The Art of The Cattleman

by briarcliff, February 27, 2009 | Permalink

The Art of the Cattleman

By: Michael Shively, Store Team Leader at Whole Foods Market Briarcliff

I would like to take this moment to talk about a man, a farm, and the questions in many minds surrounding how to make a difference through the food that we buy and eat. I feel as though our general public has turned a blind eye and forgotten about the art of meat farming and the men and women who are passionate about their farms and work. Through stories or photos, most of us have been exposed to the realities of feedlot systems. We have witnessed the outbreaks of Mad Cow Disease and other disasters that come with corporate methods of animal farming. I find that many people struggle with how to stop contributing to this unsustainable method.

I was introduced to Will Harris of Harris Family Heritage Farms through Whole Foods Market and was immediately taken with the amount of conviction in Will’s voice when he spoke about raising cattle. He shed new light on the art of being a cattle rancher and raising animals in the simple way that Mother Nature intended. He spoke of the health of the land, and his animals in a way that made you feel it, I mean lump in your throat, lean forward on your toes, shut your mouth and listen kind of  feel it. Since meeting Will, we have had many chats in a variety of settings, and each time the conversation circles around to the art of cattle ranching. Will emerges out of bed in the morning with a mission to provide the finest beef possible by managing his herd in a humane and natural way. Will controls every aspect of his herd, from birth to the Whole Foods Market meat counter. His herd is born, raised, and processed on his own land in Bluffton, Georgia in his own USDA inspected and certified humane processing facility. To see his beef when we get it here in our store is to see some of the most beautiful beef you have ever laid eyes on. It is the purest red in color and glows behind the meat counter. Will’s herd feeds on grass, which causes the beef to have a different appearance as far as marbling and fat content.  It is much leaner then the meats you see elsewhere; that is a result of a cow that feeds on the land and a cow that has acres upon acres to roam. If I were a cow I would want to be in Will’s herd.

So enough of my raving about one of my favorite products carried here at Whole Foods Market, What I want to make sure to hit on is the fact that there is a way for the public to step outside of that unsustainable method of industrialized feedlot farming and know that their money goes to a product with meaning behind it, a product that is respected, raised by a human being that has a love for what he does and the animals that he lives with. In my opinion, and that of many customers and team members, Will Harris’s beef is as good as it gets.  Does it cost a little more? You better believe it does, and I would not want to see it any different because I know what it takes to make a product like this and my hope is that more will follow Will’s lead. So here’s to you Will Harris and here’s to Whole Foods Market, a company that supports local farmers and encourages all of us to step out, and up, and get behind something with such flavor and such soul.  

For more information about Harris Family Heritage Farm please visit our Farm to Market Slideshow: http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2008/08/white-oak-pastures