Snacks and Sustainability
What do pretzels, chips, and beef cattle have in common?
In 1985, Jim Herr and Dennis Byrne started a cattle operation. It is still active today. It is called Herr Angus Farm.
Today, Herr Angus has over 150 cows. It also has over 600 steers. Steers are cattle that will be harvested for meat when they are big enough. Herr Angus graze their cattle on over 1,000 acres.
Not only do they produce great beef, but they do it sustainably! The Herr family is sustainable by feeding their steers some “party mix.” They use by-products from the Herr's Potato Chip plant to make a part of the steer feed. There are potato chips, popcorn, pretzels, and corn chips in the party mix (yum!). This only makes up a part of the cattle’s diet, which is monitored closely with the help of an animal nutritionist.
By using some of the by-products as feed instead of throwing them away, the Herr family is cutting back on food waste!
Dennis, shared, "We are proud of how we keep our cattle healthy, while also helping the environment." Dennis and his wife, Dottie, are always thinking about what can be done to help the cows and the land. Dennis said, "We have sustainable food for the cows and we recycle water that is used on our hay fields. We are all about sustainability!"
Herr Angus Farms are improving their management practices every day to make sure that they have happy cows and a happy environment.
Want to learn more about sustainability? Check out our Sustainability Lesson
Like this article? Read more in our Snacks Ag Mag!
Want to learn more about beef? Free Resources!
*Photos courtesy of FarmLifePhotos.com
