ELK RAPIDS
NEWS
August 21
2014
Volume IX
Issue No. 12
75¢
Rodger’s Grass Fed Beef:
Continuing the tradition of the local farm
BY CASSAUNDRA COHRS,
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
For years now, consumers have been hearing
about the horrible conditions in the factory farms run
by massive food corporations. Documentaries such
as “Food, INC.” have exposed unsanitary, inhumane,
unnatural and potentially dangerous practices within
mainstream corporate agriculture such as keeping
cattle confined in small spaces where they stand
in piles of their own waste eating corn feed loaded
with hormones and antibiotics rather than eating the
grass they are biologically designed to eat. Though these
practices allow corporate farms to maximize the amount
of beef they produce, many have concerns that these
practices may increase human resistance to antibiotics,
cause health problems such as early puberty and cancer,
and be more likely to spread food poisoning such as E.
Coli to the consumer. On its website, the CDC highlights
the overuse of antibiotics in livestock as a significant health
concern. Luckily for those who live in the northwestern
Lower Peninsula, many nearby farmers still produce beef
the old way – grass-fed and free range with no antibiotics
or hormones.
Here in Antrim County, Rodger Dewey is one of
those farmers. Cattle have been grazing the fields of
the Dewey Farm for generations. Dewey himself has
been raising cattle on the farm since the young age
of 11 and now runs the farm with his family. After
all these years, he still does not see retirement in his
future since he has never stopped enjoying the farming
lifestyle. The Dewey family remains committed to
operating the farm because they believe that every
town needs a farm nearby that produces a high-quality
product in a humane fashion. Farming can also be a
social thing and can bring the community together.
It can allow people to gain a greater connection with
their food and a greater respect for the animal and the
farmer from which that food came.
The Dewey family raises Black Angus, British
White and Black Angus/ British White mix cattle.
Their commitment to raising the cattle on grass rather
than on corn means their herd rarely gets sick. The
cattle at the Dewey Farm have not been sick in about
a decade. Illnesses do not spread quickly either since
the animals have space to
roam and are not tightly
confined with others.
Raising cattle on grass
also eliminates some daily
chores. Most corn-fed beef
producers keep cattle in
confined stalls in front of
troughs all day. This leaves
large amounts of waste in
one spot that the farmer
has to remove on a daily
basis. By not confining the
animals, the farmer can
produce beef in a more
hygienic manner since the
cattle are not constantly
exposed to contaminants.
By raising grass-fed cattle,
Dewey only needs to check
on his herd once a day. He
and his family do not have
to be constantly cleaning
or taking care of sick
animals either. Though
winter can bring some
extra chores and hardships
to the enterprise, most of
the year the cattle take care
of themselves and there is
little for the farmer to do.
For the Dewey family, this
type of farming just makes
sense. While it may be
Photos by Cassaundra Cohrs
Postal
Customer
PRESORT STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
ELK RAPIDS, MI
PERMIT NO. 10
continued on page 2
SERVING THE ELK RAPIDS ALDEN KEWADIN RAPID CITY
EASTPORT TORCH RIVER BRIDGE WILLIAMSBURG ACME AREAS