Summer Heat

We get questions regarding how our cattle are handling this extreme heat. One person even asked if we provide air conditioning for them. No air conditioning!! We have a dozen or so pastures with cattle. All have shade except one & it has a sprinkling system that Kamie has rigged up for them to enjoy.

Kamie says they like the sprinkler because it not only cools them off, but they wallow in the mud, which cakes on their hair & keeps the flies off. Pretty neat, huh??

Cattle taking turns grazing & laying in mud to keep cool on a 105 degree day!

There’s one big no-no in this heat & that’s moving the cattle around. They don’t need exertion when it’s this hot. When someone asks me how our cattle handle this extreme heat, I say, “Better than me!”

Kamie takes care of the cattle and our grandsons, Ephraim & Mitchel, make sure there’s good food at all times for them. Cattle are the same as people. Eating good food makes for better health. We can control what our cattle eat. I’m not so sure about control when it comes to people!

Don’t squat with your spurs on!

Doug Benkendorf

Sharing My Happy Times

I am happy & excited when I see a couple with young children picking up their first order of BF Farms LLC’s beef. They tell us they want their children to grow up and be as healthy as possible.

Also, I’m happy & excited when an older couple decides to make changes and start eating healthier. They might begin by starting with a Sample Pack of beef – just to try it out. Many times, these couples come back & order more beef, an from 1/8 to a whole beef. Their comment, ”We’re committed. We won’t eat any other beef now”.

For another scenario: When our son left home to live on his own, he told us he was going to eat all the Snickers bars he could eat & watch all the TV he wanted to watch. You could say that as parents, we lost! But today he eats very healthy, AND he makes a salad to die for!

Now, this is difficult to admit. When our kids were on their own, their parents – that’s us – started acting like kids! Doug & I would go the corner donut shop & have coffee & apple fritters! After a while, our conscience began to bother us, so we decided to start eating healthier – we went to cake donuts!!

I guess it doesn’t matter how young or old we are, checking out “America’s way” once in a while is okay. I think!!

Health is Wealth

Jayne Benkendorf

How Can This Happen?

Kamie, our daughter, just sent this photo of what had just happened at BF Farms LLC.

Twin, black lambs from an all-white Dorper ewe & a white ram! How can this happen? At BF Farms, we try really hard to stay in control of the lambs & beeves we raise; but there’s one thing we’ve learned; there’s one thing we can never control – and that’s NATURE!

Nature is always in control, whether it’s drought, wind, storms, etc. So, now we’re just going to accept – we have Black Sheep in the Family! But I will have to say, they are two really good looking, healthy lambs!

The Enid F-4 tornado is another of nature’s events, that we have no control over. Our phones were extremely busy with messages asking if BF Farms was hit. We are very blessed to let you know we were spared. Thank you SO MUCH for your concern. We appreciate you, our customers!

Don’t squat with your spurs on.

Doug Benkendorf

Flavor in Your Meat

BF Farms is a Limited Liability Company

This newsletter is actually coming from you, our customers. I’ve heard so many stories from you, and I want to share some of them.

To set the stage, here’s a little background. We provide beef to restaurants in Tulsa. A few years ago, a beef designated for them wasn’t marbled as well as we like, so we told them about it. Their reply was, “Oh, we don’t purchase your meat for its marbling. It’s the flavor we like.” If you’d like an exceptional experience, I recommend you give one of these restaurants a try; Farm Bar, Cow & Cabbage, il Seme, & Living Kitchen Farm at Depew.

Over the years, we’ve learned that when we ask customers about their meat, their first answer will almost always be, “The flavor is great”! Yes, tenderness is important, but it’s usually mentioned secondly. Tenderness can most often be controlled with how the meat is cooked. The natural flavor comes from how the animal is raised.

Many of our first-time customers who are accustomed to eating commercially raised beef, usually add flavor enhancers, so they continue to use things such as; steak sauces, rubs, & seasonings with chemicals on BF Farms beef. It may be difficult to break the habit of using these flavor enhancers, but I encourage you to give it a try. For example, cook a brisket without a rub. Use just sea salt & a bit of pepper. See what you think! You may be one of those who say, “I didn’t realize your meat had that much natural flavor. We’re sold”!

Health is Wealth

Jayne Benkendorf

Spring Has Arrived

When that first baby is born, we know spring has arrived down on the farm. Then come the comments; “Isn’t he cute”, “She’s going to be a good one”, “Look at those cute goggles!”

Since BF Farms uses Hereford bulls with Angus based cows, color markings can vary, and the favorite by far is a baby with “goggles”!

Yes, calving is a fun time, but it’s also demanding. Kamie, who manages our cattle, is up every morning checking cows to see if any newborns have arrived.  The first step with a newborn is to get an ear tag. This is a calve’s ID, all the way to the processor when it’s 24 months old.

Putting that ear tag on a newborn can be a challenge. First, the calf must be caught & secured, and most likely, its mama will object. So, working fast is required!

Before spring is over, BF Farms will have tagged 70 – 80 newborn babies. Then this process starts all over again in September when fall calving begins. This is literally – Life on the Farm!

Don’t squat with your spurs on.

Doug Benkendorf