An Easy Choice

Paging through our local paper awhile back, I saw an ad for a sale high-lighting Angus Beef. A more pressing matter called for my immediate attention, and I totally forgot about it.

As time went on, though, I became increasingly alarmed about the quality of our commercial meat supply.

Did I really want to expose my family to all those antibiotics and hormones which are routinely used now in meat production?

It became my mission to find a good local meat source.

Imagine my excitement when once again, I came across that Angus Beef ad. It read something like this, "Our fine quality meat is naturally farm-raised, no added hormones, and locally processed."

No hesitation this time. I was in the car and on my way even before I knew exactly where I was going.

It sounded like a dream come true. It has been!

Vande Boom's Farm is this week's "Favorite Local Pick of the Week"!

Both Roger and Sharon Vande Boom are very committed to their farm and their family. Sharon is your typical soccer mom!

It is obvious that they take a great deal of pride, and rightfully so, in the outstanding quality of their delicious, home-grown meat.

Sharon was kind enough to take time from her hectic schedule to answer a few questions about their local meat operation.

Q1. Sharon, first of all, how did you become interested in raising Angus Beef?

We were looking for another market for our farm, and we knew we wanted it to be beef. We did a market research with the customers who purchase halves and whole pigs from us each year, and they agreed that it should be Angus.

We knew we couldn't go wrong with the flavorful, tender meat that the Angus produce.

By the way, all of our beef is pure 100% Angus!

Q2. Is your farm certified?

We are not certified organic, but we pride ourselves on our hormone-free, "no yuckies", all-natural meat.

We have full quality control over our animal's feed since we raise all the crops on our farm and grind our own feed. Our customers can rely on receiving naturally farm-raised, hormone-free meats.

Q3. In what other ways is your meat different from the standard grocery store fare?

Our meat is 100% Angus. The meat labeled Angus in the stores and at most meat markets only has to have a small percentage of Angus in it to be labeled "Angus". I believe it is only around 8%. Most consumers are not aware of this.

We always tell our new customers to go home, try the meat, and then give us a call. We love to hear their feedback: "It is so tender!" "There is hardly any grease!" "The meat has so much flavor!"

The fact is the flavor of the meat is all in what you feed the animal. To get great tasting meat you need to feed the animal with great high-quality feed.

Q4. What else do you raise on your farm?

Besides the Angus Beef, we also raise all-natural pork. We have been selling halves and whole pork for 15 years now, and Angus for about 10 years.

We sell both Angus and pork off the hoof as well as the same individual cuts of Angus beef and pork that you would normally find in the grocery stores.

Q5. You currently don't have a website. If someone is interested in contacting you to find out more about your meat products what should they do?

We are planning on doing a website in the near future. Until then, if you have any questions or would like our price list, please email us at
vandeboomfarm@hotmail.com

We used to sell our individual cuts of meat for seven years out of our freezer truck at the West Bend Farmer's Market in order to get our name out. Now those same customers along with many local customers buy from our meat sales at our home (next to the farm).

The meat sale takes place once a month on Saturdays from 8:00am-Noon. Feel free to email us for the next sale date. We also sell any time during the evening by appointment only.

Our prices meet and most times beat the prices in the stores because there is no middleman.

I am also looking at labeling our meat in some local food stores as another avenue to market our products.

Q6. Sharon, how does your family manage to do all of this besides your regular jobs and school?

Our business is completely family run. My husband, Roger, and our son, Hunter (12), manage the day-to-day feeding and field work on the farm. Our twin daughters, Halee and Meghan (9), help me with the meat sales along with my mom. I do all the sales and marketing as well as the bookwork.

It is a lot of work, but we have met such a great group of people that we enjoy seeing every month when they come to get their meat.

Thanks, Sharon, for giving us this brief overview of the Vande Boom Farm.

Even though our freezer was pretty full already with several cuts of their meat, I made a special trip over to the Vande Boom Farm's meat sale on Saturday.

This week two big events took place in the life of our family: the announcement of a new grandchild (#2) on the way, and the engagement of our youngest son.

The Vande Boom's sirloin steaks fresh off the grill were the perfect touch for our special family celebration today.

Health-filled and dee-licious! What more could we ask for?