The ethics of eating meat has been on the tip of everyone’s tongues in recent years.
Intensive farming methods, devastating environmental impacts, and poor animal welfare have driven many people to become more conscious about their meat purchases. Consumers now demand to know where their meat comes from, how it’s been reared, and how they can buy directly from the farmer.
At Dargle Valley, we believe that there needs to be a shift away from the industrial commodity food system. Shorter supply chains that value people and animals are the way forward and to be truly sustainable, our farming practices need to work with nature to produce wholesome, nutritious food.
HOW WE REAR OUR FREE RANGE BEEF
Beef farming gets a bad rap when it comes to the big climate-change debate. Contrary to the anti-meat narrative, methane emissions from cows is not the main culprit, rather the disastrous loss of soil through ploughing, bad grazing practices and erosion.
There is mounting evidence to suggest farming with ruminant animals can have a positive effect on climate change as grazing animals help to fertilise the land by removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil.
"When farmers restore fertility to the land, this helps feed the world, cool the planet, reduce pollution, and return profitability to family farms." - Prof. David Montgomery
At Dargle Valley we support regenerative farming. The basis of the idea is to focus on improving soil health and not only to stop more harm from being caused but actually to reverse it.
Did you know in one teaspoon of fertile soil there are up to nine billion microorganisms? Crudely speaking, biodiversity above the ground leads to soil that is teaming with life which further leads to healthier plants and more nutritious food. Regenerative farming helps to restore the soil microbiome and promotes the cycling of essential nutrients back into the soil.
FAMILY FARMS FOR THE WIN
At Dargle Valley we are fortunate enough to collaborate with neighbouring family farms who rear our grass fed beef cattle and, where possible, we use our own beef - raised on our own pastures here at the Chestnuts Farm.
Our talented, like-minded farmers work to incredibly high standards to ensure every animal reared is of the highest standard and quality and in a way that we feel exceptionally confident of.
We work hand-in-hand with our farmers to ensure that we have a minimal impact on the land while producing food that is not only delicious but also nutritious for your family. We believe in better farming that is environmentally sound, protects animal health and welfare, and supports farmer and community livelihoods.
WHY BUY OUR FREE RANGE BEEF?
By choosing free-range beef from Dargle Valley you are helping us to build a thriving rural community, sustaining small scale abattoirs, investing in traditional artisan skills and nurturing our landscape - all the while eating highly nutritious and delicious food that you can trust.
The excellent standards of taste, texture, and marbling in all our grass fed beef are achieved through our practices of farming in harmony with nature.
All of our grass-fed beef is hung on the bone for at least 28 days, to develop a wonderfully rounded depth of flavour.
Since 1998, we have been producing quality meat and, over the years, have been honoured by some of South Africa's top publications such as Food and Home, Jan the Journal and most recently, The Daily Maverick's TGIF food newsletter.
In 2020, three of our products were recognised in the Aurora International Taste Challenge. Our Honey Baked Ham was awarded double gold, our Classic Salami achieved gold and our traditional pork sausage received silver. Each product was assessed on many qualities, including appearance, aroma, flavour complexity, texture, authenticity and workmanship.
We are all about real meat, made without harmful fillers or flavour enhancers. We don't believe in artificial products like liquid smoke and GMOs - just handcrafted, traditional meat prepared the way it should be.