At Central Bridge Farms, we have a passion for producing pasture-raised proteins. Our cattle are rotationally grazed, spending 365 days per year on pasture. Our pigs are free from confinement, allowing them to fully express their curious nature while exploring the outdoors. And our chickens forage through the fields, an all-you-can-eat buffet of nutrients. So why do we specialize in pasture-raised proteins? It’s because we believe in working with nature to continually improve soil, plant, animal, and ultimately human health.
We believe farming can be a God-ordained calling, a ministry. It’s stepping outside, into God’s creation, to serve as His working hands. We’re called to be stewards, managers of His creation. And the fruits of our labor should be a testimony of God’s provision & a positive return of His investment. When we farm, it’s our goal to increase organic matter in our soils, increase the plant diversity of our fields, produce happy & healthy animals (free from added hormones), and lastly, to produce high quality, nutrient-dense foods people can consume confidently.
The first step to accomplishing this goal starts with the soil. A handful of soil contains approximately nine billion living organisms. Of those nine billion living organisms, scientists have only been able to identify ten percent. So what does that mean for soil health? Simply put, soil is incredibly complex, and good soil health goes far beyond its levels of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Therefore, unhealthy soil cannot be fixed by spraying it with chemicals. Chemical dependency is a problem, not a solution. So what is the solution you might ask? We believe the answer is rotational grazing.
Rotational grazing is a grazing system that involves moving livestock between different sections of pasture at regular intervals. Rotational grazing mimics the natural patterns of ruminants found in the wild; examples include the American buffalo, or more locally, the white tail deer. Wild ruminants don’t stay put, they’re naturally drawn to rotate through grasslands, creating benefits for the ecosystem by keeping a balance to the tapestry of plants. We can accomplish this by following the three M’s of nature’s herbivores; moving, mobbing and mowing. Currently ninety-five percent of domesticated herbivores violate at least one of these soil growing aspects; either they aren’t rotated through pastures, kept separate, or not on pasture at all. By mimicking nature’s natural order, we create an ecosystem that’s beneficial to the land and the livestock.
Furthermore, rotational grazing produces higher quality proteins. Scientists have directly correlated the nutrient density of beef to the diversity of their feed intake. Therefore, by rotational grazing, we expose the livestock to a variety of grass and plant species providing increased enzymes, nutrients and minerals. As they move through the paddocks, the livestock “prune” the grass, taking only the tops of plants encouraging more growth by keeping the grasses in a vegetative state, which in turns helps sequester carbon, a benefit for the soil and air quality. Furthermore, by rotationally grazing we are using the cows as manure spreaders, naturally increasing the soils organic matter as they “mow” the pasture they also fertilize it at the same time.
Finally, rotational grazing enables our livestock to freely express their God-given personalities and individuality. By raising our animals in a natural state, we allow them to simply be themselves; calves frolicking, chickens pecking, and pigs rooting. Livestock are not meant to be mechanized and become a “unit” of production. Rather, by stewarding God’s creation, we aim to tap into the created attributes of each type of animal that we raise.
One of the most renowned regenerative farmers in America, Joel Salatin put it this way, “It is not ok to abuse animals, not that we don’t eat them, because you can’t have live without sacrifice. But what makes a sacrifice sacred is the honor and respect that is bestowed upon the animal sacrificed prior to slaughter.” As a farmer, a steward of God’s creation, we will be held accountable for our actions, therefore it is our goal that God will have glory in all we do in managing his creation. For us, we believe that pasture raised proteins are the way to accomplish this.
Sincerely,
Mattea & John VanDerwerken