Our Philosophy

Our philosophy is based on raising animals in the most natural environment possible, using the greatest of care and the highest standards of quality, to provide you with the very best-tasting, all-natural foods.

We're driven by doing what's right

Doing everything possible to avoid pain and stress to our animals while providing them with the most natural environment. 

Our Committment

Our commitment to producing natural foods

At Adena Farms, we are guided by a unique set of principles that governs the way we raise animals.

Non GMO Project VerifiedFirst and foremost, we are committed to producing and selling healthy, all-natural foods – foods that are free from chemicals, antibiotics, growth hormones and GMOs. 

As part of our mission to produce natural foods, we are also committed to raising our farm animals in completely natural surroundings. We ensure that our animals are handled with care and treated with respect during all stages of their lives.  

We are passionate about feeding our animals as nature intended

We ensure that our cows are able to grow and eat as nature originally intended. Right from birth our cows consume a grassfed diet by grazing on wide open pastures all year round. At no point do they consume feed that has been genetically modified.

American Grassfed AssociationWe embody the principles and spirit of the American Grassfed Organization (AGA), an organization and community we are incredibly proud to be a part of. As per our official AGA certification, our ranch meets the AGA’s impeccable ethical and environmental standards:

Our animals are fed the highest quality diet of only grass and forage starting from weaning and lasting throughout their entire adulthood; our cows graze on open pasture with no feedlot confinement; they are never given unnatural antibiotics or growth hormones; and finally our cattle are born and raised on our own family farm.

We raise our animals with the greatest of care to avoid pain and stress

To ensure our ranch hands, veterinarians, and cowboys employ best management practices, we’ve consulted with animal welfare expert Temple Grandin with regard to the low-stress handling and care of our animals through all stages of their lives.

Pasture-raised and grass-fed from the beginning to the end is about as natural as it gets. It’s better for the animals, better for the environment, and better for you.

We go above and beyond the standards of animal welfare contained in our Animal Charter of Rights. Our Charter establishes minimum standards regarding the way animals are raised for food production, including the right to fresh air and natural daylight, the right to clean water and natural food, and the right to a minimum amount of space in which to live and move freely. 

GAP Step 4The Global Animal Partnership (GAP), a global non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of farm animals, has given our cattle a Step 4 Animal Welfare Rating, one of the highest ratings attainable. GAP inspects all aspects of our operation, including breeding, overall animal health, how and what we feed our animals, and how we handle them. The Step 4 rating certifies that we are pasture-centered and have a proven commitment to animal welfare.

We practice regenerative farming

We’re an eco-friendly farm that uses regenerative, free-range farming methods. We herd our cattle with cowboys on horseback and herding dogs – exactly the way we used to raise cattle more than a century ago.

We also serve as responsible stewards of the land we live and work on and take great care to preserve the natural environment of the farm. And because we feed our animals a natural diet and rotate pastures, we give back to the soil, allowing the earth to replenish itself with nutrients. It's a major reason why we received the distinguished Environmental Stewardship Award in 2016 from The Florida Cattlemen's Association. 

We believe in biodiversity in the ecosystem

We are committed to ensuring that approximately one quarter of our 95,000-acre farm is preserved as forests and wetlands, creating a natural and undisturbed habitat for a lot of native species. These eco-systems are teeming with life and the rich diversity of species that nature gives us.

We believe in the benefits of grass-fed beef

Our premium grass-fed, grass-finished beef is healthier for you and an excellent source of clean protein. Our beef is lean in saturated fat, is anti-inflammatory and is nutrient-dense with carotenoids, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants such as Vitamin E and heart-healthy Omega-3s.

There is a growing body of scientific research pointing to the benefits of grass-fed beef over conventional beef.
The benefits include:

Human health: Grass-fed, grass-finished beef has the optimal ratio of dietary omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, has a higher concentration of conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs)1 2 3, and higher levels of antioxidants. Grass-fed beef also has a lower risk of E. coli infection and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Improve soil conditions: Well-managed grazing systems used to raise grass-fed cattle help regenerate grasslands, build soil and protect watersheds. At Adena Farms, we are committed to ensuring that a large portion of our 95,000-acre farm is preserved as forests and wetlands, creating a natural and undisturbed habitat for a rich diversity of wildlife. We believe the preservation of woodlands, the growing of different crops, and the rotation of pastures is a more holistic approach to farming and land management – one that enhances bio-diversity. And because we feed our animals a natural diet and rotate pastures, we give back to the soil, allowing the earth to replenish itself with nutrients. It's a major reason why we received the distinguished Environmental Stewardship Award in 2016 from The Florida Cattlemen's Association.

We own and operate our own processing facility located right on our farm

Our beef processing facility is one of the most advanced in the US with state-of-the-art food safety technology and USDA inspectors permanently on-site.  Our processing facility uses the most advanced methods for the humane handling of livestock and was designed in partnership with animal welfare experts. When the cattle reach a certain age, they’re walked directly from the pasture into our processing facility on the farm, limiting stress that may otherwise be caused by transporting them up to several hundred miles away.

Our facility is audited on an ongoing basis by Food Safety Net Services (FSNS), a worldwide leader in food safety and testing. We also meet the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety, a certification system for food manufacturers who employ best-in-class manufacturing practices and implement quality management systems. And we adhere to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), a globally recognized system for reducing the risk of safety hazards in food from processing and handling right through to distribution.

Our Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) audit for Food Safety received a double AA rating. And the most recent FSNS animal welfare audit found no deficiencies or concerns.

Our processing facility employs the latest standards in environmental management

As a result, we have a much lower carbon footprint than most meat processing plants. Our plant also has lower energy and utilities consumption due to an efficient design that captures and reuses resources. 

We maintain the highest standards of quality control

Because we own and manage the entire food supply chain, including the processing facility, quality control is built into every aspect of our operation, from farming and raising our animals to processing and shipping our meats. We truly are farm to table! All of our animals are age-verified. We maintain birth records of every animal born at our farm. Calves are electronically identified at birth to ensure traceability and logbooks are used to track each the feeding program, health and genealogy of all of our cows. And because we have complete traceability from our farm to your table, we are able to guarantee our high standards of quality. 

 
  1. Nagaraja, T.G. and Titgemeyer, E.C. 2007. “Ruminal acidosis in beef cattle: the current microbiological and nutritional outlook.” Journal of Dairy Science 90 Suppl 1:E17-
  2. Owens, F.N., Secrist, D.S., Hill, W.J. and D.R. Gill. 1998. “Acidosis in cattle: a review”. Journal of Animal Science 76:

  3. Callaway, T.R., Carr, M.A. et al. 2009. “Diet, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Cattle: a Review After 10 Years.” Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 11: 67-80. http://www.horizonpress.com/cimb/abstracts/v11/67.html

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