Grass-Fed Cattle Raised at Appleton Farms, Ipswich

August 12, 2008

Appleton Farms in Ipswich, one of the oldest continuously operating farms in the United States, was established in 1638 as a land grant to Samuel Appleton.

The Trustees of Reservations, which now owns the farm, is continuing the farm’s progressive agricultural traditions while at the same time preserving the property’s landscape and farm buildings and enhancing the ecological values of its woodlands, wetlands, and fields, such as the 133-acre Great Pasture which supports one of the largest populations of rare grassland birds in Massachusetts.

The Trustees Operations include a community-supported agriculture (CSA), a retail feed and mulch haying operation, and livestock and dairy programs that include White Park and Jersey cows. Customers buy shares in the farm every year and in return are guaranteed a weekly supply of fresh, locally grown produce. They can also buy portions of the cattle after slaughter.

The farm has a very successful grass-fed beef program which is described by Steve Landwehr in an article in the Gloucester Daily Times.

All cattle on the farm are grass-fed on the farm’s pasture land by feeding on the grass in the farm’s pastures. The farm’s meats are also being sold at two local markets, Bruni Farms and Ipswich Shellfish Market, both located in Ipswich.

In the article, Wayne Castonguay, manager of Appleton Farms in Ipswich, states that “Interest in local, grass-fed beef is skyrocketing.”

A “green” benefit of grass-fed beef is that grass-feeding beef is more environmentally sound than feeding grain to cattle. No fuel is consumed producing food for the cattle or transporting it to them.

Check out the article online for the complete story, Not Much To Beef About.