Shop Local: Where and Why to Buy Locally Raised Meat

by Kerri Gaither

The following local farms offer meats raised and butchered right here in Carroll County. Buying locally raised meats allows consumers to actually see where their meat is coming from, while also cutting down on the costs and environmental impacts that often come with large-scale factory farms.   

Homestead Acres, Old Hanover Rd, Westminster, 410-848-7662

Homestead Acres is a small family-run farm that raises registered Lowline Angus Cattle.  They sell natural grass fed beef from their stock. 

Lee Cavey, owner of Homestead Acres explains that he raised grain-fed beef for nearly 30 years, but now is a firm believer in pasture feeding. 

“It seems more people have become interested in where their local meat comes from," Cavey said. "More and more people started asking questions about our meat and our process, I started looking into it myself.”

After learning all about grass-fed cattle, Cavey said he acquired his first herd of Lowline cattle and is now a major advocate of the grass feeding.

“Once I stared with grass-fed, I never looked back.” Cavey said. “Grain fed beef uses corn and lots of different chemicals.  They also often put ear tags in to help the cattle gain weight. Our meat is now grass fed with no antibiotics, no steroids, no chemicals - it is all natural.”

Cavey explains that along with the more natural process, the meat is also healthier and more flavorful.

There is a bit of additional cost for a healthier product however, as grass fed beef takes 25 percent longer to raise.  Cavey describes how, due to the chemicals, tags and steroids given to grain-fed cattle, it may only take them 16-18 months to produce 700 lb. of fat-laden meat.  

Grass-fed cattle on the other hand, take a full 24 months to mature and the cuts produce the leanest meat possible.  Due to the lack of fat on the steer, the animal only yields about 400 lbs. of high-quality, low-fat, flavorful meat, according to Cavey. 

Like many farms, Cavey sells his meat by the quarter, half or whole-quarter which is called a ‘split-side’ and is made up of a little bit of the front and hind quarter.  Cavey understands that people may not be comfortable buying a full quarter of something they have never tried, so he often keeps a quarter on hand for new customers to order in smaller quantities to try. 

For more information visit their website at: http://homesteadlowlines.com/

Deep Run Farms, 3617 St. Paul Rd, Hampstead, 443-340-6231

Deep Run Farms is a 235 acre family-operated farm located in Hampstead.  The farm provides wholesale produce to farmer’s markets and offers locals frozen quantities of wholesale freezer beef.  Deep Run Farms has a small registered herd of about 15 head of ‘elite Hereford Cattle’ as well as a show heifer and steer prospects available.

Deep Run Farms is also part of a community supported agriculture (CSA) program. CSA’s are a popular and rapidly growing method of buying locally grown meat and produce.  To learn more about the advantages of a CSA click here.

Green Akeys Family Farm, LLC, 2301 Cross Section Road, Westminster, 410-857-0357 

Green Akeys is a family farm located in Westminster.  Green Akeys raises grass-fed beef and lamb, pastured pork, pastured poultry, farm fresh eggs and offer a vegetable and meat CSA.

Wagon Wheel Ranch raises grass fed beef, lamb, goats and free range pork in Mount Airy.  According to their website, Wagon Wheel is proud to be a family farm, not a “factory farm”.  The farm is dedicated to raising livestock ‘the way nature intended’ not by ‘cruel and inhumane methods’.

Want to walk in a store and buy locally raised meat? 

Bullock's Country Meats & Farm Market, 2020 Sykesville Road, Westminster, 410-848-6786

Bullock's meat tradition began in 1937 when G. Winston Bullock opened an abattoir and market in Smallwood, just outside Westminster, according to their website. Raised in Carroll County, the Bullock's website says its Angus cattle are corn fed without diet supplements; production and preparation include meticulous home dressing and aging without artificial preservatives; and  meat is U.S. government inspected and is fresh prepared every day.

Do you know other places to get locally raised meat in Carroll County? Tell us in comments. 

Related Articles: 

• I Bought A Cow
• Pick Your Own Produce in and Around Carroll County
• Where to Buy Local Produce Near Westminster