FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is All-Natural, 100% Grass-Fed meat and how is it raised?

Our cows and calves freely graze a variety of Wyoming’s lush and biodiverse native grasses most all year long, walking and eating what they choose. Did you know high-altitude grasses contain a higher protein content with more nutrition for the animal? When our cattle come off of the range in late fall, they come home to winter on our non-GMO pastures, where they free-range graze and are provided supplemental winter feeding of hay (that we harvest and preserve from our summer fields.) We wean the calves right across the fence from their mothers, allowing them the comfort of being near family while they easily transition off of milk. The calves continue to graze our fields and drink artesian spring water. We do NOT implant any growth hormones to make them grow faster. We do not give them any vaccines. We do NOT feed them anything laced with antibiotics like the majority of feedlots. Being raised all-natural means freedom, free-choice forage, and less stress.

Our lamb is sourced from the ranch Dixie grew up on in Southwest Wyoming (still owned and managed by the family) and then grass-finished with us. Our bison is sourced from Colorado White River Ranch (managed by Zeke’s Veteran father) where they graze year-round on lush meadow grasses. Our lamb and bison are grass-fed and grass-finished and come from our family that shares our philosophies on animal husbandry.

What breed of cattle do you raise?

We raise Black Angus cattle and our herd is selectively bred for disposition and quality meat yield. The Angus breed has strong maternal instincts, superior milking capacity, calving ease, great growth and fleshing ability and a docile nature. Angus beef is considered healthy with its high content of protein, amino acids, minerals, omega 3s, vitamin B12 and B6, zinc, iron and low cholesterol. Black angus cattle have naturally abundant marbling that makes the most tender, flavorful beef!

Are your animals treated humanely?

Absolutely! Our cattle spend their entire lives under our care, living a low-stress, natural lifestyle. Our sheep and bison come from ranches (operated by our extended family) that share our values. Our animals spend their days surrounded by “friends and family” eating free-choice grass, drinking clean artesian spring water and exercising with plenty of fresh air and sunshine!

Do you use antibiotics?

Antibiotic stewardship is something we take very seriously. Not only are we committed to protecting the health of our animals, we are committed to protecting the health of your family. Did you know that many large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and feedlots routinely administer a “blanket treatment” of antimicrobials in feed, water and/or by injection? We believe that to be an irresponsible management practice that only cares about profit and disrespects the individual and natural health of the animal.

We never use any antibiotics or other medication routinely. We have strict herd health practices in place to ensure we use antibiotics only if absolutely necessary. If we have a sick animal, we would do everything possible to help minimize pain or suffering, including administering life-saving medicine when a veterinarian deems it necessary. In the rare case that we need to treat an animal for illness or injury, we would follow all product withdrawal times and more. Please rest assured, we would never harvest an animal not 100% healthy!

Do you vaccinate your animals?

No, our animal products are NEVER vaccinated.

We cannot justify use of any vaccination in our beef calves because their risk and exposure to disease is very low.

We do not use mRNA vaccines (there are currently no mRNA vaccines available for livestock and even if there were, we would not use them).

BANGS Vaccination – We (and all other ranchers) are required by federal law to vaccinate our breeding cows for brucellosis, which spreads between wildlife, livestock, and humans, and causes late term abortions. This vaccine is only given once to our breeding cows when they are heifers (young female cattle before their first calf) to ensure protection in future pregnancies. This vaccine is not given to our calves intended for harvest. Our lambs and bison are also completely vaccine free.

Do you give your animals growth hormones?

Never! We don’t believe in using artificial growth hormones or steroids. Did you know some calves are implanted up to three times in their life with a growth hormone given at branding (3-months old), when they are weaned (6-8 months old) and again (sometimes only a week later) when they go to a finishing feedlot! This is done to force the animal to gain weight fast and be harvested earlier, requiring less time on feed and fewer resources per pound of meat produced, but growth hormones actually cause tougher meat in a final product. We care that our animals are allowed to grow naturally; it may take longer to get a finished product, but we believe it to be the most humane for them and the best for your final meat product.

Are there any additives to your meat?

No! With us you are getting 100% natural meat products, … unlike store-bought meat that might use additives for a red appearance, preservatives, flavor enhancers like MSG, fillers, binders and extenders. Did you know conventional ground meat might contain the DNA of more than 1000 animals? Some grocery stores also use deceptive tactics like regrinding frozen course meats with their fresh scrap cuts to make “custom” patties to which the Code of Federal Regulations allow binders and extenders -like soy protein isolate- to be added to help the meat go further and lower the cost of the product. Yikes! We would not want to feed that to our family or yours. Our meat products are one ingredient and single-source from one animal!

At what age are your animals harvested?

Our beef is harvested at around 12 months of age. (Unlike other direct-to-consumer ranches that sell old cull-cow meat.)

Our Lamb is harvested at around 11 months of age.

Our Bison is harvested at around 18 months of age.

With us, you know you will be getting an animal harvested in its prime, flash-frozen after dry aging to ensure meat products of peak nutrition.

What is dry-aging?

Dry aging is a natural process that tenderizes the meat, concentrates flavors and removes water. When you purchase our ground beef or ground bison, you are not paying extra for the water weight (up to 30% of its weight!) like some conventional grocery store ground meat. We have found grass-fed meat needs a 10-day dry aging window for optimum flavor and tenderness before it is packaged and flash-frozen, ready to ship to your door!

What is your shipping policy?

When your meat is ready, you will be notified and sent a final invoice.

Once the order has been placed and final payment is made, we cannot guarantee that it can be canceled or updated, including shipping address updates. Buyer is responsible for providing the correct shipping address at the time of purchase. Please verify that all of your information is correct at the time of check out.

We ship your meat frozen in a sturdy cardboard box with recyclable/compostable insulation and dry ice. We work closely with Fed-Ex/UPS to ensure quality service and timely deliveries. You can choose free standard shipping (2-3 days) or you may pay for expedited shipping. You will be notified when your package has shipped and given your tracking number. We are committed to ensure your order arrives in the freshest condition possible, directly from our ranch to your doorstep!

What does your 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed mean?

With us you are getting a Rancher’s promise of quality and care! We put a lot of work into our products, growing and sourcing only the best grass-fed, free-range and humanely raised meat. We package your order with the same loving care we put into making it! You are putting a lot of trust in us and we want you to be a customer for life. If our product doesn’t meet your expectations, we will gladly make it right!

Returns/Refunds

At Real Red Meat, we strive to provide you with the highest quality products and exceptional customer service. As part of our commitment to transparency and quality, we want to ensure our customers understand our refund policy.

All deposits for bulk meat are non-refundable. These deposits are integral to our operations and are used to facilitate the finishing and harvest of your sustainably-raised meat. We appreciate you understanding that these deposits enable us to maintain the integrity of our farm-to-table model.

We carefully review refund requests; refunds will be issued on a case-by-case basis. We are committed to ensuring our customers are satisfied with their purchase and encourage open communication for any issues.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of food products and USDA food safety standards, we cannot accept product returns. We prioritize the safety and quality of our products and adhere to strict hygiene and food safety standards.

Our team is committed to ensuring your satisfaction and we will do our best to address any problems promptly!

In the rare event that your meat arrives thawed, please immediately take photos and temperature of the meat at arrival. All orders ship frozen with dry ice. Meat may thaw slightly during shipping. However, it is safe to consume as long as it feels cool to the touch and remains under 40 degrees Fahrenheit, according to USDA frozen food handling guidelines.

Meat is shipped with dry ice. It is the recipient’s (your) responsibility to exercise caution when handling dry ice. Do not touch dry ice with bare hands. Only handle when wearing gloves. Do not place dry ice in the freezer. Set it outside and it will soon sublimate.

If your shipment arrives with items missing or damages, please let us know ASAP! We want to make it right!

Photo Disclaimer + Copyright

The product images shown are for illustration purposed only and may not be an exact representation of the product. Real Red Meat reserves the right to change products, product images and specifications at any time.