Chad Hofsommer runs a birth-to-freezer operation, raising grass fed Texas Longhorns and hogs on pasture. He doesn’t like the U.S.D.A. organic label because he doesn’t think it’s strict enough. He gives me an example: The USDA Organic standards for meat specify this: Ruminants must be out on pasture for the entire grazing season, but for not less than 120 days. These animals must also receive at least 30 percent of their feed, or dry matter intake (DMI), from pasture.” On this farm, animals are outside 365 days and 90% of their feed is from pasture, supplemented with non-GMO barley which is high in Omega 3. He even uses a natural mineral mix that he has designed. He’s not certified organic. But he sells directly to customers who are welcome to come visit the farm and see how the animals are fed and cared for.
On the day I visited, it was a “balmy” 38 degrees after a long winter. I got to meet the 2200-pound bull Romeo, a polled “Ballancer” breed who was lying down in the hay with the three week-old calves, allowing them to snuggle with him. Chad’s wife Tammy tells me that the “ladies love Romeo” and regularly lick his coat. Calves on this farm stay with their mothers 7-8 months, until the mother is pregnant again, and then they’re weaned. The “ladies” are friendly and come right up to the fence where Tammy has treats. They’re in one segment of a pie-shaped 160 acres divided into “pie pieces,” each piece a fenced pasture. During grazing season, they move from one segment of pasture to the next each week, eating what grows there naturally and fertilizing it and tilling it while they’re munching.
Chad doesn’t vaccinate because the cattle don’t get sick. The combination of grazing, winter hay and minerals and fresh air keeps them healthy. They’re adapted to this climate and do well outside with windbreaks that Chad builds and places strategically. They’re 24-30 months old at slaughter. Chad slaughters right on the farm and hangs the meat in a walk-in cooler until he takes it to the processor in Floodwood. He believes that eliminating the cow’s stressful ride to the butcher yields better tasting meat and is more kind to the animals. Floodwood Custom Meats does the cutting and packaging. Chad does the same thing for his hogs.
I meet the boar, a handsome Hereford who is lounging in his own large outdoor pen on the day I visit. He’s a friendly guy who also comes to the fence to greet us. The sows farrow twice a year, giving birth in one of two heated, insulated “dorms”, essentially birthing rooms in the barn. I get to meet a 3-week old litter of piglets, still living in the dorm with mom. The pregnant sows who are about a month from birthing are across the “hall” in large pens with beds of hay, waiting their turn. Chad keeps some but also sells feeder pigs.
About half of the remaining hogs are out on winter pasture in a huge open field with a shed. There’s still snow on the ground, so they’re getting hay regularly, barley snacks, and the mineral mix. But soon they’ll be out on pasture again. The other half are in a large pole barn with ends that open. There’s a mix of young (the fall piglets) and some old here, and this has been their winter housing as the doors can close for wind protection. Today they’re out and about in a fenced area surrounding the barn. Some are playing with the large spools that Chad leaves for them to push around. These hogs all have their full tails and full ears—no tail docking here--they have enough space that there’s no danger of them biting off tails or ears. The hogs rotate in and out of this barn depending on age, season and slaughtering schedule; the ones I’ve met today will be moving soon.
Across the road, Tammy trains horses and gives lessons….there’s no shortage of animals here at Diamond Willow Corral! Chad and Tammy don’t grow their own hay—Chad selectively buys it from like-minded farmers nearby and in central Minnesota. Last year a relative harvested hay after planting oats and the huge round bales looked like “chia pets” with green oats sprouting all over each one. The pigs loved it. And the pastures are mostly full of what grows there naturally. If the soil needs a deep-rooted cover crop for soil health, Chad just mixes the seed into the minerals and the animals ingest it and plant it in the pasture with fertilizer.
There’s no shortage of manure here, either! The manure from barns or pens where cattle or hogs are temporarily housed is collected and composted for the gardens and pastures. Chad saves the Longhorn hides and heads when he kills the animals. There’s a market for handsome longhorn skulls with wide curved horns. And there used to be a market for the hides. Chad is salting and keeping the hides he harvests now for when the market bounces back again.
Like most other farmers on the Range, Chad holds an off-farm job to provide health insurance and to supplement the farm income. But raising these animals is his passion. He’s always looking for new customers. You can find him on Facebook at Diamond Willow Corral, but he’d much prefer an old-fashioned phone call at 218-638-2233. I brought home some pork chops, beef, and bacon to sample. They were great! Excellent taste and a good price too. Remember, buying local supports our economy right here where we live.