Every animal we raise lives the same life: out on pasture, moved to fresh grass, fresh air and sunshine, no antibiotics, no hormones. The difference between our two lines is what they are fed.
Our organic line is fed only certified organic feed.
Certified organic feed is grown to very high standards:
Growing organic crops produces a premium feed, but it comes at a premium cost. That makes this line a more premium product, and it carries a higher price point.
Our Non-GMO line is fed Non-GMO feed.
Non-GMO feed is not grown to the same rigorous standards as the organic feed:
Standard conventional farming practices are allowed for fertilization, and for pest and weed control.
Growing Non-GMO crops takes genetically modified plants out of the animals’ diet. It also comes at a more economical price, and so a lower price point.
Organic certification is not only about how an animal is raised. It also governs how the meat is handled afterwards. Certified organic product has to be stored and packed apart from everything else, with no chance of the two being mixed up. This ensures that when you are paying for an organic product, you are actually receiving an organic product.
So we store each line in separate freezers at different locations, where they can never be mixed. That also makes it necessary to pack and ship the orders from separate locations. It is why an order on this site holds one line or the other: if we packed both into one box, we could not honestly call the organic half certified. Order each line separately and both arrive exactly as they should.
Everything else – the pasture, the daily moves, no antibiotics, no hormones, the weighing and packing by hand – is identical.