Do you know what’s what and how fresh the meat is at the meat department in the grocery store? If you’re unsure, it may be time to purchase straight from the source. This month, we offer some recommendations to help you go from farm to table with homegrown Colorado meat.
1. Parker Pastures – Gunnison
Parker Pastures in Gunnison offers grass-fed and finished beef, lamb, organic chicken, and pastured pork that are all hormone- and antibiotic-free. And their pastures are Audubon certified — meaning they promote biodiversity and are regenerative and environmentally sustainable. When Cloe Parker began working her parents’ farm at just 5 years old, she learned everything there was to know about moving cows, raising chickens and pigs, and marketing. But as a young adult, it’s her health-conscious practices and ethically raised meat that have really made a mark on her business. She tells us that it’s all about “clean meat and clean living.” Get tips on storage and cooking and order from Parker Pastures at www.parkerpastures.com.
2. Mortensen Meat Company – Brush
Mortensen Meat Company is a new branch of a century-old business homesteaded and founded in 1915 in Brush. Over the years, the original Mortensen farm has expanded and the family now grows multiple crops including corn, wheat, millet, alfalfa, and more, while also running a calf-cow operation. Mortensen Meat Company primarily raises Angus beef that’s grass fed and grain finished from crops grown on the farm. The farm and ranch are a regenerative operation that integrates crop and livestock production, crop rotation, minimal tillage, and more.
Visit Mortensen Meat on Instagram @mortensonmeatco; find their products at Sagebrush Market in Fort Morgan.
3. Eagles Wing Ranch – Coalmont
There is nothing more iconically Western than the American Plains bison, and you can still see them roam at this family-owned bison ranch in Coalmont, 25 miles southwest of Walden. Eagles Wing Ranch grass-fed and -finished bison is raised naturally without growth hormones or antibiotics. Co-owner Claudia Beauprez tells us that their bison have many times the levels of omega-3 and vitamins as bison that are grain fed. They are also allowed to live with dignity and graze the way their ancestors have for thousands of years.
Order bison from Eagles Wing Ranch by visiting their website at www.eagleswingnaturalbison.com.
4. Mountain View Meats – Virginia Dale & Fort Collins
Mountain View Meats located in Virginia Dale in north-central Colorado offers bulk and small beef boxes delivered straight from the source. The ranching family of Vicky and Roger Uthmann have not only been in the ranching business for 20 years, but Vicky’s family also homesteaded the property as far back as 1903. In addition to home delivery, individual packages are available at markets, on-site, and at the farm store in Fort Collins three days a week. Nicole Uthmann, marketing director and co-owner, says the family also takes pride in having been ranked nationally in the top four of the Best Beef in the West Award for four years and awarded No. 1 in 2021 and 2024. Mountain View Meats also offers pork products and farm-fresh eggs.
To shop their various-sized packages and for guidance on cold storage, visit www.mvmeatsfc.com.