In my own kitchen, I believe in sustaining myself and family with as much whole and local food as possible, but today I’ll be focusing on another kitchen–the one I’m trusted to run and the roughly 30,000 hungry cows that rely on us to put on our metaphorical apron on, day in and day out.
Ruminants have different nutritional needs depending on their age, health, gender, or stage of life. So how do we manage to feed them all here at Royal Family Farming? We ration the correct amount of nutrients for each specific peer group of animals to ensure they get as much as they need to grow healthy and feel sustained. Consider hosting your own family, you wouldn’t serve your five year old niece the same portion as your forty-year-old body building uncle (you could, but that would either be a big waste of food or a sight to see).
The Royal Family Farming Kitchen: What a nutritionist led diet actually means and how we are able to use our own waste to grow nutritionally dense, thriving herds of cattle.
On the farm we have Dairy and Beef cows, but we also have to adjust for the age and sex of each animal, especially for our amazing heifers who eat 2-2.5% of their body weight each day. Each “peer group” requires different diets in order to meet their needs. We have a few nutritionists who consistently evaluate the animals’ needs and ensure they are able to receive the right food to keep them healthy and thriving.
While regenerative practices are often associated with smaller operations, our scale introduces a different level of complexity. Managing thousands of animals and thousands of acres of land while staying true to our values–trust, taste and tradition–requires thoughtful systems and careful coordination. Our commitment to quality, transparency and care means creating a process that aligns with our principles and goals, especially as we expand and grow.
How The Kitchen on our Regenerative farm functions:
Beginning with growing the crops, when they are ready to harvest we sell what we can and gather the remainder and set it aside to factor it into the diet prescribed by our veterinary nutritionist. Each specific group of cattle receives precise amounts of each ingredient using front loaders and our large-scale weighing system. Everything blends together in our big (really big) mixers, and at this point we also introduce vital minerals to their diet, much like we would take our daily multivitamin. This includes minerals like potassium carbonate, sulfur and calcium.
The necessary micronutrients and minerals are delivered through the chute that is designed to drop exact measurements in the mixer with all of the ingredients that remained from our harvest. Finally, this casserole (in the ag world we call this TMR or total mixed ration) is balanced and ready to be loaded into our haulers to be delivered to the cows!
It sounds pretty straightforward when laid out step-by-step, but in reality there has been a lot of thought and intention when designing The Kitchen. Every detail has been engineered to support efficiency, animal health, environmental responsibility, and long-term sustainability.
FAQ About the Royal Family Farming Kitchen:
Q: What exactly do the cows eat?
A: Our cows eat a combination of triticale hay, composted fruits and vegetables, and their daily multivitamins! Get a closer look on our YouTube Channel here.
Q: How often are the cows fed?
A: Every day our hard-working staff delivers two separate feedings per group. One in the morning, and one at night. Because we have built out The Kitchen to appropriately measure the correct ingredients for all of our animals, every cow gets exactly the amount and nutrients it needs not only to supply us with high quality beef and milk, but to ensure that they are comfortable and cared for.
Q: Do the cows enjoy their food?
A: In the farm animal world, comfort=happiness which is why we dedicate so much of our effort to ensuring that each animal is sustained and healthy. Regenerative farming is all about using what you have to better the footprint we leave behind, which is why we believe that the comfort of our animals is better for our entire system and results in better products to share with you!
If you're more of a visual learner, check out our YouTube video that takes you through the process in action.
The size of our farm and the way we have incorporated practical use of all its outputs makes me confident when I say that we’ve paved a significant path as a model for other large farms in the future. Through our diligence we are ensuring that every animal gets the care it needs and responsible stewardship over the land is always our main priority.
We hope this information helps inspire your support of caring for the soil and believe that the best way you, as a consumer, can contribute to your local regenerative agriculture is with your attention and your dollar. Many farmers are doing their best to use what resources are available to them and if we all support one another, we are supplementing a system that encourages care for each other and our planet.
If you’re ever curious about the results, we believe they speak for themselves! You can purchase our products at our restaurant The Ranch in Vantage, Washington or you can also shop right here at our online store!
