Dear Friends and Partners,

Welcome to Alderspring’s weekend edition newsletter! Thank you for partnering in what we do!

Below you can find beef discounts, Glenn’s weekly story, and lots of photos from the ranch this week!

Scroll down for this week’s story:

“Who Chose Who”

Sixteenths restocked and discounted using the code below!

This Week’s Store Update & Coupons

NEXT SHIPPING DAY: Monday, June 24!

What’s In Stock

Beef was restocked earlier this week. Unfortunately, many cuts have already sold out, but we still have:

Regular ground beef in stock
New York steaks are available
Top sirloin steaks are back
Beef sticks are in
Sixteenths are restocked!
Lots of salmon still in

This week’s coupon cuts

Use the code “SIXTEENTH” to get 5% off the Family Budget; Smoker; and Flatiron, Shoulder Tender Steaks, Top Sirloin Steaks Sixteenths

Use the code “WILDSALMON” for 5% off wild Alaskan sockeye salmon.

Click the green button below to access these cuts!

Get this week’s cuts + more here!

If you have any questions, observations, or comments, just send Kelsey an email at help[at]alderspring[dot]com.

Photos from the Ranch This Week…

The herd grazing their way slowly across the grassy hillsides high up on the range.

The crew all packed up and ready to move camp to the next location.

Here, the herd is spread out and grazing under beautiful blue skies. Every one of the plants in this photo is a wild grass native to this rangeland; we are blessed to ride in country with very few invasive species and a highly intact native plant population. It’s our job to keep it that way: as we graze our cattle through, we’ll leave about 50% of plants uneaten, and our goal is to ensure that the plants that do get grazed only get a single bite taken out of them, leaving enough plant material for the grass to generate seed heads this year. We will then not return to regraze this spot for at least 2 years in order to allow it to fully recover. Grazing this way actually has a net benefit for the soil and grasses. Our cattle trample some of the grass, putting it in contact with soil and feeding soil biota, and when a plant does get bitten off, roots will die off underground and cause an uptick in underground organic matter.

Annie, at the end of the day, bringing the cattle back to their night pen.

When they are not riding the range or working on the ranch Maddy and Wesley can often be found training. Last week they completed another 55k (34 miles) endurance run that included 9300′ elevation gain.

Want to follow along more day-to-day? Find us on Instagram and Facebook.

Quote of the Week

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

-Aldo Leopold

This week’s story:

“Who chose who”

Dear Friends

Yesterday was a “camp move” on the range. Every Thursday, the range cowhand crew gathers up tents, gear, temporary hotwire fence and heads off 5 to 10 miles away to higher elevation.

And that’s good, because we have some high summer heat on the way. It’s going to be in the 90s here on the ranch; up high, though, it might break 80. The cooler days at altitudes 2000 feet above our valley mean cattle will eat more, and the horses will be way less prone to fatigue and occasional hot spots brought on by leather gear and friction.

But this horse string we have is unique over all we’ve ever run up on the range. I’m certain several of them recognize each rock, ridge and grassy meadow. It’s because I’m guessing they were actually born wild in this very locale of were the crew was setting camp.

Camp is in the big Bear Basin country. It’s the last wave of sagebrush ocean before its rise makes landfall on the Douglas-fir forest characteristic of all of the mountain West. And it was here that a group of feral steeds made their home…in the wild.

It’s kind of a homecoming story for these horses in the Alderspring herd, and beautiful, especially when you see what may be flared nostrils as they recognize the long forgotten scents of home. Or perhaps it’s a wistful look to a distant ridge; scanning for remembered wild companions roaming big country.

So come with me dear readers, and hear a ‘horse tale.’

-Glenn

Click here to read this week’s story: “Who Chose Who”

And that’s it for this week!

Thanks again for partnering in what we do!

Glenn, Caryl, cowgirls and cowboys at Alderspring.

We’ve been crafting our pastured protein here in Idaho’s Rocky Mountains for nearly 30 years and delivering it direct to our partners for nearly as long. This is wild wellness, delivered from our ranch to your door.

Why is Inventory Low Lately?

Here’s where we’re at on the “low inventory” situation…and why it’s low in the first place! We know many of you have been with us for a long time and rely on us as your source of protein (and we’re so grateful)!

In the last few months, we’ve been hit by a lot of unexpected demand.

When it comes to raising beef, changes in demand can be very difficult to respond to quickly. It takes us 2-3 years to raise an animal to finish. That means we plan our inventory needs about 2 years in advance.

Many companies and producers we know of that sell direct-to-consumer respond to sudden increases in demand by buying outside cattle (often at sale barn auctions) and then selling that beef under their label. This is VERY common.

But this kind of “cow flipping” isn’t something we’re willing to do.

We know the entire history of every beef we sell. That’s important to us, and we know it’s important to you and part of why you trust us to raise your beef.

We’re working right now to gradually increase our available inventory to hopefully provide more beef! But at a certain point, we actually can’t expand further without compromising our standards.

We know that the reason many of you order from us is because we’re small scale. We butcher our cattle at a small processor that only does about 80 head of cattle per week (compared to thousands at a big facility). This also limits our capacity to expand, because they, too, are functioning at capacity right now. We also raise only as many cattle as our pastures can support without degrading our soils. And we’re still small enough that Glenn personally looks at every single steak before he puts it in your box to ship to you. These factors are why you order from us! But it also means occasional inventory limitations.