I couldn't disagree with Lily S more strongly. I've bought beef and chicken from Buck Creek for more than 8 years and never been disappointed. Their products are superior to that in any of the up-scale groceries in my upscale location in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Actually, in the market niche of "pasture-raised", "grass-feed" beef, a price of $10 per pound you complain of ($149 for 10 lbs) simply could not be found. And if it were, you could be fairly certain that it was not produced as labelled. Most "grass-fed" beef is sold into the "feed-lot" system for finishing on grain; so not, in fact, grass-fed after all. Whereas Buck Creek beef is not only pastured and grass fed, it is grass finished as well.
The owners of Buck Creek have done extensive research and careful husbanding over the years to develop in their herd a strain of beef cattle from a combination of ancient breeds that thrive on grass only. And they've experimented with a variety of grasses and legumes to produce a combination of grazing that produces the weight gain and marbling expected of the finest beef products. When a batch of cattle reach the right age they turn them onto a specially cultivated pasture they call the "salad patch" to produce what I assure you is the best tasting beef you'll ever eat. All of their products are of that superior quality. Years ago they apprenticed under Joe Salatin on his Polyface Farms (America's premier non-industrial food production oasis) which is the pioneering paragon of organic, sustainable farming now replicated on the best organic, sustainable farms and ranches across the entire US. ("Google" it and judge for yourself.) And Buck Creek has continued to improve and refine those practices to produce superior beef, chicken, eggs, pork, and lamb. For instance, they've developed a way to produce grass under grow lights in large barns to sustain their herd on high quality grass when everything outside is brown.
As to the issue of "requesting your cuts", you'll not find anywhere a business more customer-focused and accommodating than Buck Creek. When COVID decimated their Farmer's Market distribution approach, searching diligently for a ways to continue serving their loyal customers. They came up with a whole range of ways to order their product and are ready to accommodate any customer whose needs are not well served by their offerings. They sought out and found technical solutions for shipping frozen product safely without thawing. And they developed a variety of flexible ordering options: regular boxes, boxes as scheduled by the customer, a variety choices for ordering half and quarter beef sides, plus a la cart by the cut whenever you choose to order. (We order every 2 to 3 months as needed to maintain a stock of our favorite beef and chicken cuts on hand in a freezer so that we never run out.) If none of those work for you, call them. They'll work with you to figure out a solution.
Yes, sometimes they run out of a particular cut, but that is because producing beef humanely and sustainably is not a factory-line operation. It is a natural, organic process dependent on the weather, on the cattle, and on beef cattle anatomy. For example, there are only so many flank steaks that can be cut from a single animal. And some batches of beeves take longer to ready for market than others. So yeah, at a given time, they my not have any flank steaks available. If that bugs you, go back to the factory produced product.
So please, do your research and don't falsely trash what you have no knowledge of. read more
