Supermarket Beef vs. Local Beef: Know Your Beef

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June 13, 2024

The secret is out, labels are confusing. Even to a cattle farmer. What am I supporting with each sticker; who am I supporting? I feel it's time to give you a glimpse behind our barn doors and demystify the labels behind the grocery store’s doors.

Our process:

A calf is born on our farm.
That calf will nurse its mother for up to 8 months.
After being weaned from its mother, the calf will graze on pasture and snack on grain (the last 4 - 6 months) until they’re sent to be processed at 26 - 28 months.
Our processor and butcher (also a generational small family business) work to break down each cow.
Each cow is individually processed and packaged.
We pick up the cuts and pack each to your specific order.
We’re USDA-certified and licensed to ship our beef directly to you, no middleman here!

Supermarket process:

A calf is born on a farm; they graze and nurse until they are about six months or approximately 500 lbs.
At six months that calf typically receives a Steroidal ear implant.
1. Steroidal ear implants are a growth promoting technology administered subcutaneously in the back of the middle one-third of the ear to increase growth, feed efficiency and carcass leanness of beef cattle.
  1. Safe and effective use of cattle steroid ear implants | Ohio BEEF Cattle Letter (osu.edu)
That calf is then sold to a backgrounding farmer.
1. Background farmers let cattle graze their property with the intent of growing each cow to 800-900 lbs.
That cow is then sold to a feedlot where they may be given antibiotics in their finishing diet.
1. Feedlots an “area or building where livestock are fed or fattened up.”
2. Data from Oxford Languages
That cow is then sent to a packing plant, which pays per cow based on hanging weight (carcass).
The beef is then packaged and transported to cities around the nation.
Next stop, your supermarket shelves.

feedlot-cattle-;(.jpeg — Typical feedlot.

Did you know? In large-scale pack house operations, cuts from up to 100 different cows are blended to make a singular ground beef product or package. The Unexpected Number Of Cows A Single Burger's Meat Could Come From (tastingtable.com)

Antibiotic Use

Sounds scary, right? It doesn’t have to be.

Antibiotics are sometimes necessary to keep animals healthy. BUT they can also be used to fatten cows quickly, which is why feedlots love them!

90 - 97% of cattle feedlots use an antibiotic called ionophores in finishing diets. What is an ionophore?

An ionophore is a feed additive that aids in the weight gaining process. One example is called Laidlomycin. Laidlomycin is mixed into cows’ daily feed rations of grain, grass, and other supplements. Laidlomycin’s approved use is to: “Improve feed efficiency and weight gain of cattle being fed in confinement for slaughter.”

It's important to my brother (The Farmer) that we only use antibiotics when deemed medically necessary. If one of our cows has an infection, we won't let them suffer. We’ll intervene. Luckily our Vet is a long time family friend, and always close by if something goes awry. Perks of small town livin’.

Choice

You have tons of beef choices at the grocery store. Labels, cuts, countries of origin, pre-seasoned, plain. But here’s the thing: you didn’t choose any of those choices. It’s a predetermined menu.

We want you to choose the cuts you want. One of the cool things we offer at Parsons Creek is beef sides: whole, half, quarter. This means you get to choose how your beef is broken down. If you love ground beef, we can process a half cow into solely ground beef. Wanna make your own bone broth? We’ll send you bones rich in marrow (which you can also cook with). For our fancy folks, we can include filet mignon, prime rib, and sirloin.

The only label we have on our beef is USDA certified; we really don’t want our labels to be confusing or misleading. Clear, concise communication is key.

You can even have a say in how your beef is raised – if you don’t want a grain-finished cow, we can finish on grass. You’re in direct communication with your farmer.

Relationships

When I was five we moved away from the farm. It was a big deal, my brother and I were excited to experience the big city. As things seem to go, the grass is not always greener. In fact, the grass was yellow. We had not yet learned how to grow a garden at elevation, and we didn't have our family beef stocked in the freezer. Store bought beef was foreign, and so was the taste. I didn’t know where the meat came from and I certainly no longer knew who raised the cow.

Let me introduce you to who's behind your beef at Parsons Creek. My brother Christian, who used to be a diesel mechanic at a big ski resort; can you believe that? My sister in law Maddie, previously a middle school math teacher turned social media guru! My Mother Ticia, a litigation paralegal and farmer extraordinaire! My step-father, Eric, a tax attorney by trade. My Papa, who is also a first responder and volunteer firefighter! My Nanny, who served the local conservation department for 22 years. Me, I am a respiratory therapist by trade and lets not forget Ollie and Austin, they are both only one but are definitely farmers in the making. Meet my family. Your farmers.

Mass production is a wonderful tool and its uses are endless, however it does afford some anonymity. As previously stated this is all in the name of education and transparency. The way our cows are treated is a point of pride for us, where they are raised, how they are raised. All of these things matter to us greatly. Not only for you, the consumer but for us. I eat this beef, I feed my family this beef. Which is why I feel so confident and proud to share our generational family traditions with you.

You know how they say you can taste the difference when it's made with love? I think this most certainly rings true through Parsons Creek Steak beef.

The Newest Members of the Parsons Creek Family

The Newest Members of the Parsons Creek Family There's a sound on the farm these days that didn't used to be there. It starts before the sun is fully up, drifting across the pasture on the same cool morning air that carries the smell of dew on tall grass and the distant lowing of our Black Angus herd. It's cheerful and busy and a little bit chaotic — and it fits right in out here. Pasture-raised chickens have come to Parsons Creek. If you've been following along on the blog, you know we've spent years talking about the "why" behind regenerative agriculture — the cover crops, the no-till drill, the rotational grazing, the mob grazing we're working toward. You know that healthy soil is the foundation of everything we do. Every decision we make on this farm traces back to one simple question: Does this build the soil or deplete it? Adding pasture-raised chickens? That was an easy answer. A Partnership as Old as the Prairie Long before any of us had a word for it, the land already knew how this was supposed to work. Picture the Great Plains before the plow, before the fence line, before the highway that cuts through what used to be endless grass. Enormous herds of bison thundered across those grasslands in tight groups, grazing intensively, moving on, fertilizing as they went — and right behind them, birds. Dozens of species pecking through the churned-up ground, scratching through the fresh manure, eating every grub and larvae and fly that dared to call that spot home. The grass recovered. The soil deepened. The whole system fed itself. That's not a coincidence. That's just nature doing what nature does. We've spent years trying to mimic that relationship on our farm with cattle — moving them through paddocks the way the bison moved through the plains, letting the land rest and recover before they return. What we didn't have was the second half of that equation; the birds. Now we do. The Soil Math I'll be honest — when people picture chickens on a farm, they picture a barnyard, a coop, and a pile of feed. Chickens, as an afterthought, tucked somewhere out of the way. That's not what we're talking about. Our chickens forage on pasture — real pasture, playing their own role in the health of our farm. Here's where it all comes together, and if you've been with us since the Tale as Old as Dirt days, this is going to feel familiar. Healthy soil isn't just dirt. It's a living thing — full of microorganisms, fungi, worms, and organic matter that work together to hold water, cycle nutrients, and grow grass that is genuinely, measurably more nutritious than what comes out of chemically treated ground. Our cattle graze their pastures in a managed rotation, depositing manure as they go. That manure is rich in nitrogen — the same nitrogen we'd otherwise have to bring in by truck and spray by machine. Our chickens are doing something remarkably similar. By scratching, foraging, and naturally spreading their own manure as they range, they are actively working the ground beneath them. They consume harmful insects and larvae, accelerate decomposition of organic matter, and distribute nutrients evenly across the soil. The microbes go to work on what's left. The grass comes back greener, denser, and more nutritious. The same principle is at work on both. Healthy soil → healthy pasture → healthy cattle and healthy chickens → healthy food on your table. No synthetic fertilizer needed. No pesticide to keep the fly population down. The farm provides what it needs, in the order it's always supposed to A Little House on the Parsons Creek Prairie There are mornings out here that stop you cold. The light comes sideways across the pasture, golden the way only early morning light in Missouri can be — the kind that makes the dew on the grass look like someone scattered diamonds across a green quilt that stretches all the way to the tree line. The cattle stand quiet in the distance, patient and unhurried, the way animals are when they are truly content. And now, up closer, there's a small riot of feathers moving through the field, heads bobbing, scratching, clucking in that conversational way chickens have. It looks like something out of a picture book. It looks like something a farmer's grandmother would recognize immediately. That's kind of the point. This is what farming looked like before we decided we could outsmart nature with chemistry. Mixed species, working together, each one doing its part, to ensure our land is healthier each year. Christian and Madison came back to the farm to do it the right way — which, as it turns out, is also the old way. We're just adding one more layer to what the land has always known how to do. What This Means for You When you choose Parsons Creek Steak, you're not just getting meat (though it's exceptional). You're choosing a philosophy. A farm that is actively, intentionally getting healthier every year. We are so proud to now offer both pasture-raised Black Angus beef and pasture-raised chicken from our farm. This is the meat we feed our own family. Our kids play in the same fields and pastures these animals roam. That's not a marketing line — that's just the truth. If it isn't good enough for our table, it doesn't leave this farm. The soil our cattle graze on is richer than it was five years ago. The pastures our chickens now forage through are going to be richer still. And that richness — that living, breathing, nutrient-dense foundation — is what ends up in the food that comes to your table. You can't fake that with a bag of fertilizer. You can't manufacture it in a lab. You build it the way our grandparents built it, the way the bison built it before them: by letting the land work the way it was designed to. The chickens know it. The cattle know it. The soil beneath our boots knows it. And now, so do you. Follow along on Facebook and Instagram for updates from the farm — we have a feeling the chickens are going to have a lot to say. Shop our pasture-raised Black Angus beef at parsonscreeksteak.com.

From Our Pasture to Your Pan: The Case for Making Tallow at Home

There's a quiet revolution happening in kitchens across the country, and it looks a lot like something your great-grandmother would recognize. People are setting aside the seed oils and reaching instead for something older, simpler, and more nourishing — beef tallow. Here at Parsons Creek Steak, we've been raising Black Angus cattle on the grasslands of northern Missouri for five generations. We know every pasture and the cattle that graze them. So when people started asking us about rendering tallow from our beef fat, we couldn't have been more thrilled. Because tallow isn't just a cooking fat — it's a way of honoring the whole animal, reducing waste, and connecting back to the kind of real-food traditions that built this country. Let me tell you why tallow deserves a permanent spot in your kitchen. What Is Tallow, Exactly? Tallow is simply rendered beef fat. "Rendering" is the process of slowly melting raw fat over low heat until the pure fat separates from any remaining tissue. What you're left with is a beautiful, creamy white cooking fat that solidifies at room temperature — shelf-stable, deeply flavorful, and incredibly versatile. That's it. One ingredient. No additives, no preservatives, no industrial processing. Just pure beef fat, rendered down to its essence. Why Tallow Is Having a Moment — and Why It Deserves One 1. This Is How People Cooked Before Processed Oils Took Over Before canola oil, before vegetable shortening, before seed oils became a supermarket staple, beef tallow was the fat American families cooked with every single day. McDonald's famously fried their original French fries in beef tallow — and food writers will tell you nothing has ever tasted quite the same since they switched. There's a reason this generation is rediscovering tallow. As people take a harder look at ultra-processed foods and unfamiliar ingredients, many are choosing to return to the foods their ancestors thrived on. Tallow fits squarely in that tradition — and it fits right alongside our family's mission of farming the way it's always been done. 2. The Source of the Fat Matters Enormously Not all tallow is created equal. Just like you wouldn't buy a mystery burger from an unknown source, you want to know where your cooking fat comes from. Our cattle are pasture-raised on the open grasslands of northern Missouri. They spend their days outside, in the sunshine, free from routine antibiotics and added growth hormones. The quality of an animal's life and diet directly affects the quality of its fat. Tallow rendered from well-raised, pasture-raised cattle is richer in fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K2. It contains higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) — a beneficial fatty acid associated with a range of positive health effects. And it's loaded with oleic acid, the same monounsaturated fat celebrated in olive oil. When you render tallow from Parsons Creek Steak beef, you're not getting a commodity byproduct. You're getting the result of five generations of careful, intentional farming. 3. It's One of the Best Cooking Fats You Can Use From a pure cooking standpoint, tallow is exceptional. It has a smoke point of around 420°F — well above the temperatures needed for searing, frying, and roasting. Unlike many vegetable and seed oils, tallow remains stable at high heat and doesn't break down into harmful compounds. Want a perfect sear on a ribeye? Start with tallow. Making roasted potatoes with a crackling crust? Tallow. Frying eggs with rich, golden edges? Tallow. Wherever you'd normally reach for butter, olive oil, or vegetable oil, tallow is a worthy — and often superior — replacement. And the flavor. There's a depth and richness that tallow brings to food that's hard to put into words. It's beefy and savory without being overpowering. Once you've made potatoes roasted in tallow, you'll struggle to go back. 4. It's About Using the Whole Animal On a working family farm, waste is something we simply don't accept. When you raise an animal with care and intention, the way we do, you want every part of it to be used well. Rendering tallow is one of the most meaningful ways to do that. The fat that surrounds the kidneys — called leaf lard or suet — has historically been the most prized for rendering because it produces the purest, most neutral tallow. Rather than letting that go to waste, rendering it at home is a way of completing the circle. It's a practice that our grandparents and great-grandparents understood instinctively: respect the animal by using everything it provides. It's what we call nose-to-tail eating, and it's not just a trend — it's a philosophy of respect. 5. People Are Using It for a Lot More Than Cooking Here's something that might surprise you: tallow has become a darling of the natural skincare world. The fatty acid profile of beef tallow is remarkably similar to the oils naturally produced by human skin, which is why many people find it deeply moisturizing and gentle. A growing number of people are using it as a facial moisturizer, a lip balm base, a healing salve for dry or cracked skin, and even a hair treatment. If you're someone who reads ingredient labels on your skincare products and finds yourself overwhelmed by the list, tallow is about as simple as it gets: one ingredient, animal-derived, deeply traditional. How to Make Tallow at Home Using Parsons Creek Beef Fat Making tallow is a slow, simple process that rewards patience. Here's how to do it: What you'll need: Raw beef fat or suet from Parsons Creek Steak A heavy-bottomed pot or slow cooker A fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth Clean glass jars for storage Instructions: Step 1: Prepare the fat. If your fat has been frozen, thaw it completely in the refrigerator. Trim away any remaining meat or connective tissue, and cut or grind the fat into small, uniform pieces. Smaller pieces render more quickly and evenly. Step 2: Render low and slow. Place the fat in a heavy-bottomed pot or slow cooker on the lowest heat setting. You're not frying it — you're slowly coaxing the fat to melt away from any solids. Stir occasionally. This process takes 2 to 4 hours on the stovetop or longer in a slow cooker. You'll know it's ready when the fat is fully melted, the liquid is clear golden-yellow, and any remaining solids (called "cracklings") have sunk to the bottom and turned lightly golden. Step 3: Strain carefully. Pour the rendered fat through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth-lined colander into clean glass jars. This removes any solids that could cause the tallow to spoil more quickly. Step 4: Cool and store. Let the jars cool at room temperature. As tallow cools, it will turn from golden to a beautiful creamy white. Store at room temperature for a few weeks, in the refrigerator for several months, or in the freezer for up to a year. Pro tip: Don't discard the cracklings! Season them with a little salt and enjoy them as a snack — they're the original pork rind, except made from beef. A Fat Worth Knowing There's something genuinely meaningful about making tallow at home. It connects you to a long tradition of resourceful, whole-food cooking. It puts a nourishing, stable fat on your counter that you made with your own hands from an animal you know was raised well. That connection between the farm and your table is exactly why we do what we do. Christian and Madison returned to this land to continue a fifth-generation legacy — not just to raise cattle, but to feed families with food they can trust. Tallow is one more way we can do that. If you're ready to try rendering your own tallow, we hope to be your first stop to make that dream a reality. And as always, if you have questions about our farm, our practices, or our products, we love hearing from you. From our pasture to your kitchen — thank you for being part of the Parsons Creek family. Shop our pasture-raised Black Angus beef at parsonscreeksteak.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for farm updates, recipes, and specials.

Your freezer called. Its not ready for grilling season!

We're already thinking about your summer cookouts.