NEW WEBSITE

We Have Moved!

For updated information and to purchase our naturally raised meats please visit our new website.

We are now able to sell our beef, pork, chicken and turkey online.  You can pay online and then receive delivery on the published delivery dates.

We will keep this blog active for archived information, but we are working on transitioning all of our current content to our new site.

Thanks and have a great day!

Bryce & Jen

Fall/Winter Meat CSA Shares now available for Crystal Lake, IL families

For the first time, Riemer Family Farm is offering a meat CSA! CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, which is a fairly common structure used by vegetable farmers.  Our CSA is a subscription for 6 months of delectable, naturally raised, farm fresh meat directly from our farm to your table. 

Each month, you will receive a large or small share, depending on your preference.  It will contain a variety of familiar and easy-to-prepare cuts.  Beef, chicken and pork make up the majority of each share, but we will occasionally include lamb chorizo or gyro spiced lamb brats from our friends at Sandhill Family Farms.  To ensure the best possible meat share, we may include meat from partner farms with equally high standards of animal care.

You have the option of a large share which is 20-22#, or a small share, consisting of 10-11# of meat. Your meat share will be delivered to Crystal Lake United Methodist Church on the 3^rd Thursday of the month 4 - 6 pm from Sept.-Feb.

The price for a large share is $700 and a small share is $370. Payments are due by September 1^st or two equal payments due September 1^st & December 1^st. 

Benefits to CSA Members: No need to pay high prices for lower quality meat at the supermarket. Know that each month you will receive local, wholesome & tasty meats that are safe for your family. Get to know your farmers, ask questions, receive newsletters, recipes, serving suggestions and be the first to know about specialty products and farm activities.

Benefits to Us: We get to know you and hear your valuable suggestions! We share the bounty of our farm with those who care about locally and sustainably raised food. We receive up-front cash flow to help us continue producing excellent meat for you. We are able to have a consistent market and delivery schedule.

All of our animals are raised free of antibiotics, steroids, hormones, and animal byproducts! Our animals are on grass when possible, are always treated humanely, have constant access to the outdoors and are fed rations of our naturally raised grains.  Happy animals = tasty meat. We process our meat at local family-owned butcher shops.

The content and weight of your shares will vary depending on the total value of the included meats.  A large share would feed a family of 4-6 people and a small share is a good option for couples or families that do not eat as much meat. A small share would contain approx. half the contents of a large.

Sample Large Share: 20-22#

5# whole chicken

2-Rib-eye beef steaks

1-Sirloin beef steak

3# Beef Chuck Roast

3-1# packages of Ground Beef

1# Fajita or Stew Meat

3# Pork Shoulder Roast or Ham

1# Bacon

1# Pork Brats

2# Pork Chops

Please click here to go to our website.  You can check your order out from our new website via PayPal online or mail a check.

Beef available this month

We have four quarters of beef available right now! They went to the butcher today and are awaiting your custom cutting order.  You can get your beef cut into the size and thickness or steak you would like, size or roast, amount of ground beef, patties, wieners, fajita meat (see below) and many specialty items.

Contact us via phone, text or email if you are interested in snagging up one of these quarters or if you would like a smaller box or bundle order this month.  

Have an excellent 4th of July Holiday!

Baby Chicks Have Arrived

The Riemers now have 200 little meat chickens living in our garage!  

These chickens are not only cute, but by August they will also be available for your grill! Our chickens are raise in the brooder (garage) for 3-4 weeks under heat lamps until their feathers come in and then are moved to a fenced pasture for the remainder of their time.  They are rotated through several paddocks so that they always have access to fresh grass. We are using the day range model this year so that we don't have to "herd" 200 chickens every night!  They are out during the day in their large paddock surrounded by electric netting and have a bedded shelter available 24/7 for shade and sleeping. They will eat grass, but the bulk of their diet will come from natural non-medicated, non-GM chicken feed from our local feed supplier. 

See our "Pastured Chicken" page for details on pricing and availability.

Spring Photos from the farm

Here are a few fun photos of kids and animals from Riemer Family Farm

Kids + friends = some sort of harmless farm gang!

Two girls feeding Spring the "Baby Cow" and the other hanging out in a tree.  These pictures are a bit like a "Where's Waldo" page.

Our Berkshire piggies playing with one of their favorite toys. LOG!

Mama caring for her calf

First harvest!

Lock in 2013 Prices by April 1...NO JOKE

In order to stay financially sustainable into the future we need to raise our prices this year.  Please see our "Price List" page for details.  We also have information about our products on the "Beef Availability" page. Want to know how we raise our animals? Click on our "About our Beef" page above.

We work hard, love our farm and do our best to bring you sustainable, natural beef at a reasonable price. Please contact us by phone, email or our Facebook page.  We love hearing from our customers!

Enjoy the spring warm up!  We sure are! 

Bryce, Jen, Elli, Kalena and Caroline

Riemer Family Farm Takes to the Sky!

These wonderful shots of our farm were taken by a Chicago area customer back in early December.  They came and picked up their meat right in their little cessna. Who says cattle can't fly?

The Biggest Hill On Our Farm Is Our Septic Mound

We call it Mt. Poop.  It's really just a long bump in the side yard, but it's the highest grade of a hill on the whole property.  We use it to sled on sometimes, but when the conditions are right and daddy has time...who needs a hill?

Bryce pulling the two big girls behind the Yamaha Grizzley (Thanks to uncle John at Gieson Motorsports in Rock Falls, IL for a killer deal)!

Oliver even got in on the action.

You still back there?!

Finish it all off with some hot cocoa!

We love the 4-wheeler!  We even tried to get it stuck!  Who needs a snowmobile?

Enjoy the snow!

Caring for Livestock in the EXTREME Cold

When the temperature drops below zero you suit up, do chores and don't complain.  When the real feel temp is around -50 you take notice!

We have to take extra measures to care for the cattle and chickens when extreme cold spells hit, and it's all about More! One reason we love our Hereford cattle is that they are very cold hardy and seem to have enough sense to take shelter when it's extreme outside.

Pedro with "The Girls" eating lots of extra hay

Cattle: More warm dry fodder (stalks from corn or soybeans) bedding, more hay and more trips to the water trough.  Bryce and Loren recently placed an extra hay wagon in with the cows.  Cattle eat approximately 20% more when the temperatures drop below 20 degrees. I imagine they are eating a much higher volume of feed today. We also spend a lot of time taking stock pots full of hot water out to thaw frozen water troughs.

We have three paddocks near the barns and each paddock of animals has plenty of access to the barns where they can go in and hunker down in the fodder.  On days like this I pray that their instinct to stay close and share body heat is strong. We also pray that it warms up so that we have enough hay to make it all the way to spring.

Chickens with two heat lamps and extra bedding

 Chickens stay in their coop when the weather is insane like this.  I used to open their trap door and wait for them to come out, but they just laughed at me! They currently have two heat lamps and we use the "deep bedding method" to keep it clean and create a bit of heat.  Deep bedding works much like a compost pile.  I thoroughly clean the coop each spring (not a fun job), we then lay out new wood chip bedding.  As the bedding gets dirty we lay down more new wood chips on top of the old ones and continue putting new chips on top of old until in mid winter we have a nice deep pile about 18" -2 feet deep.  The chips and manure on the bottom decomposes slowly and releases some heat which keeps the coop surprisingly comfortable on cold days.

Chickens roost close together in the rafters at night to take advantage of the rising heat the the chicken to chicken warmth. As you can see I have a heat lamp right next to the water to keep it partially thawed.  It has been working fairly well since our heated water tank broke. Chickens also eat a lot more feed in the extreme cold.

We even have one smart cat who lives under a heat lamp in the coop right now. I still need to figure out a trick to keep the eggs from freezing and cracking!