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Do you ship your products or offer home delivery? Where do you deliver? Is curbside pickup available?
Yes, as of July 2021 we ship frozen meats via FedEx Ground for Home Delivery using insulated containers. Initially we will only ship to midwest states where there is a high likelihood the package will arrive within 1 day - so that is customers in the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Iowa. No shipping available in other states until we have a better idea of transit times for frozen foods. Items available for shipping will be available in our online store and will indicate Shipping as an option. No shipping of orders over 50 pounds, or milk, eggs, or custom meat orders at this time. We will ship only on Mondays and occasional Tuesdays. Online orders received Tuesday through Sunday will usually ship on Monday.
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Do you have a farm store? What are the store hours?
Yes we do have a farm store which is open daily year round, hours are 10 AM - 6 PM on weekdays, and 9 AM - 5 PM on weekends. Items available in the store year round include fresh pastured chicken and duck eggs, raw Guernsey milk, grass fed beef by the cut, and pastured pork cuts, raw local honey, raw milk cheeses, grass-fed organic yogurt, and local organic beans and ancient grains. Seasonal items will include freshly harvested vegetables, pickled vegetables, pastured chickens, and Thanksgiving turkeys. The store is located inside the Brunner Family Forest Preserve, the address is 18N681 IL Route 31, Dundee, IL 60118.
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Is curbside pickup available?
Any order that can be shipped will also be available for in-store or curbside pickup during normal store hours.
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Do you have a price list?
We have hundreds of items for sale in the farm store and the inventory is changing constantly so we do not publish a price list.
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Do you offer farm tours?
Yes, we offer free guided farm tours every Saturday at 2:00 PM, from May 1 - Thanksgiving (except September 10th when we are making hay). Please meet at the entrance to the farm store for your tour guide. These tours will include a hay ride out to the pastures to visit the chickens, pigs, and cows and will take approximately an hour and 15 minutes. You will also see the vegetable plots, orchard, greenhouse, chick brooding area, and the pastures where the chickens, pigs, and cows spend their days. Boots or sturdy walking shoes & long pants are recommended since there is lots of tall grass, bugs, and even some muddy spots at the farm. No strollers will be able to navigate the pasture areas since it it tall grass with uneven terrain. During the winter the Forest Preserve is open to the public and most days you can visit the pigs, chickens, sheep, and cows in their winter quarters from the walking trails.
We also offer private guided tours by appointment only; the cost varies depending on the size of the group and length of the tour. We can accommodate up to 40 people per group on the hay wagon. Please call the farm store at 847-852-7081 or contact us to schedule a private guided tour.
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How can I purchase raw milk?
All milk must be pre-ordered online the day it is to be picked up. Each weekday morning, we update our online store with the amount of milk available for sale that day at 9:30. Milk customers can pre-order up to 2 gallons for pick up that day, and once their online order is completed they may stop by the store any time before 6 PM to pick up their milk order. On weekends, we update the website with available milk at 8:30am, and customers will have until 5 PM to pick up their milk order. Effective February 19th 2023, this is a new system of raw milk purchases which will help avoid the previous long lines every morning and possibility of customers driving to the farm store for raw milk only to be turned away if there is not enough.
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How can I order grass fed beef, pastured pork, and chicken?
We usually have a good selection of grass fed beef and pastured pork cuts available in the farm store year round. This includes a variety of steaks, roasts, ground beef, bacon, pork chops, shoulder roasts, hams, and even hard to find items like beef bones, organ meats, hocks, etc.
We raise chickens on pasture starting in early April through late October. We begin processing first week of June and have fresh chickens available for sale in the farm store through the weekend - these are available for sale frozen during the week. In 2024, we will raise chickens on pasture and supplement with certified organic no-corn and no-soy feed AND batches with regular certified organic feed. Please visit our online store for curbside pick up and shipping availability. Chickens are sold in the farm store on first come, first served basis.
We also sell bulk beef and pork packages, from a 15 lbs. beef/pork sampler all the way up to a half cow/hog. These bulk packages must be ordered online. To reserve a bulk package, please visit our online store. Beef/pork by the cut (steaks, roasts, ground, chops, brats, bones and offal) can be purchased in the store on first come, first served basis. Please scroll down on for info about ordering custom beef or pork.
Once we receive your order, we will call or email you to confirm your order and setup a convenient time for you to pickup your order from the farm or arrange for shipping.
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How can I pickup beef, pork, and chicken orders?
If you order a half or whole hog or beef, you will deal directly with the processor/butcher shop to customize your meat order. Our dedicated beef and pork processor is This Old Farm in Colfax, IN and Nordik Meats in Viroqua, WI. We will contact you shortly before or after we take the animals into the processor so that you can contact them directly with your cutting instructions, such as the thickness of steaks, size of roasts, bone in or bone out, size of packages, etc. After your custom meats are dry aged (beef), cut and packaged, we will arrange for our staff to pick up from the processor and bring it to the farm. After that we will invoice you based on hanging weight of the animal, your incurred processing fees and pick up fee. All the custom meats are picked up at the farm store.
If you order one of the 50 lb. or less beef or pork packages, we will assemble the order and send an e-mail notoc once it is ready for pick up at the farm store. If you chose delivery - we will ship your order (no more than 50 lbs.) via Fedex on Mondays and send e-mail confirmation and tracking information.
All chickens will be processed at Twin Cities Pack in Beloit, WI this year. We bring them back most of the weeks on Thursdays (June thru October) and have them available at the farm store. If you ordered online, we will assemble your order and send pre-alert message once it is ready for pickup at the farm store. If you chose shipping option, we will ship your order (no more than 50 lbs.) via Fedex on Mondays and send e-mail confirmation and tracking information.
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What is involved in purchasing a custom beef or hog order? What are the cuts available?
If you want to order half/whole beef, or half/whole hog, you can select from available butcher dates in upcoming months. We usually butcher beef once month, and hogs every quarter using one of our designated processors, This Old Farm or Nordik Meats. When you order a custom beef or hog you will be able to choose all your cuts.
After the animal is dry aged and cut based on your cutting instructions, butcher will advise us that meats are ready for pick up. We will pay your processing cost, pick up your meats from This Old Farm or Nordik Meats and bring it back to the farm. We will invoice you price per pound * hanging weight of the animal + pick up fee + processing fee + food tax. You can settle your balance upon pick up or via phone prior to picking up.Just prior to us taking the livestock to the butcher, we will send you an email with a sample cutting sheets for your order, as well as contact information for the butcher. You can either email or call them with your cutting instructions, and they will walk you through all the options.
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What is the difference between your pastured/free range eggs and the organic cage-free eggs from the supermarket?
The amount of vegetation - "greens" - they get in their diet. Most organic "cage-free" eggs from the grocery store are produced by hens roaming "free" inside a giant confinement facility, usually along with thousands of other hens. They may be "cage free", but they are certainly not free-range. They may have access to a small yard, but most will not ever go outside during their lifetime. They do eat certified organic feed, but that is the only similarity with our free range pastured hens. Our laying hens spend virtually their entire lives outside on grass, and their eggs tell the difference. Our eggs have a firm, orange yolk from all the chlorophyll in their diets, the grocery store organic eggs will have pale yellow yolks. Our girls forage for natural food sources such as insects, plants, scratching thru cow patties and even consume small rodents to provide them with valuable sources of protein, carbs, vitamins and minerals. In addition to their forage our hens are supplemented certified organic corn and soy free feed (alfalfa, rice, flax, peas, lentils and wheat). It sure shows up with healthier chickens, who lay healthier eggs for health conscious consumers. For a nutritional comparison of pasture-raised eggs vs. conventional factory eggs, see this chart compiled by Mother Earth News.
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Is grass-fed beef healthier for you than grain-fed beef?
Definitely, grass-fed beef is lower in fat and calories. There are a number of nutritional differences between the meat of pasture-raised and feedlot-raised animals. To begin with, meat from grass-fed cattle, sheep, and bison is lower in total fat. If the meat is very lean, it can have one third as much fat as a similar cuts from a grain-fed animal. In fact, grass-fed beef can have the same amount of fat as skinless chicken breast, wild deer, or elk. Learn more about the health benefits of grass fed meats.
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25 lb Grass Fed Ground Beef Pack
Regular price $312.50Regular priceUnit price per -
10 lb Grass Fed Ground Beef Pack
Regular price $125.00Regular priceUnit price per -
15 lb Pastured Pork Sampler - No Nitrate
Regular price $197.00Regular priceUnit price per -
25 lb Grass Fed Beef Slow Cook Sampler
Regular price $315.00Regular priceUnit price per