Frequently Asked Questions

Grass fed. It’s really that simple.

Cattle are ruminants. They have evolved to eat grass (thus the four stomachs!) and turn it into, well, cow. It may seem like a basic idea to feed cattle grass, but the cattle industry has gained efficiencies through industrial practices. Corn is the primary diet of most cattle in modern times. They are confined in feedlots and given steroids and preemptive antibiotics to prevent the inevitable sickness that would arrive due to their diet and living conditions.

By grass fed, we mean our cattle’s lifetime diet consists of grass, hay, and forage and are 100% free range. Our cattle are not given antibiotics or growth hormones. Processed at a small USDA facility, they have no exposure to other cattle during packaging.

The many benefits of grass fed beef are well documented, but not well known. Grass fed beef is low in fat. It contains more Omega-3 fatty acids. And, it is high in vitamin E and CLAs. Not only is grass fed beef better for you, it is better for the animals, the environment, and the local economy.

Lastly, it just TASTES BETTER. Try it and see for yourself.

We strive to connect with you and to be your primary beef provider. Enjoy the rest of the website and we hope to be hearing from you soon!

Our cattle are raised on 1600 acres of native prairie grass 15 miles south of Yuma CO. The land is too sandy and hilly for grain production but lends itself ideally for cattle. We practice rotational grazing to improve grass ecosystems through greater density and diversity. This, in turn, improves soil health. For us, healthy grass and soil is the foundation of our business and therefore our livelihood.

There’s a lot of lingo in the cattle business – grass fed, all-natural, free range, ad nauseum. We pride ourselves in our certification as a grass fed operation according to the American Grassfed Association (AGA) grass fed standard. This organization has codified what it means to be grass fed through an uncompromising 100% grass fed, free range, all-natural requirement. We believe, and customers believe, when the label says GRASS FED, that it means it. The AGA is an important organization and we hope you look for producers advertising this label.

Sun Prairie was the name of Tom’s veterinary practice for decades before being forced to change it due to legal mumbo-jumbo. We are proud to have it back.

We employ Atlas Meats, a small, local, USDA-certified slaughterhouse and butcher facility in Fort Collins. Atlas Meats processes our beef into cuts per our instruction.

In addition, Atlas Meats processes only our animals on our processing day. This ensures there is no contamination from non-sourced cattle during processing. Atlas Meats maintains a clean, professional facility and are subject to USDA inspections.

Sun Prairie beef is dry-aged – hung as sides, free standing, in a controlled, refrigerated environment for a minimum of 14 days. Dry-aging makes the beef more tender through natural processes. This is contrary to the, now industry standard, wet-aging process. Wet-aging is when the sides of beef are wrapped in plastic bags for a handful of days while being transported from slaughterhouse to butchering facility. This increases efficiency, retaining moisture (and therefore weight), but sacrifices tenderness and flavor.

Sun Prairie has a strong following of repeat customers, many of which we now consider friends as well as clients. We regularly receive comments on the flavor and quality of the beef. Those comments are really important to us, and we post a handful of them here on our website – if gives us hope that we’re doing something right!

Everyone has their own reasons for choosing grass fed beef. It may be health, animal husbandry, environmental stewardship, or a local, secure food source – or all of the above. We appreciate everyone’s commitment to “good and fair” food. In return, we stay committed to the principled ranching by providing free-range, all-natural, 100% grass fed beef.

In March 2002, Michael Pollen wrote a seminal article for the New York Times Magazine chronicling the life of a conventional steer. While we were familiar with feedlots and the problems therein (Tom is a large-animal veterinarian), the clarity of Pollen’s article was startling. The article started us thinking about how we could change our operation to fulfill the promise of pasture to plate eating. In the 1990s, we had morphed our operation from conventional beef fattening to an all-natural program where we sell fully grown cows to local ranchers making our transition that much easier. We talked, planned, researched, and visited existing grass fed producers. We felt we could do more, yet we didn’t know how to reach customers. Things stalled.

When Keith moved to Denver in March of 2005, we decided to give it a go, though small scale. We carved out a small part of our already pasture-based, all-natural beef and finished them on grass. Keith used e-mail, cajoling, and pleading to get enough friends and colleagues to buy our first three animals. It was a success, if not somewhat stressful and amateur! That experience started us down the path of pasture to plate production that has brought us to where we are today – Internet, UPS delivery, four Front Range deliveries, and year-round availability. We continue to expand our customer base and would really like to meet you too.

The nascent success of our operation got us thinking we needed to be not just providers, but advocates. Both Tom and Keith are active members of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union which promotes sustainable family farms. Tom is an appointed member on the Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council, a 15-member body charged with advancing recommendations that strengthen healthy food access for all Coloradoans. We provide education through speaking engagements and tours of our ranch to urban citizens, fellow farmers, and politicians. Our mission has grown from a business to a new way of thinking – local, value-added production for local, environmentally-friendly, agrarian jobs that pay modest, but livable wages for those that have a desire and passion for land and land management.

We trust you will enjoy the benefits of sourcing quality meat by eating better, healthier, and tastier meals. We look forward to meeting you (no pun intended). Enjoy!