We believe hooves can heal

Our Cattle

At Lehi Ranch, we have:

  • steers (castrated male)

  • heifers (female without a calf),

  • cows (female that’s had at least one calf).

We butcher both steers and heifers between two and three years of age. There’s little difference between a steer and a heifer in terms of flavor. Heifers tend to be somewhat smaller and fatter, which can bring yummy but caloric differences to your meat. 

We typically do not butcher cows. As an animal ages, its meat becomes less tender. So, as a rule, if a cow is butchered, they are butchered for ground burger patties where tenderness factor is not an issue.

Grass-finished means that the animal was brought to butcher weight only by eating grass. This used to be synonymous with grass-fed, but some producers now advertise their products as grass-fed even if they finish their animals on grain.

You may also see beef advertised as "corn-free" that is finished on other grains. Every steer and heifer at Lehi Ranch is 100% grass-fed and finished.

Our Ethics

We believe the land is the best medicine for our cattle. On land conserved forever, we are committed to sustainable practices that will have a long lasting impact while reflecting the quality of our product.

The only circumstance in which we administer an additive to an animal is in a life-or-death situation. Though rare, sometimes a health issue arises within the herd, such as a case of Bovine-RSV, which comes with a slim chance of survival.

We take the health and well-being of our animals very seriously, and we’ll use antibiotics when absolutely necessary. When this happens, the animal will be treated and removed from our herd, ensuring the safety of the animal and that our product is always free of hormones and antibiotics.

Our Priorities

  • We believe in managing our livestock with respect and dignity while minimizing stress in any way we can.

  • We maximize ecosystem function instead of extracting from the land to grow beef. Our management decisions are based on maximizing solar capture (plant growth), creating an effective water cycle, cycling nutrients to encourage improved plant growth, and maximizing biodiversity, both above and below ground.

  • Natural grasslands heal and sequester carbon when the grass is disrupted by grazing and tramplin, followed by adequate recovery time.

  • Some ranchers purchase year-old cattle to be ‘finished’ on their land. This “Mystery Meat” can pose a risk to the health of the herd. At Lehi Ranch, we know what goes into our critters from Day One.

  • While our cows get about 75% of their diet from grazing natural forage, during the winter we supplement their feed with locally-grown hay to keep them healthy.

  • We vaccinate our animals annually to ensure their safety in the pasture. Animals do not receive any vaccinations a year before their butcher date. We do not administer steroids or antibiotics unless it’s to save the life of the animal, in which case it’s removed from our beef production schedule.