Why Raising Animals on Pasture Matters To Us

November 30, 2020

Pasture-based farming is better for animals, the environment, farmers, and you. At NIKU Farms, we ensure that all of our animals are raised the way they were born to be – free! This is important to us because commercial farms often raise animals stuck in feedlots that seldom have enough space to move around, let alone see wide open fields. Those practices focus on fast production and turnaround rather than the importance of animal wellbeing. Realizing this, we’ve established our standards to partner with farms that only raise animals that are free to roam and graze on pastures every day, soaking in some sunlight with our farmers and enjoying the breeze. Even our pasture-raised chickens have little portable rest-stops – it doesn’t get much better than that!

Animals that graze on pastures help to eat unwanted weeds or bugs in local ecosystems and fertilize fields, allowing for pastures to flourish. By doing so, the increased soil health and foliage growth actually do a significant part in absorbing greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere. As long as farmers carefully monitor animal grazing and maintain even-grazing throughout different pastures, it can have a very positive impact on the environment!

Commercial farming requires a lot of expensive equipment and overhead cost. For small local farmers, large-scale farming is not necessarily a plausible option. Since pasture-farming is all-natural and a circular system, they save a lot on costs and also don’t have any worry about over-complicated machinery. It’s circular because their animals feed on pastures, fertilize, loosen up the soil, and prepare it perfectly for regrowth. The animals enjoy their time on pasture, and nature simply plays its role. 

It’s no secret that animals can feel stressed. While raised in commercial farms in busy atmospheres – it’s not uncommon for animals to develop symptoms of long-term stress. This actually affects the final product and results in less flavour and tough meat. By living happy and healthy lives, animals raised on pasture consistently offer more tender and flavourful meat.
All of our farmers raise their animals on-pasture and with the utmost care. They are small farms who could very likely be your neighbour, or a farm you saw while driving down open roads. Our farmers spend all of their time watching over their animals and work tirelessly to make sure they produce meats of excellent quality. If you’re interested in trying our pasture-raised and grass-fed meats – sign up with NIKU Farms today and order your very first delivery!