Here’s the weekly roundup from Watson Farms and your direct connection to your farmer. Enjoy the latest edition of Pasture Posts!

How Imported Beef Can Be Labeled “Product of USA”

We touched on this topic back in Pasture Posts #27, but it recently hit me again how deceptive labels in the grocery store can be as I was listening to an interview with Will and Jenni Harris of White Oak Pastures where they touched on this around the 14:30 mark.

By simply passing through a USDA plant where “value” is added, imported beef can actually be labeled “product of USA.” This value-adding can be re-boxing, slicing, grinding, etc. But the cattle were born, raised, and slaughtered in another country!

Here’s an excerpt from Pasture Posts #27:

There’s a few loopholes that the federal government has provided that allows greenwashing by not-so-honest meat companies.  One of the most significant loopholes came from the repeal of country-of-origin-labeling (COOL) in December 2015.  This allows red meat to be imported from other countries but still be labeled “Product of the USA”.  Distributors across the globe were quick to begin taking advantage of the growing consumer demand for grass-fed beef by importing large amounts of cheap foreign grass-fed beef and charging consumers like you a premium for it.  

This imported grass fed beef accounts for about 75-80% of total U.S. grass fed beef sales by value according to a report by the Stone Barns Center.  This presents a huge obstacle to Watson Farms and other farms like us.  Consumers cannot distinguish just by looking at the label which products were actually raised on U.S. farms and which ones might have come from Australia, Brazil, or a host of other foreign countries.

So what can you do to make sure you are not deceived? Know your farmer!

Family farms don’t have the volume necessary or often the access to the necessary capital to import container loads of beef. Grocery chains and large retailers more than likely do, and they can purchase foreign beef cheaper than American beef. By shopping with your local farmer you can help pull the rug out from under the schemes of the federal government and huge food corporations.

---

Product Spotlight

We’ve got a great lineup of holiday items this year. Check out these festive offerings!

UPS-Eligible Holiday Items

---

Modified Delivery Schedule and Deadlines for Thanksgiving Week

We have made a few modifications to our weekly deliveries and Farm Store hours for the week of Thanksgiving. The two delivery selections that are affected are UPS and Greenville/Spartanburg.  Modified Farm Store hours are below as well.

All other delivery areas will be served on the usual day of the week.  

UPS – Order by noon on SUNDAY November 19th and it will ship MONDAY November 20th

GSP – Order by noon on TUESDAY November 21st and it will be delivered on WEDNESDAY November 22nd

Modified Farm Store Hours for Monday, Nov. 20 – Saturday, Nov. 25:

Monday, Nov. 20: OPEN 10am to 6pm
Tuesday, Nov. 21: OPEN 10am to 6pm
Wednesday, Nov. 22: CLOSED (as usual for Wednesdays)
Thursday, Nov. 23: CLOSED
Friday, Nov. 24:  OPEN 10am to 6pm
Saturday, Nov. 25:  OPEN 10am to 2pm

---

A quick note about pets at the Farm Store

While we are dog lovers, (we have four Great Pyrenees that protect our chickens and we have a whole category devoted to pets) we have had numerous incidents over the last year with customers’ pets that require us to instate a policy restricting personal pets from exiting your vehicle when you come to the Farm Store. Thank you.

---

Tell a Friend!

It’s now easier than ever to Give $15 and Get $15 through our Referral Program. We don’t spend a lot of money of advertising, but rather we focus on producing products that people love and are willing to tell others about. So we depend on word of mouth to find new customers and ultimately to heal more land.

So in an effort to streamline this process we have made it easier to tell others (via email, Facebook, or Twitter) about Watson Farms. And it’s all automated on the backend, so you don’t have to rely on us to issue the store credits manually. Just head over to our Referrals Page and start sharing!

---

Did you know that we have a webpage that displays all the reviews we have received?  

Check it out!

Check out this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review:

“I just made burgers last night with the ground beef that we purchased a couple of weeks ago at Watson Farms and was absolutely blown away by how much better it was than store bought. It was literally like eating a chopped up steak rather than just a homogenous meat. I’m sold!”

We would greatly appreciate it if you would be kind enough to leave us a review.  It helps first-time customers purchase with confidence.

---

Thanks again for being partners in this endeavor of local, pasture-raised proteins that has truly transformed our farm.  We look forward to continuing this transition while serving you long into the future.

Sincerely,
The Watsons

---

Pasture Posts is written by Matt Watson.