This is the third in a three-part series about the field trip we took to connect with the sources of our local ingredients. You can read the first part here.
Part 3
At Burgerville, we are honored to call Country Natural Beef our partner. An Oregon-founded cooperative of family ranches, Country Natural Beef is a group of ranchers who use environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible practices in the raising of their cattle. They adhere to the cooperative’s Raise Well animal welfare standards, a program that not only assures the well-being of livestock, but also ensures companies like ours receive the very best natural and humanely-raised beef in the marketplace today.
These Raise Well standards cover every part of the rearing process and were co-written and endorsed by Dr. Temple Grandin. Dr. Grandin is the world’s leading animal behaviorist who has dedicated her life to helping improve animal-handling practices.
The Raise Well standards require a complex, three-tier evaluation process to ensure that animals are handled humanely. That their stress is minimal. Their health is a priority. And their feed is nutritious. The genuine care that goes into each animal, each pasture, and each person at Country Natural Beef is why we are proud to call them our partner.
As we toured the Country Natural Beef ranch in Philomath with its owner Dan Barnhart, that respect and care was evident. Dan spoke about the cattle as if they were family members. After the visit, we felt like we were a part of an extended family of companies that care deeply about nurturing the vitality of our region.