Here at Standing Stone Brewing Co., we seek out local, sustainably produced ingredients as much as possible to provide healthful quality food, support our local economy and improve our ecological impact.
This summer, we took an additional step in this direction by switching our beef purchases to Valley View Beef, a farm located just four miles from our brewery and restaurant! We use Valley View in menu favorites such as the Standing Stone Cheeseburger and our specialty beef cuts of the day. Depending on what the kitchen has prepared, we’ve featured items from Fillet Mignon to Vietnamese Pho, which is prepared with strips of rare beef in a housemade broth.
We’re especially excited to work with Valley View Beef because they use holistic, organic and sustainable farming practices that are better for the cattle, the environment and consumers. The cattle graze freely on open pasture using a management-intensive rotational system that helps rejuvenate the grass and soil, with the herd moved from one section to another sequentially. We also keep our chickens on the same farm in a mobile coop and fencing system that we move around with the cattle, enhancing the land even more.
The land and the cattle are chemical free – no fertilizers, antibiotics or hormones are used. This means that our guests get to enjoy full-flavored grass-fed beef that’s humanely raised and free of chemicals.
Grass-fed beef is also said to have health benefits such as higher Omega 3’s and key vitamins, and lower saturated fat and cholesterol versus conventional beef, as reported in the New York Times. On the environmental side, pastured beef systems have lower carbon emissions than feedlot-raised cattle and help sequester carbon, according to TIME Magazine.
Once the cows have been purchased the cattle must be transported to Roseberg, a few hours away, for slaughtering and initial processing since that’s where the closest USDA-approved facility is located. We’re exploring ways to localize this process, too, such as supporting a mobile slaughter unit that would be come to the farm.
After the trip to Roseburg, we bring the meat back to the restaurant in halves and quarters. Our trained kitchen staff performs all the butchering in house. It takes a full day of two or three chefs working arund the clock to properly cut the beef. The burgers are fresh-ground and the steaks are specially cut.
When our customers see the specialty steak of the day on the specials board, they can be assured that the cut is freshly prepared and the meat came straight from a sustainable, humane farm next door.
