Our commitment to consistently producing quality beef guides every production decision we make. We believe that enhanced safety results as a side benefit to these production practices. While we consider the U.S. beef supply to be safe, we at GRCC are proud of our beef for the magnified safety factors we employ. The key to insuring quality also insures safety – our Source Code. Our unique Source Code permits us to trace each animal from the farm of origin to the end consumer. The Source Code benefits our Quality and Safety in the following ways:
1. When the animals are enrolled in our GRCC monitored feeding program at 6 - 8 months of age, we obtain their date of birth from the source farmer. This provides assurance that cattle are harvested at less than 30 months of age. Age verification under 30 months meets a widely held international standard for beef safety.
2. The Source Code follows the animal throughout its growing period for GRCC and serves to accurately identify it. If transferred from one GRCC Feed Group to another, we can track it. If moved from one GRCC Feeder Farm to another, we can follow its travels. If disqualified for any reason, we can insure its proper transfer into the commodity beef production system.
3. We maintain signed affidavits from GRCC Source Farms and GRCC Feeder Farms in our office. These farm families agree to abide by our humane handling standards, our antibiotic-free production methods and our commitment to no hormonal implants. The Source Code links the animal to both of these farms.
4. We only utilize USDA inspected slaughter facilities and harvest all GRCC qualified animals under USDA inspected slaughter. In addition, we only partner with local Kentucky processors with daily slaughter capacity of 8 – 20 head. This permits one of our GRCC representatives to be onsite at all times during the harvesting of our beef and to insure the proper transfer of the Source Code from each carcass to each cut.
5. How can we say we have "vegetarian cattle"? The Source Code also permits us to track the feed used with each GRCC Feed Group. As a component of our monitored production program, we require not only the farmer to certify the handling and feeding of the cattle - we actually require the feed company. Both the state of Kentucky and the Federal Department of Agriculture inspect each feed manufacturer for compliance with safety standards. We require all providers of feed for our cattle to make these inspection reports available to us at any time.
6. Ultimately, people that care are the best safety factor. Trust must be employed in any system. Because we know our source farmers, we work with our feeder farmers, we have GRCC representatives in the slaughterhouse each day when processing is occurring -- all of these cooperators have earned and continue to earn our trust. Interested customers are welcome to inspect our cattle or beef at any time in the production / processing system. We are proud of our approach to producing safe, quality beef.

Made possible through support from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund.

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