Frequently Asked Questions

What is regenerative agriculture and why should I care about it? Regenerative agriculture is simply working together with nature to ensure we are giving and not taking. The basis of regenerative agriculture is soil health. We can improve soil health by holistic land management practices which include rotational grazing. Rotating livestock ensures they are getting fresh forage consistently, reducing parasite load, increasing biodiversity, building top soil, and sequestering carbon. This way of ranching is important to ensure the food supply for future generations. Not only is the end product superior in flavour and nutrition, you can feel good about what your putting in your body.

Is your beef and lamb grass fed and finished? Yes our beef and lamb are 100% grass fed and finished, which means they are fed no grains. They spend their entire lives out on pasture grazing native grasses and legumes, while being supplemented hay and stock piled forage in the winter.

What do your pigs eat? Our pigs are pasture raised, however they do get supplemented with a NON-GMO and SOY FREE grain ration that is harvested and mixed less than 10 km away from the ranch.

 

Are you organic? We are not ‘certified’ organic. As Joel Salatin likes to put it, we are beyond organic, as an organic certification can still mean confinement, use of antibiotics, soy fed, etc.

We believe in full transparency and love the fact that our customers can get to know exactly where their meat comes from. This to us more important that a certification and avoids the red tape, paper work and extra cost to the rancher and consumer.

Do you give your animals antibiotics? No we don’t! Due to our holistic management practices our animals stay healthier than feedlot/grocery store meat. However, if an animal is sick and natural remedies aren’t working, we will treat the animal with the necessary medicines. There is a consumer safety withdrawal time period after the use of any antibiotics, but we choose to still remove the animal from our meat program. So rest assured our meat is 100% free of any lifetime antibiotics.

Do you give your livestock hormones? Never. Our meat is 100% free of any added hormones.

Is your meat dry-aged? Our beef is dry-aged between 14-21 days, and our lamb is dry-aged for 7-14 days for optimal flavour and tenderness. We work closely with our butcher using his experience for optimal hanging times.

I don’t see a box with what I want in it…? You can make your very own box with any cuts you desire!

How does my meat come? All of our meat is vacuum sealed to keep it fresh! Vac sealed meat can actually last in your freezer indefinitely.

Where do you ship? We only ship within the province of Alberta. However, if you are located in South Eastern BC, feel free to send us an email and we can arrange a meet up.

How is the meat shipped? Our meat is shipped frozen in insulated shipping liners and frozen gel packs.

Do you offer refunds? All of our perishable products are non-refundable for any reason, other than shipping errors produced by courier failure. Other products such as merchandise can be exchanged only. 

What is Navidium Shipping Protection? NSP ensures a safe guard for your meat if it is late or doesn't arrive due to courier failure. On that case, refunds can be arranged, only if NSP was purchased.

My meat arrived partially thawed, is it ok? YES! If the meat is still cool to the touch, then it is perfectly safe to eat or to refreeze. 

Have a question you don’t see here? Email us at info@sageandshepherdranch.com or message us in the chat below.