Welcome to Guindon Farms
of Cornell, Michigan

Our History & Why You Should Switch to Grass Fed Beef.

Limousin Beef Cattle:

Limousin cattle have a 20,000 year old history tracing back to the Limoges region of France. Although kept secret by French chefs for centuries, the Limousin today is a major cattle breed in the United States. They have the natural genetic ability to trim the fat, yet provide full flavor beef. Several cuts of Limousin beef have been found to be greater than 95% fat free. Health conscious consumers can " Lean on Limousin ". We chose Limousin for the breed of cattle we wanted to raise because Limousin are bred to produce a genetically lean “heart smart” carcass as well as being higher yielding than most breeds.

Guindon's History:
We purchased the family farm in 1986 and as a new, young farm family we had a lot of decisions to make.

We made the choice to farm because we decided it would be a good way to live and raise our growing family

as well as continuing into a fourth generation of family farming. We believe that farming is a way of life even

more than it is a business. It has always been our contention that our integrity is of utmost importance to

Guindon Farms and Delta Meats. As family farmers there is a bond with the land and only good stewardship

will preserve it for the next generation. At a time when bigger is better and the pursuit of profits is more

important than integrity and honesty in advertising we have been more of an exception than the rule.

The move to sustainable farming has been a natural extension of farming principals we have always held but

just didn't realize was part of a movement. It has been exciting to watch the health of the soil improve, the

animals growing well and to know we are making a difference.

As we began to look at the markets available to farmers in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and how we

wanted to farm, we realized we had to make choices about what kind of product we wanted to produce for

our own consumption and offer for sale. We decided from the start not to use hormone implants because

we didn't want to eat meat that contained them ourselves.

In 1988 Matt began a controlled grazing program that allowed us to produce competitive weaning weights without the use of hormones. The controlled grazing immediately showed us the benefits to both the cattle and the land. This began a movement toward sustainable agriculture that has been an ongoing learning process for us. As we sold our “natural” beef and began to find who others shared our concerns for beef production we began to explore a move to organic farming. In 2004 we installed a manure handling system as a means of protecting the ground water and to help us to be good neighbors as well as better utilizing the manure we were already producing to grow our crops without commercial fertilizers. This was one more step toward becoming sustainable.

In 2005 we began to get serious about researching organic farming. Matt talked to many people (including his father-in-law who was an organic farmer before it was a movement) and he read a lot of material. Then in 2007 we attended then Midwest Organic Farming Conference in LaCrosse, WI. Coming back from there we began in earnest the process of certifying our farm and beef production.

Guindon Farms is a fourth generation family farm that has been producing quality beef since 1986. In an effort to expand our market we opened Delta Meats in 1997 retailing “natural” meat from the farm. To us, natural has meant no hormone implants, antibiotic feed and minimal use of commercial fertilizers in feed production. Natural has also meant that animals are born and raised here on the farm. This allows us know the history of every animal and to assure the quality of our meat.

Since spring of 2006 on Guindon Farms all pastures have been managed using only organic practices. We produce all our own hay which we feed during the winter months, again using only organic practices in hay production. Our crops were certified organic by OCIA in 2009, the Livestock and crops were certified in 2010 and the packing house we use, Rainbow Packing, was certified organic for processing Guindon Farms grass fed beef in 2011. This means we will have our first Certified Organic Grass Fed Beef to offer in February of 2012!!!!

We have prided ourselves in producing a consistent, good tasting product. For the last twenty years we have been very close to organic farming practices but had not made the final jump to organic certification until now. This is an exciting time for Guindon Farms but also, a great time to bring our Limousin beef from “Our farm to your table”!

Thanks for visiting us.. see you at the Farmers Market in Marquette.
Read More about the benefits of Grass Fed and Organic Meats from Jo Robinson at:  www.eatwild.com

Contact Us at
info@guindonfarms.com
9111 County 416 H Road Cornell, Michigan 49818
(906) 384-6517

2011/2012