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OUR FARMS
What is important about preserving traditional, family farms and raising lamb the natural and traditional way?
Great Midwest Lamb Company strongly supports all natural lamb and family farm produced lamb. We truly believe in partnering with family farmers to not only produce premium, all-natural lamb, but to protect their long term health of their land and the welfare of their animals better than absentee industrial and contract operators. As the shift from small and medium family farms to large factory-style contract farms occurs, it is increasingly important for our nation to save America's family farms and preserve rural America and our traditional agriculture.
By partnering exclusively with family farms, we believe we are strengthening rural America and our agriculture against the disparaging movement of industrial agriculture that is eroding much of the beauty in our rural land and displacing many farmers from the land that they have worked extremely hard for. Great Midwest Lamb Company provides farmers a fair market for their livestock and encourages collaboration regarding best practices on farming and agriculture. We are extremely proud to be partnering with our loyal and knowledgeable farmers to preserve America's land and agriculture and provide premium, all-natural, family farm produced American lamb directly to you.
Our Livestock
Does Great Midwest Lamb Company ban the use of growth hormones from its lamb?
YES. Great Midwest Lamb Company opposes the use of growth hormones: therefore they are banned in all of our livestock. Lamb industry reports estimate that over 80% of conventional cattle operations now use growth hormones or other performance enhancing drugs in raising animals. Growth hormones raise a wide array of environmental and human health concerns, as well as animal health concerns. We along with our farmer partners believe that lambs should be allowed to mature naturally. By raising lamb slowly and naturally with our selected family farms, our natural lambs are tender and flavorful.
How do you ensure that family farmer partners are adhering to your specifications and standards?
Great Midwest Lamb Company requires our family farmer partners to adhere to our industry leading set of specifications and standards when breeding and raising lambs. First, we buy our lambs only from family farmers who agree to raise them traditionally and naturally. Second, before any farm is accepted into our program, we personally visit the farm to make sure it meets our standards. When visiting the farm, we thoroughly review their facility to ensure current lambs receive individual attention and care, fresh air, space to graze and to exercise. We require all family farm partners to submit documentation of standards to what they have used as feed for their lambs. If any of their feeds violate our standards, we do not accept their lambs. Also, we taste the lamb meat by each farm before we agree to accept their animals. If a farm is accepted into our program, we conduct periodic random inspections to make sure they are constantly adhering to our rigorous set of standards.
How long have you had relationships with your farmers and where are they located?
Great Midwest Lamb Company has partnered with many of its farmers for over 30 years. Over this time period, we have established excellent relationships with farmers that believe in and embrace our quality standards. All of our farmers we work with share our values as well deep passion for raising lambs all naturally and traditionally.
We buy most of our lambs in the state of Ohio, where the vast majority of lambs are raised on family farms, and where a significant portion of the entire country's seed- breeding- stock producers are located.
What are your health and safety standards with your lambs? Great Midwest Lamb Company ensures health of the lambs we buy and the safety of the meat we sell from them in several ways:
- We allow farmers to use medicines only to fight sickness. If they do, the necessary withdrawal period will be respected. No lamb will be harvested while under medication.
- The farmers cannot give growth hormone, and they cannot administer sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics to stimulate growth.
- USDA inspects all our lambs before and after processing. This control guarantees the absence of illness and contamination.
- In addition, our lamb meats are harvested by high quality plants, where each animal is processed individually and manually. This adds the visual inspection of people who know and respect our lamb products.
How and where does Great Midwest Lamb Company harvest its livestock?
Because Great Midwest Lamb breeds and raises lamb traditionally and naturally, we extend that same approach and standards when harvesting our lamb incorporating a very ethical and humane approach. No lamb will be harvested while under medication.
All livestock used for meat is slaughtered at facilities that we have closely inspected. Our primary lamb harvest facility is in Ohio, where a vast a majority of lambs are raised on family farms, and where a significant portion of the entire country's seed- breeding- stock producers are located.
Our Products
What does "natural" lamb meat mean?
At Great Midwest Lamb Company, natural means the lamb and meats was raised on feed that was free from drugs and were never given growth hormones. Also, we consider that for lamb or meat to be called "natural" it must come from animals that were raised naturally. Lamb products labeled "natural" lamb cannot contain any artificial flavor or flavoring, coloring ingredient, chemical preservative, or any other artificial or synthetic ingredient. Our premium lamb is all-natural, family farm produced traditionally without growth hormones and other enhancement drugs. We ensure the highest quality standards of our premium, all-natural lamb.
What different lamb cuts do you offer?
Great Midwest Lamb Company offers all five primal lamb cuts within its lamb e-commerce store. There are five primal, or basic, cuts of lamb: Shoulder, Breast/Foreshank, Rib/Rack, Loin/Flank, and Leg. Each of the primal cuts can be further divided into a variety of subprimal and market ready, or ready to cook, cuts.
1. Lamb Shoulder: The lamb shoulder is the primal cut that includes the upper front leg, the shoulder blade, ribs 1 through 5, and the neck. Because these muscles get a lot of exercise, the lamb meat is tougher and more flavorful than the lamb loin or hind leg. It also has more connective tissue, veins of fat, and many bones. Lamb shoulder cuts are usually cooked using moist heat, although meat from young animals can be successfully roasted at low temperatures. One of the larger cuts of lamb, whole shoulder is very flavorful. Bone-in lamb shoulder roast can be used in a variety of recipes and is a more economical cut than lamb leg roast. Although many cooks believe that a bone-in lamb roast produces better flavor, the complex bone structure of the lamb shoulder makes it difficult to carve. The bone-in lamb shoulder is also known as the square-cut lamb shoulder. Boned whole lamb shoulder is usually rolled and tied to maintain its shape, if it is to be roasted. This is an ideal cut for stuffing.
The shoulder can also be divided into three subprimals: neck, blade, and arm.
2. Lamb Breast and Foreshank: The lamb breast and foreshank is the lower part of the front half of the lamb's carcass. It tends to be quite fat, but very flavorful. The lamb foreshank is the front lamb leg from the knee to the shoulder primal.
The lamb breast and foreshank can also produce ground lamb.
3. Lamb Rib/Rack: The lamb rib is the section of the lamb carcass on either side of the backbone between the lamb shoulder and the loin and includes ribs 6 through 12. Lamb rib meat is expensive, mild flavored, and tender. The lamb rib cut has an outer layer of fat which can be trimmed off but, if left on during cooking, melts and bastes the lamb meat. Lamb rib meat is best cooked using dry heat: by roasting, broiling, or grilling.
4. Lamb Loin/Flank: The lamb loin primal cut is the section along the lamb's back from the 13th rib to the hip. It also includes the lamb flank, or belly section, which is much tougher than the loin section.
The lamb loin contains the most expensive, highly prized, and tender lamb meat. It is somewhat leaner than the rib cut. Care must be taken in preparing lamb loin meat, whatever the cut, so that it doesn't dry out during cooking. Therefore, it is recommended that lamb cuts from this area be served medium rare or medium, and never well done.
5. Lamb Leg: Although a lamb has four legs, only the two hind legs produce the cut referred to as "leg of lamb". It is a large, lean, and tender lamb cut and can be used whole or subdivided into smaller lamb cuts, which can be prepared in many different ways and are usually cooked using dry heat. The whole, bone-in lamb leg can weigh from five to nine pounds and may be American style (no shank bone attached) or French style (shank bone left on). A whole lamb leg that has been boned makes a compact and tidy roast when rolled (with or without stuffing) and tied or netted to keep its shape. It may also be butterflied (so-called because the deboned, flattened lamb leg resembles a butterfly's shape) for grilling.
How long does your lamb meat keep in the refrigerator and how long does it keep if I freeze it upon receiving it?
Our lamb meat can be kept in the refrigerator for at least 10 days, but ground lamb meat and bones should only be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Our lamb meat can be frozen for up to 6 months in its original packaging.
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