Farming Traditions

In the bluff country of southeastern Minnesota, a family is carrying on a farming tradition. The Rupprecht’s, Mike, Jennifer and Johanna, own and operate Earth-Be-Glad farm. Their farm site is located at the head of “Rupprecht’s Valley” which was settled by Mike’s great-great grandfather in 1854. Because of erosion and the extensive flooding that followed, Mike’s ancestor had to give up the farm in 1914. It is Mike and Jennifer’s goal to avoid such farming practices and gains have been made in restoring fertile soil to the land “so that our descendants and others can enjoy a place of bounty and beauty.”

Earth-Be-Glad is located near Lewiston, Minnesota, and does not look like a typical farm. Visitors and people passing by will immediately notice the land divided into paddocks. Mike and Jennifer graze their cattle by moving the animals between paddocks daily. Each new area is a fresh “salad bar” for the cows. This carefully managed grazing system provides the least possible impact on the environment.

There are no pesticides used in the pastures and there is virtually no erosion. The pastures have also become home for many varieties of plants and wildlife. More than 15 different plants are seeded in the pastures which have become habitat for grassland birds and other wildlife. There is always one or two paddocks that are not grazed and ground-nesting birds such as the bobolink have made these areas their home. Mike and Jennifer draw on the wild prairie as their model and attempt to imitate the ecosystem of the time when the great herds of buffalo existed.

Free Range and Healthy

On Earth-Be-Glad Farm the cattle do the harvesting and fertilizer spreading. Mike checks on the herd twice a day to make sure that the water pipes and fences are intact and operational. During the winter the cattle are fed stored feed. When weather permits the cows spend time in winter pastures, and extra care is taken to provide shelter from the wind for the animals. All feeds are grown on the farm and stored in the silos. Mike has reduced the amount of pesticides used to one-fourth of the recommended amount. There are no genetically engineered seeds used and the crops are high quality.

Earth-Be-Glad Farm also raises chickens in a similar fashion to their beef. The chickens are free-range and live on a healthy diet of fresh grass and insects. They spend the nights inside to keep them safe from predators. Mike has developed a high quality chicken feed that has become famous in the area, and the chicken tastes terrific.

Sustainable Farming

The farming methods of Earth-Be-Glad Farm create a meat product that is healthy and sustainable. There are no hormones, chemicals, or animal by-products used in the raising of the cattle or chicken, and any “unknowns” are avoided. The outcome is meat that tastes better and is much healthier than factory raised beef. Grass-fed beef have higher levels of Omega 3 fatty acids, CLA’S (a potent anti-carcinogen), and beta-carotene. The threat of e. coli bacteria is lower in grass-fed animals, because the cows are eating what their bodies were designed to eat.

Earth-Be-Glad Farm directly markets their products. “We’re working for a new consumer paradigm in which the buyer of food knows the producer of the food and trusts him/her to provide a clean, nutritious product at a price which provides a living for the producer.” Mike and Jennifer are bypassing much of the conventional food system. As Mike says, “When you buy our food, you’re not only getting a high quality product, you’re getting our guarantee of environmentally responsible farming, humane animal treatment, and a vision for the future of our land.”

Caring for the Land

Earth-Be-Glad Farm beef is available in bulk, by the quarter, half, or whole, or in any quantity as frozen individual cuts. When you buy bulk you can choose the cuts you would like. Chicken is available whole, quartered, or cut up. Purchases can be made at the farm, or the Winona farmers market, and deliveries are an option. Mike and Jennifer also sell garden produce and sweet corn seasonally and popcorn and eggs all year round.

On hilltops that were settled and farmed by ancestors four generations ago, they are making an effort  to take care of the land in new ways. By imitating the ecosystem of the wild prairies, beef, chickens and other wildlife experience lush pastures and healthy habitats. The result is meat products that are healthy and delicious, and environmentally sustainable. Mike and Jennifer believe that “Our goal is to be good stewards of the land and our animals are raised with as much freedom and care as possible.” By maintaining and restoring healthy soil and raising healthy animals, Earth-Be-Glad Farm remains a full-time independent family farm that provides an alternative to corporate factory-style confinement farms.