world where current agricultural practices have eroded soils to the point of having less than 60 harvests left (according to the UN FAO), the solution is not to maximize efficiencies in the broken, extractive, industrial model. These antiquated systems have no place in a civilization facing the enormous threats of climate change. Rather, as environmentally-conscious businesses and individuals, we must address the root cause and adopt land management practices that honor the symbiotic relationships of plants and animals. One cannot exist without the other, so we must reevaluate our preconceived notions and return to farming in nature’s image. Only then will we create a lasting and regenerative agricultural model for a livable planet. "Boom. That is what we are here to do.  So the final question is... Would you eat an Impossible Burger?  I think you know what my answer is... P.S. You might be wondering: "Do you believe that the Impossible Burger could affect the cattle industry?" Yes, I believe that if the Impossible Burger does grow in popularity over time that there will be an affect on cattle prices and demand. However, that falls much further down my line of concerns than what I have listed above. I fear for people's health and the health of the land more than whether the Impossible Burger is going to impact the cattle industry long-term.

The Most Amazing Chicken Producer In the World!

Meet Brian, The Most Amazing Chicken Producer In the World!  Now we are totally biased, but for good reason. Brian does an AMAZING job raising all our pastured chickens that we sell in our store.  The quality of his care is apparent in the chicken you eat in how tender, mouth watering, delicious it is. It is literally his dream to raise pasture chickens. His goal is to quit his job and raise chickens full time.Just like my husband's dream is being a cattle ranch, Brian's dream is to be a chicken rancher... or farmer?  ‍Brian makes the trip to his organic pasture in Star twice a day to feed, water, and move chickens.  He does an excellent job raising a tricky chicken. Cornish Cross chickens were designed for large poultry houses in controlled climates, so it takes a lot of extra care to make sure they are healthy and do well on pasture and Brian has done just that and is always looking for new ways to make chickens have the best life on pasture. So we thank Brian for all his hard work, so we might have access to the BEST chicken in the Boise Valley!

My Husband Can Have His Job Back

What happens when your husband leaves for 2 days and leaves you in charge of the "easy" chores

Are Cows Contributing to Greenhouse Gases?

We Put A Llama In Our Car... Yep, You Read That Right *Video*

Yep, a llama in our car.

Why Are Pasture Raised Meats More Expensive!?

There's a reason why so many people don't buy local pasture raised meats and it's mainly one thing...

The 3 Most Misleading Labels On Meat!

We all want to buy the best meat for our family...But, with labels on meat products these days being so confusing, how do you know what to buy?Where did the animal come from? What did it eat? How was it raised? These are all good questions that labels can very rarely answer for us. And, it seems as soon as you find a label you can trust, you soon find out it’s just a bunch of lies!

Fall At Cunningham Ranch *Video*

See the fall beauty of the ranch from above!

Meet Our Team Member, James! He Packs and Delivers Your Orders.

It's time to see the hard-working face behind who gets your orders to your door, James!

Introducing the Newest Member of the Cunningham Family!

In June our family grew a little bigger with our newest addition, Brigid!

How To Get Your Freezer Ready For Bulk Meat!

Time to clean out and defrost your freezer before putting your bulk meat in!

FREE* Home Delivery Now Being Offered In the Treasure Valley!

We now offer FREE home delivery for orders of $150 or more!

How We Move 500 Cows Daily

It would seem like a pretty daunting task to move 500 cows on a daily basis, but in reality cows are creatures of habit and get used to being moved daily

Pigs On the Move

Want to see what pigs do while we aren't watching?

Trust Your Local Source - Not Store Labels

Can you really trust the USDA labels at the store? Country of origin? Organic? Grassfed? Learn why it's best to know your local meat producer than just trust labels at the store.

Makin’ Bacon – Homemade Bacon – No Nitrates, No Junk!

Do you love bacon, but do not love the fact that bacon is loaded with Nitrates, MSG and other things harmful to you and your family? Look no further then fresh pork belly! It is extremely simple to make your own bacon! It’s simple, fast and done overnight and tastes amaaazing!

Refer A Friend And Make Money!

How you earn credit: 1. Log in to your account and click the "Referrals" tab. 2. Share your referral link on social media or any way you see fit. 3. When someone uses your link to create an account and pays for their first order you earn $20 in store credit.

Happy Piggies

Nothing happier than a pastured pig going to pasture for the first time this year.

Oh, For the Love of Bacon!

You know what's better than store-bought bacon? It's our bacon. Take the tastiest, healthiest pig you have ever tasted and then cure it and something magical happens. It actually tastes like bacon, the flavor it amazing and your taste-buds rejoice. Now the good and bad news....