FAQ

What is the process of ordering MEAT?

1. For bulk meats you order the product you desire, such as; Half Hog - Deposit.
2. Then after the deposit is received for the animal you are given a tentative butcher date for your animal.
3. If the original butcher date changes you will be notified.
4. After the butcher has reported your hanging weight you will be billed for the animal, minus the deposit.
5. Once the butcher completes the processing of your half hog we will box/ship your meat for delivery (see: When can I expect my Order?).

How do you pronounce the name of your farm?

• Mac Glaisin Farms is pronounced: "Mac" (son) "Glâsson" (of Green)

Can I refreeze Meats / How is your meat packaged for delivery?

• The U. S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) advises: “Once the food is thawed in the refrigerator (40℉), it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing.” After cooking raw foods that were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. If you believe the temperatures didn't drop below average refrigerator settings, we suggest you refreeze. If you are concerned about any of your products, we suggest cooking them and then freezing. 
• All our meats are shipped frozen, if you want fresh meats then you must pick them up at the farm.

When can I expect my Order?

• All orders are packed on our farm, not in some order fulfillment center in the middle of the country. We are a small farm, so we don't have an elaborate warehouse or a high-tech inventory system. We ship from where we raise and package all of the species we offer to our customers. Due to the perishable nature of our products, we ship Monday and Tuesdays. This helps limit your packages being delivered over the weekend. If you are traveling or have plans to be out of town, please note this in the comments section of your order. It is the customer's responsibility to let us know if they won't be home to retrieve a package. 
• We try to process every order within 10 to 14 days (accounts for hang time and curing) after your butcher date, if not sooner. You will get an email with tracking information as soon as your order leaves our farm.

BEEF

Where does your beef come from?

• Currently we are building our herd and have no beef offerings at this time, but we have a closed herd and raise our beef from birth to butcher here on the farm.

How are you ensuring the safety of your beef?

• Keeping a closed herd means our cows are not exposed to any other cows outside of our herd and do not share a fence with other herds.

How does the term 'grassfed' mean in terms of your beef production process?

• Mac Glaisin follows the American Grassfed Association (AGA) standard, though at this time we are not yet certified.

 What cuts of beef are included in each bundle and/or side/half/quarter of beef?

• Each of our new customers receive a cut-list showing all the cuts they should receive and a checklist for your refrigerator to check off cuts as you consume them.

 

Eggs

• Farm-fresh eggs are sold at our farm in Lavaca, AR. Our unwashed eggs have been inspected but not washed, keeping the natural protective bloom that protects and keeps the egg safe. Typically, just rinsing the eggs with warm water before using them is best. Unwashed eggs will last at least two weeks non-refrigerated, and three months if refrigerated. Washed eggs should be refrigerated, and will last at least two months, but won't taste as fresh as an unwashed egg of the same age.
  
  We do not ship eggs at this time, but are looking into local delivery.

Poultry

• We are raising Cornish cross hens locally sourced in Arkansas. They spend the first four (4) weeks in our brooder and are then released on pasture where they live until processing. These birds reach processing weight around eight to ten (8-10) weeks, as opposed to commodity birds (raised on hormones and GMO feeds), which finish at almost twice our slaughter weight in five (5) weeks. That is about twice as long as it takes an industrial broiler breed, but we think our chickens are worth the wait!

What do you feed your chickens?

• We offer them a free choice, non-GMO grain supplement, containing corn, non-GMO roasted soybeans, kelp, plus Fetrell's Nutri-balancer and fish meal for poultry.

Rabbits

• Our rabbits are processed at twelve (12) weeks of age. Our breeding stock is housed in the brooder barn. Upon weaning the kits, we move them to the pasture to forage and grow to slaughter weight.

Hogs

What breed are your hogs?

• Our Heritage hogs are all Tamworth hogs that are bred, born, weaned, and grown out right here on the farm.

What do you feed your hogs?

• Our hogs enjoy cracked eggs from our pastured egg operation, as well as blemished vegetables from our Organic vegetable farm. We also offer them a free choice, non-GMO grain supplement, containing corn, non-GMO soybean, kelp, plus Fetrell's Nutri-balancer and fish meal for swine.

What do hogs root for?

• From weaning to slaughter the pigs are raised on pasture and woodlands at our farm. The foraging is typically of roots and grasses, while it can also contain bugs, worms, and other ground dwelling animals and insects. Our hogs are left to exhibit their natural instincts to root and wallow and forage for anything they find palatable.

Do you offer dairy?

• We do offer raw milk at the farm in Lavaca, AR, and some dairy products if there is a prior request for those products (Yogurts and cheeses).  Email us for more information.

Will you give the mRNA vaccine?

• We want our customers to know that we will not vaccinate our animals with mRNA vaccines.  If livestock is raised in an environment where they can express their natural instincts, they probably won't need many (if any) vaccines. We currently have not had the need for any vaccines in our herds.
  

Do you have organic meats/vegetables on your farm?

• The USDA has their own standards for organic animal production. We do not like USDA’s definition of “organic," principally because it allows the confinement feeding of corn. They just require it to be organic corn. We feel that we go far beyond the USDA certified organic standards with our grassfed beef, milk, and swine.

How do you define "pastured"?

• The USDA describes "free-range” as “having access to outdoors”. A lot of chickens that are labeled “free-range” were raised in conventional chicken houses, so we choose to not use the words "free-range" because of this intentional confusion caused by labeling. Our pastured chickens, hogs, rabbits, and beef are raised completely outdoors walking freely on our pastures. We provide a portable roosting house for them and portable electric fencing.  Two (2) days after our beef are moved we move our chickens to the same pasture in order to control fly populations and spread cow manure.  This is our pastured model.

How do you define local food?

• We believe that the local movement is about the decentralization, deindustrialization, and de-commoditization of the American food industry. Most of the United States cannot cost-effectively produce high-quality grassfed beef year-round.
  
  We also believe what passes as “local” is, in fact, case-specific. For instance, “local” eggs and tomatoes probably should be sourced from your county. There is not a county in all 50 states that can’t produce eggs or tomatoes during certain months of the year. For consumers in the Deep South, “local citrus” should mean Florida citrus and not Mexican citrus. We feel our grassfed beef, swine, and poultry are local to the Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennesse, Louisiana, and parts of Kansas and Texas.
  

What is regenerative agriculture (farming)?

• Sustainable Harvest International defines it as - The umbrella term “regenerative agriculture” covers a variety of techniques, all centered around the same principles: prioritizing the health of the soil, the environment, and all living beings. This framework recognizes soil as the foundation of the food systems that sustain us.

Does Mac Glaisin Farms practice sustainable farming?

• We are committed to the principles of sustainability and stewardship.  We use no chemical fertilizers or pesticides, and All animal remains are composted into organic fertilizers for our pastures.
• Use tree guilds, permaculture concept, for our fruit trees.
• Use of heirloom varieties of food plants.
• and rotational grazing practices for pasture management.