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BEDFORD BULLETIN:

Cattle operation to be center stage at farmer’s open house

 

By John Barnhart

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 1:14 PM EDT.

The Colemans own Mountain Run Farm in the Sedalia area. They started the farm in 1991 as a typical cow/calf operation. They sold the cattle at auction and weren’t involved in finishing them. They never knew who ate the cattle they raised. That changed in 2001 when they began to finish some of their cattle, have them processed by Smith Valley Meats where it is subject to USDA inspection, and sell the meat retail. Starting last summer, they became a regular at the Bedford Farmers’ Market Tasty Tuesdays. They’ve got a mailing list, which currently has 300 names on it. Ben Coleman said that, presently, 100 families buy all their meat from them. Although they still primarily send cattle to market for finishing, they now know who is eating some of their cattle and the people buying the meat know the farmer who raised it. Coleman notes that this also means that they have to stand behind their product. If some family gets some meat that they aren’t happy with, they know who to come talk to.

“If I sell one thing that is not good, I can ruin everything I’ve done,” Coleman said.

Coleman has a bachelor’s degree in business and an associate’s degree in livestock. He said that he was taught the commercial industrial system for raising livestock which, he believes is flawed. He wants to do the process differently. All his cattle, for example, are grass fed in pastures, rather than finished in feed lots. He sells chicken, too. He buys chicks, shipped to him through the mail, and processes 200 chickens per month for five months each year. The chickens are raised free range, with the food they find supplemented with grain. The fact that they are not crowded means that he doesn’t have to use hormones or antibiotics. The same is true of the turkeys he raises. He has 60 this year. Coleman raises the same breeds of chickens and turkeys that other commercial producers do, but he believes that his more traditional approach produces a much better bird for his customers

Coleman slaughters the chickens at the farm and this produces a byproduct. What do you do with it? Coleman’s approach was to stock his pond with catfish and feeds them the chicken entrails. Catfish like stuff like that. This allows him to sell farm-raised catfish fillets. Along with beef, chicken, turkey and catfish, the Colemans sell pork. Like the chickens and turkeys, the pigs are also free range. He pastures them and leaves them free to be pigs, rooting and wallowing, rather than being in pens. What they find to eat in the pasture is supplemented with grain.

Coleman believes that all of this results in a healthier animal, which results in better meat.

Mountain Run Farm also does something that is near and dear to the hearts of USDA representatives, as well as the Peaks of Otter Soil and Water Conservation District. Coleman has fenced his creeks so his cattle can’t get in them. USDA representatives note that this improves bovine health. In addition to being susceptible to hoof rot, cattle that spend time in creeks, and drink from them can be infected by a sick cow upstream. The soil and water people like the idea that keeping cattle out of creeks helps keep a farm’s soil out of the water.

The Colemans welcome visitors.

“We have school groups and families daily,” he said.

They’ve also been part of the regular Bedford County Farm Tour and, this year, they are sponsoring a tour of their farm on their own. The Mountain Run Farm Tour is Saturday, Aug. 4, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Coleman said that they will have lunch available, featuring their own beef barbecue. Ben Coleman will take visitors on a walking tour, explaining what he is doing. They will go to each type of animal he raises and Coleman will talk about it. There will be locally grown vegetables for sale and baked goods and rides on a bateau replica. Along with farming, Coleman is interested in living history. The bateau replica lets people see how commerce moved on the James River two centuries ago. He’s also a Civil War reenactor and took part in this year’s Battle of Liberty as a Confederate soldier.

And, there will be bees. Coleman has some bee hives on the farm and an experienced bee keeper will be on hand to tell visitors about the busy little insects.

For more information, and directions, call the Colemans at (434) 299-5193.

The Colemans’ cattle will be among the farm animals that will be seen Saturday

Copyright © 2007 Bedford Bulletin