Recently, Burgerville was recognized by OSPIRG for our commitment to serve antibiotic-free meat. This past summer, our crew members went on a field trip to the fields of two ranches to visit the families who raise the cattle for our local antibiotic-free beef. We’ll share more about the experience in a series of three posts focused on: our partnership with Country Natural Beef; one of our local ranchers, Dan Barnhart; and the practices used to raise the cattle at all of the ranches that provide beef for Burgerville burgers.
Part 1
Both ranches that we visited are part of Country Natural Beef, an Oregon-founded cooperative of family ranchers. Country Natural Beef is made up of members who are committed to raising their cattle using environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible practices. We chose to partner with them 15 years ago because they shared our commitment to treating animals humanely and being responsible stewards of the land. Their practices continue to align well with our own values:
- Sustainability – Country Natural Beef ranchers follow sustainable grazing practices. They care about taking care of the land and also leaving the land better than they found it. As they say, “What we do today, we want to make sure we can do tomorrow.”
- Progressive Ranching – Country Natural Beef ranchers raise their livestock in harmony with nature. They manage their lands to support responsible grazing, encouraging plants to regrow and preserving clean water resources for future generations.
- Cooperation – They believe in a mutually beneficial relationship between urban and rural people. They build connections that allow their customers to have quality beef, and in return, they are able to stay on their land. Country Natural Beef ranchers visit stores, restaurants and events every year, because they genuinely love bringing things full circle – from pasture to plate!
Our crew members benefited from experiencing the Country Natural Beef lifestyle first-hand and seeing for themselves what it takes to be a responsible rancher and raise cattle humanely and sustainably in the Northwest.