We believe we have a moral obligation to treat our animals with the utmost care and respect. Our animals spend their entire lives on pasture and are handled with low stress herding methods, and we ensure that processing is completely low stress and humane.

Unlike natural and other eco-label claims, only organic offers assurance that products are grown and processed without the use of toxic chemicals, antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones. Organic is the most heavily regulated government food label. Only organic guarantees no toxic synthetic pesticides, toxic synthetic herbicides, or chemical NPK fertilizers are used in production of pastures or hay, and no antibiotics, pesticides, or growth hormones are given to animals. Organic producers and processors also are subject to rigorous announced – and unannounced – certification inspections by third-party inspectors to ensure that they are producing and processing organic products in a manner you and your family can trust.

Here at Alderspring, we spend many hours and dollars managing animals and pastures organically. We control weeds with hand labor, beneficial insects, and targeted grazing rather than chemicals. We maintain the health of our herd by careful husbandry. And we improve the fertility of our soil through grazing management, working with nature.

Additionally, we went one step further by certifying our beef with the “Real Organic Project,” a private label that has even higher standards than USDA organic. You can see the Real Organic regulations here.

By “grass fed and finished,” we mean that our cattle have spent their entire lives on grass pasture. In their lifetimes they’ve consumed nothing but their mother’s milk, our diverse pasture grasses, and in the winter, hay harvested from summer grass. Our cattle are never fed grain and never see a feedlot.

If you’re shopping for grass fed beef and you want beef from cattle never fed grain, always look for that “grass fed and finished” or “100% grass fed.” Simply “grass fed” can often mean that the animal was raised on grass but finished on grain.

Side Note: Though you may have heard claims that grass fed and finished guarantees no chemicals, this is not the case. Herbicides, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, etc can still be used in producing grass fed beef. This is why we are certified organic as well as grass fed, in order to prove to you via an unbiased 3rd party organic certification inspection that we do not use any of these materials.

Aging beef is an important process that makes even the finest of beef more tender and flavorful. We have honed our aging process over the years to produce the most flavorful and tender beef without the development of off flavors or mycotoxins. We use dry-aging, a process that is more expensive and less common than wet-aging.

Dry-aging is a process where prime cuts are exposed to temperature/moisture/light-controlled coolers where an outer crust will form. This crust is carefully removed, leaving meat that displays a distinctive flavor and tenderness that is only found when dry-aged. Not all dry-aging methods are equal; we’ve honed our method to create tenderness and flavor every time without the risk of harmful toxins developing.

Wet-aging occurs when meat is placed inside of vacuum-sealed bags, preventing exposure to air and moisture from evaporating. Enzymes break down the meat‚ as complex proteins from the inside out. We have found that wet aging does not produce a desirable product for our grass fed beef.

This can be a matter of opinion. We believe it tastes better!

Some people dislike grass fed because they simply haven’t had good grass fed. Grass fed meat is notoriously inconsistent and most consider it too lean. This doesn’t have to be the case! We’ve perfected our practices for 26+ years to deliver consistent flavor every single time, as well as a higher fat content than most grass fed (and yes, more fat is a good thing! These are healthy pasture fats that bring both flavor and Omega 3s)! Due to our commitment to producing only the best, our steaks have won taste tests alongside Japanese wagyu and grain fed steaks.

Yes, there is a flavor difference in grass fed that takes some getting used to, but we believe the flavor is better, cleaner, and wilder.

Definitely not! It does require a slightly shorter cooking time, so do be aware of that.

If you’re not sure how to cook a particular cut, we can help with that! Cooking beef is quite easy, and with great beef all you need is some basic ingredients (say goodbye to the miles-long recipes with 300 spices that you’ll find on most food blogs these days).

If you want tasty recipes for our grass fed beef (and other meats), click through to our cooking blog via the link below, and use our “search” function to sort by cut & dietary preferences.

Our beef is shipped frozen in a completely curbside recyclable insulated package via UPS, directly from here in Idaho to anywhere in the continental U.S! We use dry ice to keep it cold during transit so it arrives on your doorstep nice and cold!

We do have some local options for our organic grass fed beef:

• Boise: You can get Alderspring grass fed beef in Boise at both Boise Co-ops! However, we just sell ground beef there. If you want a more diverse selection, you can order on our online store and get it delivered. We also do demos sometimes at the co-ops, which we announce on our Instagram!
• Salmon: if you’re in Salmon or just coming through, we can do local delivery or pickup at our shipping warehouse on Mondays! You can order online and select the local delivery option at checkout.

We love sharing our vision and teaching others about regenerative agriculture! We offer a few annual job openings, as well as an annual educational internship on our ranch. Most positions open during January-March of each year. To be updated on job postings, follow us on Instagram (we always share new job openings on our feed) or check out this page.