Nestled on a cozy 95,000 acres in North Central Florida lies a ranch from days gone by. It is located half way between Ocala and Gainesville. That would be our good friends at Fort McCoy Ranch. They do one thing and they do it very well throughout the entire process. They breed, raise and harvest the finest premium grass-fed, grass-finished beef. That’s right, it is harvested where it is raised, so zero carbon footprint! Many animals actually walk, guided by cowboys on horseback, into the Temple Grandin approved processing facility. (Do you have any idea how many thousands of miles most beef in Florida travels before we get it?) Plus, the facility is pristine, with the highest level of food safety accreditation available. (GFSI recognized BRC Third Party audit.) Said one Chef on a tour, “I’ve seen hospitals that weren’t as clean as that place.”
The 2-mile drive from the front gate to the business offices and processing facility is a majestic drive through beautiful green pastures and old growth forests. There’s deer, eagles, alligators, and we even saw a bear. It is truly beautiful and being there adds years back to your life. It’s old Florida, that you don’t see much of anymore.
Why are they different?
A great deal of time, effort and energy has gone into making a product the way nature, and only nature, would make it. Frank, the owner is focused on animal welfare and minimal stress. He says, “they have 2 good years, and 1 bad day.”
- The genetics – they are an Angus strain, with smaller to medium size frames. Large animals don’t fill out well on grass.
- Feeding protocols – the animals are moved to different pastures frequently, each with a different, a specifically chosen, type of grass.
- Harvest age – all are harvested at under 30 months of age.
Many, or rather most, grass fed operations cut corners, like paying little or no attention to feed protocols (e.g. bahia grass grows well and is low maintenance, but imparts a bitter flavor to the beef). The animals are not finished on a pasture like FM’s, they are finished in feed lots on grass pellets. Genetics is often over looked or only allowed to play a minimal roll in the process. Many just buy the cheapest animal they can.
These animals have eaten selected grass and only selected grass their entire lives. As one chef said after working with and tasting Fort McCoy beef, “Grass fed beef certainly has come a long way!”
Grass Fed, Grass Finished, Locally Raised and Harvested, Focus on Animal Welfare & Sustainablity – Truly