Grass fed beef - Learn more about our organic meat farm
Direct from farmer to your door. Free from chemicals and ethically produced with contented animals.
Following is a series of FAQs about our grass fed beef, our farm, and our processes. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Beef
You can take your choice of cuts or pick up pre-ordered packs at the Capital Region Farmers Market in Canberra every Saturday morning. We are also at the Carriageworks Farmers Market in Sydney on the second Saturday of the month. Find market locations here: www.capitalregionfarmersmarket.com.au and www.carriageworks market.com.au
Yes, we usually have our full range of cuts at the Canberra and Sydney farmers’ markets. Here you can choose individual packets, a steak or two, a roast, or small packets of mince or sausages.
Bulk packs are an easy and economical way to buy. Just email, see us at the market or place an online order here.
No, you need to pick them up from the Capital Region Farmers Market in Canberra, or the Carriageworks Farmers Market in Sydney. Drop-off points along the M5 on the second Saturday of the month can be organised as we return home from the Carriageworks markets. Deliveries for bulk-buying groups can be arranged by request.
At this time we cannot accomodate requests for customers to collect orders at the farm. Please understand we are a busy working farm!
The eighth pack requires about 40 litres (3 standard shopping bags). The variety pack is approximately 1.5 shopping bags and the Summer Variety pack fits into about one shopping bag. We suggest that for chest freezers, you store meats together that have similar cooking methods in a cloth bag. That way it is easier to lift out and find what you want!
When we receive your order, we will send you an email confirming that we have your order and when we can supply. A few days before the arranged day, we will pack your order and send you an email with the invoice that details exactly what is in the pack and the final weight and cost. You can pay by cash or eftpos (1.5% fee) on pickup or by bank transfer beforehand.
Yes, you get all the cuts listed in the pack. You cannot pick and choose which cuts you want from each pack. You can order extra mince and sausages if desired. These are at the market rate per kg, not the pack rate.
Yes, every packet of beef is labelled exactly as at the farmers’ market, with the name of the cut and the weight. It is fully butchered and packed – the steaks are usually two per bag, slices (eg topside, round, blade) one per bag, one roast per bag (1-1.5kg) mince 500 – 700gms per bag, thin sausages 10 per pack, thick sausages 6 per pack.
We freeze all our beef at the butcher as soon as it is cut up. It is packed in bags, sealed, weighed, labelled and immediately deep frozen. This retains the quality of the meat and takes the load off domestic freezers that are designed to store frozen goods – not freeze large quantities quickly. The meat is always stored and transported frozen. The heavy duty bags protect from freezer burn and maintain the quality of the beef. Mince and sausages are packed in standard freezer bags.
When you are ready to use some meat, remove from the freezer, remove from the plastic bag and thaw in the fridge for 1 – 2 days depending on size. We are usually not that organised and thaw on the kitchen bench! Be sure to cook quickly once the meat reaches room temperature. The mince and sausages have no preservatives added so best to use these immediately on thawing. You can thaw faster if you choose, but slower methods are best to maintain tenderness.
In a freezer running at -18 degrees, the beef will last at least until the use by date on the label, which is 12 months from the date of processing. Mince and sausages have a shorter life (9 and 6 months respectively).
You’ve got beef on hand when you need it. If you don’t regularly go to the farmers market you needn’t run out and have to resort to “supermarket meat”!
It’s also a little cheaper.
Those without the freezer space and who can’t/don’t want to share a pack with someone else.
Those who want to use only a few cuts of beef and don’t want to change that. To take full advantage of a bulk pack, you have to be prepared to match the cooking method to the type of cut, otherwise, you might be disappointed with the results. See our website for information on the different cuts of beef and recipes.
Slaughter and Processing
All of our beef comes from cattle that are slaughtered in a government licensed facility. Australian standards are adhered too, and all cattle are stunned before slaughter.
All of our cattle are taken to the abattoir in cattle transport vehicles. We use a local carrier that we trust.
Australia has a nationwide cattle identification scheme using electronic eartags or stomach boluses. Each number is unique, and no other animal in Australia has the same number. The eartag is scanned and the number recorded against the processing number of the body. The bodies are marked with a computer generated sticker and a tag is also tied on. The abattoir sends us an email with the relevant numbers and other details. We record all eartags as calves, and also scan the eartags before the cattle leave the farm and so can pick up any discrepancies if they were to occur. To date, we have never had any discrepancies.
The carcasses are brought from the abattoir in refrigerated trucks to the Braidwood butchery which is fully licensed with the NSW Health Authority. All aging, butchering and packaging is done there, usually with Sue on labeling and packing.
Yes, all carcasses are dry aged for at least two weeks before butchering. We never “wet age” (at fridge temperature inside airtight plastic packages).
The Cattle
No, never. All of our cattle are born and raised on on Greenhill and only graze our pasture. We rotationally graze the cattle and plan the moves several months ahead. If we feel that the pasture is not growing fast enough for whatever reason (usually lack of rain!) we will reduce cattle numbers rather than supplement with grain.
Cattle have evolved to eat grass and feeding cattle grain is detrimental to the health of us, the environment and also the cattle themselves.
The fatty acids in grass-fed beef are mainly the omega 3 and 9 kind, as found in fish and olive oil.
Greenhill farm is certified DEMETER biodynamic with the Biodynamic Research Institute (BDRI), one of 6 organic/biodynamic certification body approved by the Australian government. Biodynamics is essentially organics (no synthetic chemicals etc) plus additional use practices and preparations to enliven the soil. Some refer to biodynamics as “advanced organics”.
We rarely get sick animals, and we think the reason is the way we manage them and the pasture they eat. However if an animal is in need of veterinary treatment, it gets it. We do not let any animal suffer if it needs a treatment that falls out of the organically allowable medications. That animal is then kept in “quarantine” for double the withholding period specified for the drug used. It can then return to the herd, but it never enters the organic chain. Some of our animals are sold into the conventional market for various reasons, and any treated animal is sold in this way.
Yes, every animal that is processed as Greenhill beef is born and raised on our farm. We do not buy in any animals that end up as Greenhill beef.
No. All our beef is from cattle that have never received any vaccination.
Contact Us Today
If you're looking for the best advice about grass-fed beef, contact Greenhill Farm on 02 6238 0203.
