Animal Ethics

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Wholesome Ranching...The Painted Hills Natural Beef Way.
Painted Hills Natural Beef ranchers appreciate your concern for the welfare of animals and stewardship of our land. The ethics of humane animal husbandry and resource management are matters of importance that we are happy to share with you.

Our ranchers come from a long ranching tradition and live on their own land. The quality of care they devote to their land and animals reflects a tradition that has been handed down to them through the generations. These ethics run deep. It is the desire of each rancher and their families to maintain and give great care to our rangeland and natural resources. This isn’t just a job, it’s home.

Respect for our animals
Humane treatment of our animals is of paramount importance to us. The care we give our animals begins at birth. Through meticulous documentation of breed, ownership, diet and veterinary history we ensure that our protocol of care and humane practices is followed throughout the animal’s life. Each animal is born, raised and processed in the Pacific Northwest. We believe in ranching practices that demonstrate respect and concern for our animals.

Throughout their lives, our animals are provided with plenty of clean water and food in a manner that does not require undue competition. Why fight for free food? We do not feed any animal by-products to our cattle. Period. They receive a 100% vegetarian diet throughout their lives. This is just one thing that gives our beef such a great taste. But more than that, others agree that it’s just good for the cattle. According to the American Humane Association’s Welfare Standards for Cattle, this is a guideline for humane farm animal care and welfare.

No Painted Hills beef animal has ever received antibiotics. Occasionally, an animal does become ill for one reason or another. At that time, the affected animal is given treatment and promptly removed from our program and sold elsewhere, to assure humane standards of care, while keeping our beef free of excess antibiotics.

Our cattle are never transported by rail cars or crowded in trucks for the moderate distances from ranch to feedlot and from feedlot to processing. Our truck drivers drive slowly and cautiously to avoid causing excess stress to our cattle.


Extra care
Painted Hills Natural Beef gives its animals extra care all throughout their lives, and that care translates into safety and natural health in our beef. It also translates into outstanding flavor, texture and overall food quality.

This extra care extends to the standards of quality in the feeding facilities and processing plants that we have partnered with. Our cattle range freely on their family ranches until about fourteen months of age. They are then moved to a clean and spacious feeding facility. Y-1 Farms in rural Vale, Oregon is one such partner. Y-1 grows the majority of its own corn. That corn, in combination with barley and alfalfa hay is fed to our cattle during the “finishing” stage before processing. This feed is at the same quality standards as for human consumption. We could be eating the same thing!

Our cattle are fed twice a day, which keeps the feed fresh. They always have plenty of clean, chemical-free water. There is approximately three feet of room at the trough for every animal. All the cattle can eat at once and don’t need to compete for food. There is approximately one full acre for every one hundred animals, with plenty of ranging room and high ground. This way, if it rains, they are never forced to stand in mud. In the summer, sprinklers are turned on for the cattle so that they are kept comfortable and hydrated in the heat of the day. Our cattle are given nutritional supplements including Vitamin A and a double-dose of Vitamin E. Vitamin A and Vitamin E help strengthen natural immunities, and help our beef to retain its freshness - naturally.


Our Commitment
We are committed to the high standards of quality in selecting, raising, feeding and processing our beef; it is the foundation of our brand. With our quality program, you can be assured that when you eat our beef, you are getting the best in terms of health and safety. An animal that is healthy enough not to need antibiotics is one that has been well cared for and has the inner vitality to thrive naturally. That’s why we do things the way we do. We understand that quality care translates into safe and quality meat - and that’s important to us.

We are honored to be invited to your family dinner table. Whether we’re fixing fence or cutting hay, the hard work that we put into managing our ranches is done with your breakfast, lunch or dinner table in mind. As partners with you, we provide healthy and delicious beef. And each time you buy Painted Hills Natural Beef, you are directly supporting independent ranchers who work hard to preserve the ranching tradition that is a way of life for us, our animals, and our rangeland.

We hope you enjoy!