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

About the New Food Pyramid

The government recently came out with a new food pyramid that puts bread at the bottom. Right where it should be – in my opinion! Actually, sugar is right there with bread as bread is just one step removed from becoming sugar in the body.

I feel that some Americans will do just fine with this pyramid. The focus is whole food, not processed food. Then many Americans will have a big struggle because they eat primarily processed food.

This new pyramid literally exposes the true causes of gut & other health issues. Do you realize all the foods we eat that contain grain? Let’s look at WHEAT; bread, dinner rolls, hamburger buns, hot dog buns, bagels, donuts, muffins, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, pies, including pizza, cakes, pastas, wraps, tortillas, etc. Whew!!

This is just wheat grain. What about corn, rice, barley & oats? Think of the products with CORN; corn oil, cereals, chips, tortillas, etc. How about OAT products; many cereals, oatmeal, oat milk.

Then what about BARLEY - beer! Oh dear, what next, you ask!

Maltodextrin, a highly processed grain, is added to many processed foods – as if the “food” wasn’t already bad enough!

Bottom line: Grain becomes sugar (glucose) when digested. When grain is eaten in excess, it causes inflammation, health issues, including stomach & gut issues - and can lead to Type 2 Diabetes.

We realize that most Americans overeat grain products, and most have some sort of health issue – and this includes children! Big Pharma loves it & is right there, ready to help! I call drugs, Band Aids! They won’t cure the problem, they just kinda’ tone down the issue so you’ll keep taking the drug. This is perpetual Big Bucks for Big Pharma! We can go to Big Pharma OR we can change our diet. It’s our choice!

On another note; I’m very excited & encouraged when I see a young family concerned about the health of their children. They’re focusing on whole, healthful foods to nourish the family. This is a small movement in America & it’s making a difference. This excites me!

Health is Wealth

Jayne Benkendorf

A Year on the Farm

Ephraim Benkendorf

My primary goal is to make sure the beef you eat has been fed and developed in the healthiest way possible. I firmly believe that our cattle eat & live healthier than 90% of the people in the U.S.

Let’s go through a year at BF Farms & talk about the groceries our beeves get. In February of each year, we plant oat grass, a very unique forage, in that our cows use it for grazing as well as hay, and get this, it can also be used as fertilizer! Yes, when a lush, grass crop is turned back into the soil, it becomes green manure. Then what is planted next, will be healthier.

Then in early spring, we start planning & planting our summer crops which include sorghum Sudan, teff grass, Red River crabgrass, and perennial Bermuda grass, bluestem, etc. We also plant native forbs such as alfalfa & peas. Bindweed grows naturally in our fields. Cattle & sheep love bindweed. Both it & alfalfa have very deep roots & bring up valuable minerals that supply great flavor to your meat. Keep in mind that we plant more than our animals can eat. We harvest these remaining, nutritious crops for hay to be used in winter and during drought.

While all this is happening, there’s another 700 acres that we’re getting ready for our fall & winter forage. When possible, we like to keep our cattle on green forage year around. Our winter crops consist primarily of rye grass and wheat grass. Sometimes we throw in turnips, Austrian winter peas & radishes. The cattle really like these things. It’s like dessert to them! You can see that our animals are exposed to a smorgasbord of grasses & forbs at all times.

Before you eat your next Thanksgiving dinner, we’re preparing the soil to plant oat grass in February.

Then it’s time to start all over for the following year!

Ephraim