Beef Choice-grade Cattle Production Standards

All animals delivered shall be certified organic through a USDA/NOP accredited agent, absolutely no exceptions.

Goal—Produce a certified organic beef carcass that consistently grades USDA choice, is tender and flavorful in accordance with the USDA National Organic Program Standards for livestock.

Breed/Genetics

  • English Breeds only (NO purebred or crossed continental breeds allowed) OR up to 1/8th of continental breed shall be allowed
    • Angus, Herefored (preferred)
    • Devon, White Park, Murray Grey, etc.

Herd Health

  • NO antibiotics, NO paraciticides (except on breeding stock prior to last third of gestation), NO hormones

Production

  • Members shall deliver cattle that grade USDA Choice
  • Only a limited percent of cattle shall be allowed to grade USDA Select (currently 20%)
  • Cattle shall be delivered in a finished state less than two years of age
  • Cattle are ruminants and must have access to pasture in accordance with the NOP standards. Currently, CROPP accepts and follows the recommendations of the NOSB Livestock Committee that cattle shall not spend over 90 days in a dry lot situation except during the finishing phase or during periods where the grass is dormant due to seasonal or climatic variations.
  • When in a dry lot cattle shall have access to dry bedding at ALL times.
  • Weaning
    • Calves shall be weaned at an appropriate age to minimize stress
    • Preferred method is to wean calves by the "fence line" method where the calves are separated from their mothers by a fence that allows visual and nose-to-nose contact.

Nutrition

  • Cattle shall be fed grass and/or stored forage during all phases of life prior to the finishing stage
  • Finishing Ration
    • Primarily corn, corn silage, alfalfa
    • Small grains shall be limited to 10% percent of total finishing ration
    • NO grass-finished cattle will be accepted for choice program

Hauling

  • Shall be hauled in a way that minimizes stress at all times
  • Shall not be hauled for more than 10 hours without access to feed or water

Handling

  • Animals must be handled in humane manners in accordance with Animal Welfare Institute, Humane Society, etc.
  • Animals shall not be confined in any manner that minimizes or eliminates the animal's ability to exercise its genetically determined behavior
  • NO cattle prods or other electrical devices used to move cattle at any time during their life

For more information contact the pools team.