We control every aspect of our cattle’s development to ensure that our customers get the best beef possible, produced in a way they can feel good about. We provide our ranching partners with a set of strict protocols to help protect the health and wellbeing of the developing calves that include easy access to clean water and fresh air. But it goes far beyond those basic, common sense practices.
For instance, our guidelines establish a 60-day, multi-stage weaning schedule to minimize the stress on calves as they transition from newborn to independence. It’s a labor-intensive procedure that most companies choose to cut corners on for the sake of efficiency, speed and profit. We know from experience that reducing stress during the animal’s lifespan helps it lead a healthier life, cuts down on medical intervention, and reduces mortality.
This is part of the reason why have a zero-tolerance policy for growth promotants or added hormones. We see no evidence that using them would result in a superior product for our customers, so it’s something we just won’t do.
When it comes to the use of antibiotics, we are conservative in the extreme, and only do so on a case-by-case basis. A typical American cattle operation includes antibiotics in the feed for their entire herd to mitigate the negative side effects of their forced-growth, efficiency-first approach. Our slower, natural method eliminates the conditions that contribute to these health problems in the first place.
In the event that one of our animals needs antibiotics to return to optimum health, they're used responsibly and with an abundance of caution. Recuperating animals are maintained for as long it takes for any antibiotics to completely metabolize out of their system. This allows us to verify that all Mishima Reserve meat is 100% clear of any trace of antibiotics.