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

One goal we have on our farm is to never have bare soil. There are several reasons for this which we’ll outline in this edition of Pasture Posts, but they all revolve around carbon sequestration and soil and water conservation.

Some might see our pastures at certain times of the year and say that we waste grass. But the truth is that none of the grass that is left standing or is trampled by the cattle is wasted. In fact, it is performing very valuable work, but the results of this work is not always evident immediately. Carbon sequestration is a highly valuable activity that is set into motion by herbivores like buffalo in nature and by cattle on our farm. Read more on this in Pasture Posts #12.

As we often mention in this newsletter and on tours, the hooves of the cattle help feed the soil while their mouth helps feed them. They trample more grass than they eat! This is a great way to transfer carbon from the atmosphere to soil where it can be an asset rather than a liability. Did you know that every one percent of organic matter can hold 20,000 gallons of water per acre? That’s a lot of resiliency that is unlocked by capturing carbon!

Another benefit of keeping our soils covered with vegetation is the insulation factor of this grass. Seeds and plants like warmer temperatures in the cooler months and this insulation buffers the soil surface from the temperature swings that occur. In the summer, this insulation helps to keep the soil cooler and less moisture is lost to evaporation. This insulation keeps conditions more conducive to plant growth, which in turn allows the plants to capture more carbon.

Another feature of this wonderful natural system is the ability of covered soil to stay versus the tendency of bare soil to leave when heavy rains come, which is known as erosion. We discussed this in Pasture Posts #55. Some estimates say that since tillage began in the Midwest 160 years ago, 57.6 billion metric tons of topsoil have been lost. This is why cover crops are so important, but although the use of cover crops is up, the percentage is still low.

Some farmers actually intentionally set fire to their fields after harvesting which emits into the air any carbon that had been captured (and was so close to being integrated back into the soil). See the photo below from a farm in South Carolina.

While images like these are difficult to look at, there is some good news in that consumers like you are able to change the landscape of our current agricultural system to a more forgiving regenerative system. You can do this by purchasing pasture raised meats from a local farmer like so many of you have already done.

We are truly blessed to have a growing number of customers who get it and want to improve the proteins they feed their families while also regenerating the land. Thank you!

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Would you like to be a part of our land-healing ministry? We are in need of talented individuals to help us continue to serve our customers with the high quality proteins and services they have come to expect.

We have one position open right now for what we call a Field Specialist and Fulfillment Assistant. This person would play an important part in making our various feed rations as well as using our tractors and equipment to tend to livestock, mow pastures, and otherwise work to produce the high quality proteins that we are committed to. In addition to various other responsibilities, this position would also provide assistance to our Order Fulfillment Manager.

Use the button below to check out the full job description, and if you know of a talented individual that would like to play a big role in producing and bringing pastured proteins to customers’ doors please send them our way.

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Order Deadlines and Store Hours

Here’s a friendly reminder to get your orders in by the deadline. We have changed our workflow some to help reduce errors, so we have to begin the process of staging orders for the next day’s delivery very soon after the deadlines below. Help us serve you better by ensuring your order is placed in time!

Charleston Area: 12 noon Mondays

UPS Orders: 12 noon Mondays

Columbia Area deliveries will now occur on Wednesdays.
New Deadline for the Columbia Area: 12 noon on Tuesdays

GSP: 12 noon on Wednesdays

Charlotte/Fort Mill/Rock Hill Areas: 12 noon Fridays

Farm Pickup: Please wait until you receive an email stating that your order is ready to be picked up (usually 1 business day from when you place your order). Farm pickup is done during store hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10am to 6pm
Saturday: 10am to 2pm
Closed Sunday and Wednesday

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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!

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Product Spotlight

We’ve got some great offers for Cyber Monday! Check out these Bonus Items we’re throwing in with our Quarter Pig and Quarter Beef bundles!

Get 3 Extra packs of Ground Pork and 1 Extra Pork Chop pack with a Quarter Pig Purchase! ~$35 Value!

Get 5 extra pounds of Ground Beef with the purchase of a Quarter Beef!

Now is a great time to stock up!

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We re-use packaging!

We’ve seen a good response to our efforts in re-using packaging! Thanks and keep it up.  

You can help us reduce our carbon footprint by returning your CLEAN egg cartons and meat boxes. 

The main reason that we switched to plastic egg cartons a while back was because they are so much more durable than paper which could only be used once.  They also protect the eggs much better!

So if you have some egg cartons or boxes to return, you can just place them on your porch on your home delivery day.  Farm pickup customers can, of course, drop them off when you come to pick up your new order.  

***We can only re-use OUR cartons or boxes. Please re-use or recycle other boxes or egg cartons elsewhere.***

We redact your personal information found on your meat boxes when we re-use them, but feel free to redact to redact it yourself without damaging the box if you would like.  

Thanks for helping us re-use our packaging!

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

Check it out!

Check out this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review:

“Ordered a pasture Box and was very impressed with the variety of meats/cuts. We were getting Butcher Box which we really enjoyed but really liked the idea of supporting a local farm but also it is clear the Watson Farms takes exceptional care of the animals and their customers. The delivery was on time and clearly communicated.”

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

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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

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Pasture Posts is written by Matt Watson.