One of the struggles that we've faced is how to describe our products. We'd like to be able to call our products "organic," but legislative bodies and other interested parties have taken that away from us. So, we're doing basic comparisons, outlining the differences between conventional, Organic Certified, and Harvest Haven Certified.
Because we'll have fresh pasture raised lamb the beginning of September, here is the comparison of Harvest Haven Certified to conventionally raised lamb and organic certified lamb.
Conventional
Lambs are extremely sensitive creatures and often require antibiotics and synthetic milk replacers to survive their first few weeks, particularly if the lambing facility is overcrowded or there are just too many lambs for too few farmers to keep their watchful eye on.
Vaccines filled with all kinds of garbage are the norm. Anti-parasite drugs are also heavily administered so the lambs don't lose any weight-gain. These drugs are given orally for internal parasites and are also used externally to saturate the fleece to deal with the external grubs.
The lambs are typically raised to weaning age while being conditioned to eat grain at the earliest age possible. As soon as they can be taken from the mother, they are sold at auction to feeder operations where they live out the rest of their lives chowing down on feedlot corn rations while trying to avoid infections and foot rot. In a word, it's unacceptable.
Certified Organic
Certified Organic producers have much better standards. They're not permitted to administer drugs to the lambs, so much more care must be taken to make sure the lambs are warm, dry, and immediately tended to if anything goes wrong.
However, grain feeding is still the norm, especially since maintaining low parasite loads in grass-fed sheep requires know-how and careful pasture planning. The grain is organic, but it still isn't the right way to produce the tastiest and most nutrient-dense lamb.
Since the lambs are grain-fed, they need to be separated from the mothers as soon as possible to facilitate the different feeding regimens (you can't feed the mothers large amounts of grain or they won't give birth safely the following year). Lambs that do require antibiotics are separated and sold to conventional feedlots for finishing.
Essentially, a good portion of the certified organic lamb industry is almost indistinguishable from conventional industry lamb. The grain and the sheep are raised without chemicals, but the whole setup looks and smells the same as conventional.
It's technically not a poisonous product, but it's definitely not a moral, sustainable, or nourishing farming model.
Harvest Haven Certified
We keep a close watch on a small flock of ewes and if possible, are present at every birth. All the lambs are immediately escorted with their mothers to the "maternity ward" where they stay out of the weather and close to mom for about a week. We make sure all lambs get a good supply of colostrum (thick nutritious milk that is produced immediately after the birth with a small window of availability). We've found that lambs that receive an adequate supply of colostrum in the first 8 hours are almost indestructible.
Lambing is timed so that when the lambs are mature enough to graze, the pastures are ready. Our lambs are raised exclusively on forage from meticulously managed pastures. The flock is moved from lush pasture to lush pasture more than once a week using temporary fencing. This results in rapid weight gain on nothing but good old-fashioned grasses, legumes, and the occasional weed. The animals are provided excellent quality, non-synthetic minerals and salts, and always have access to cold, clean, Grander water.
Because mothers and lambs get the same diet, the lambs get to live every day of their lives with their mothers, which makes for the least stress possible for everyone.
Harvest Haven Certified is not just a "chemical free" guarantee. It's way beyond that. It means grass-fed. It means humanely treated. It means that the soil isn't being depleted by unnecessary grain production but is getting deeper and richer instead. It means that every aspect of production is good and wholesome, and the taste of the lamb is fantastic!
Organic Certification bodies require a set of minimum standards. Harvest Haven Certified requires the maximum. We are always looking for new ways to increase the health, sustainability, and flavor of our products.
