Natural Beef Program Cattle Production Protocols
All cattle purchased for the Northeast Family Farms brand Natural Beef Program must meet the following requirements. For additional information about qualifying livestock for the Natural Beef Program, see the Animal Status Affidavit (PDF).
Contact:
John Stowell
Phone: 781-935-1234 x136
Email: jstowell@doleandbailey.com
Grown in the Northeast
Cattle must be raised in the Northeastern United States. This includes the states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and Pennsylvania. Custom finished cattle that have been sourced as calves from outside these regions are acceptable providing that the animals meet the identification and source verification protocols contained herein. All cattle will be pasture grown, finished and harvested in the Northeast.Bred for True Beef Flavor and Conformation
British breeds such as Angus, Hereford and Shorthorn or crossbred are most acceptable. Other breeds or crossbreds will be considered but only those that are genetically suited to flourish in weather and pasture conditions common to the Northeast and produce beef that provides a superior eating experience will be approved. A representative of Northeast Family Farms will have a personal relationship with every supplier of cattle and will discuss breeding, feeding and pasture management practices and will make the final determination of acceptance to the program. Northeast Family Farms cattle will be raised in open pastures with free access to water and shelter. All growers for Northeast Family Farms will have their beef products sampled by Northeast Family Farms management for consistent taste and tenderness.Identification, source verification and ownership
All owners of cattle will meet with NEFF approved personnel to establish working relationship and determine eligibility to NEFF standards. Cattle will come only from ranches where the primary occupation of the owner(s) of the business is agriculture, and where the ranch is rented, leased, or owned and operated by the family. Cattle will be grown, finished and harvested in the Northeast.
All animals in the program must be identified with an ear tag as soon after weaning as possible. All cattle must have been born, raised, and have spent their entire lives in the continental United States, as well as the mothers of these cattle. Each animal must also have a record sheet listing its breed/s, birth date and weaning date, as well as information about vaccinations and any necessary veterinary interventions.
Eligible cattle must be source verified from birth with no more than two individuals in the chain of ownership. To fulfill this requirement, all current and previous owners are required to sign an affidavit stating that cattle were raised according to NEFF protocols and deliver it with the animals when they arrive at the slaughter plant for processing. (see affidavit form attached at the end of this document).
Note: Order buyers or brokers who act as a purchasing agent for the finishing producer are not considered to be an owner so long as the animals are in their possession for less than 30 days. In these cases, however, both the order buyer/broker and the original owner must provide the required cattle records and affidavits.Pasture Raised
Our overriding objective is for calves to have the ability to be weaned from their mothers in a natural environment and grow on pastures of grasses and legumes that are indigenous to the areas in which they live. Wherever appropriate, they will be allowed to express their natural behavior. Therefore, they will be raised on free-range pasture until delivered to a NEFF approved finishing feed lot, except when conditions require paddock feeding. Finishing lots are encouraged to use locally raised grains whenever possible. Ideally, cattle will be 16 to 20 months old when going onto grain finishing.Diet
Once animals are weaned, their diet may contain any combination of grass, legumes and forbs/or stored feeds such as hay, haylage, corn silage, grains and grain by-products (distillers grains, wheat middlings, corn glutten feed, corn bran, etc.). Products prohibited in this diet include but are not limited to animal by-products, fish by-products, bakery by-products, candy, etc.
Forages must make up at least 50% of the ration fed to animals in the Natural Beef Program. For questions regarding the use of specific feedstuffs or supplements, contact NEFF.Veterinary Treatments
Proper herd health management including vaccinations and routine deworming are permitted and encouraged. Producers are required to maintain a viable record keeping system listing all treatments and medications that will be available for inspection upon request by NEFFstaff.
The following treatments are not allowed for Natural Beef Program:- No hormones are allowed in feed or as animal implants.
- No feed grade antibiotics are allowed. Antibiotics for therapeutic purposes are permissible. If a sick animal is treated with antibiotics the animal's identification, diagnosis, date, antibiotic and amount administered must be recorded and available for review by NEFF. Antibiotic withdrawal periods must be a minimum of 60 days, which is twice the recommended time of most antibiotic manufacturers.
- No feed grade fly control agents are permitted.
- No ionophores or beta-agonists are permitted.
Handling of Animals
Animals must be handled humanely in loading, trucking, and restraint for harvest. Efforts must be made to keep the animals as calm as possible throughout the harvest and transport process.Visual Finish Requirements
NEFF personnel will visually inspect cattle and determine schedule of harvest when they appear adequately finished.Animals Eligible for the Natural Beef Program
- Steers and Heifers: maximum of 26 months of age with a carcass weight between 550-975 lb
- Fat cover must appear visually to be adequately dispersed across the animal as determined by NEFF personnel
- Carcasses will be scored by NEFF trained plant personnel on marbling, fat cover, ribeye area and conformation. Producers will receive a report of carcass information.
- Cattle will be targeted to finish as Choice equivalent with marbling scores to the minimum requirement of Choice as determined by NEFF trained personnel. Carcasses under this score are subject to discount and will not be included in NEFF program.
Pricing
The current price paid to producers for cattle that meet or exceed the minimum NEFF natural beef program specifications follows national market price. It is calculated using the USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service weighted average price/lb. for dressed, delivered-basis, beef-breed steers grading in the 65-80% choice range, plus an additional premium of $0.25/lb. For up to date information on the previous week's weighted average price, visit the AMS 5 Area Weekly Weighted Average Direct Slaughter Cattle report at http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lm_ct150.txt
Cattle will be discounted and/or removed from the program if they appear to be mistreated by demonstrating excessive bruises or abnormal carcass conditions. Any animal that is tagged as subject or condemned by USDA inspector will be not allowed into NEFF program and will be financial responsibility of the producer.
All prices and pricing policies are subject to change at the discretion of Northeast Family Farms. NEFF staff will schedule all cattle deliveries to one of several regional slaughter facilities and coordinate payment to individual producers. Payment on cattle will be mailed via U.S. Postal Service within 5 business days of date after cattle harvest.Transportation
Making arrangements for the transportation of animals to a regional slaughter facility designated by NEFF is the responsibility of producers.
For producers greater than 100 miles from a designated slaughter facility: Custom hauling- Upon submission of a dated invoice from a custom hauler, NEFF will reimburse to the seller ½ the cost of transporting cattle to a plant, not to exceed $50.00 per head. Seller hauling- Individuals hauling their own animals to the plant will be reimbursed at a rate of $.20 per head per loaded mile, not to exceed $50.00 per head.
No reimbursement will be made by NEFF for livestock hauled less than 100 miles.Final Product Verification
Carcass quality and maturity will be determined at the packing plant after a 48-hour chill to verify conformance with protocol standards (see section #7). Non-conformance discounts will be applied to all carcasses not meeting specified protocol. Discounts will be as follows:
- Light and heavy carcasses: (< 550 lb. or > 975 lb.) -$15.00/cwt.
- Small and Large Ribeyes (< 10 in2 or > 16 in2) -$15.00/cwt
- Hardbones and Stags: -$20.00/cwt.
- Dark Cutters: -$20.00/cwt.
- Quality Grades (based on visually estimated marbling score):
- Select: -$6.00/cwt.
- Standards: -$15.00/cwt.
Note: NEFF retains the right to refuse any cattle that do not meet it's specifications as determined by pre-harvest evaluation. Specifications are subject to change upon a minimum 90 day notice.