Frequently Asked Questions
We’re Open for In-Person Shopping:
Wednesday 9 am – 12 pm
Friday 12pm – 5pm
Every other Saturday 9 am – 12 pm
Phone: 303-887-9735
Email: Margaret@FlyingBBar.com
Location
Where are you located?
We are located in Strasburg, Colorado, about 40 minutes east of downtown Denver along the Kiowa Creek on a ranch that has been here since 1916.
What’s the easiest way to get to your ranch?
Take I-70 east out of Denver. Take Exit 306, which will go over the highway and put you on CO-36. Continue for about 1 mile and take a left on Yulle Rd. Continue for about 6.5 miles until the road ends at our ranch! Go past the white pasture fence and take a right at the ranch entry. Look for the big red barn!
Beef Products
Is all your beef grass fed, grass finished, and dry-aged?
- Yes, we are certified by the American Grassfed Association (AGA) as a Certified American Grassfed Association producer. In fact, our founder and owner Brad Buchanan is the Vice President on the AGA National Board of Directors. AGA is the gold standard for regenerative ranching and animal welfare with the strictest guidelines anywhere, and their inspection and audit program ensures that all AGA producers are practicing the highest standard in terms of stewardship to the animals, the planet, and our customers. That means our cows don’t eat anything other than grasses; no corn, no grain, no soy, ever! During the winter we feed them hay that we farm ourselves so we always know what is going into our cattle. Remember, you are what you eat!
- You can read the AGA grassfed beef standards here.
- We dry age all of our beef for 14 to 16 days. Dry aging unlocks flavor and allows the meat to tenderize and is one of the keys to the delicious beef we produce.
What breed of cattle do you raise?
We have two different herds. One is a Wagyu/Angus mix and the other is predominantly Angus. The Angus animals tend to have bigger frame sizes (heavier hanging weights) than the Wagyu/Angus mix animals. Wagyu is the breed that is the famous “Kobe” beef from Japan. All Kobe beef is Wagyu. The Wagyu influence does really well in terms of marbling on grass. In addition, they are a very gentle breed.
Do you use antibiotics, hormones, or steroids?
No. But we also won’t let our animals suffer. So, if a cow, heifer or steer needs treatment, they get it. We track any animals who receive any treatments and they are pulled from our certified program so you can be sure that the beef you get is free of any antibiotics, steroids or added hormones.
Are your products organic?
We meet or exceed all organic standards and our beef is independently certified by the American Grassfed Association. Cattle, grass, and sunshine is our winning combination! You can read more about how we do things here.
Where do you process your beef?
We process our beef at Colorado Custom Meat (CCM) in Kersey, Colorado. CCM is regularly inspected for humane animal handling and hold the highest bar in terms of animal welfare. That’s critical to us as we are the stewards and caretakers of the animals and land at our ranch and CCM shares our values when it comes to our slaughter practices and low stress management. CCM is a USDA inspected facility: that means that a USDA inspector is on the floor and inspecting, full time, from slaughter to the butchering process of cut and wrap.
How old are your cattle when they are slaughtered?
Our cattle are processed from 24 to 33 months old. The reason for the variation is that different animals are “finished” at different ages. This has less to do with hitting a certain weight than it does about the condition of the animal. It’s an art form to look at a bunch of cattle and tell which ones are “finished”. We’re pretty good at it.
How do you package your beef?
Our beef is vacuum sealed in individual packages and frozen when you pick it up or when it is shipped. Each package has our Flying B Bar Ranch label on it and is USDA inspected.
How much space do I need in my freezer for ⅛, ¼, ½, and Whole Beef orders?
We created this handy graphic for you to get a sense of how big our cows are! The general rule of thumb is about 20 to 25 lbs of meat for each cubic foot. That’s a lot of beef!
Pork Products
Where do you source your pork?
We have partnered with a family farm that has raised pigs for over 50 years. They are based in Yuma, Colorado.
What breed of pork do you sell?
Our pork is a mix of Duroc, Berkshire, and Mangalitsa pigs that are renowned for their flavor and marbling.
Where do you process your pork?
We process our pork at Colorado Custom Meats (CCM) in Kersey, Colorado. CCM is one of a rare few in Colorado who are certified by Animal Welfare Approved. They are inspected annually and hold the highest bar in terms of animal welfare. That’s critical to us as we are the stewards and caretakers of the animals and land at our ranch and CCM shares our values when it comes to our slaughter practices and low stress management. CCM is a USDA inspected facility, that means that a USDA inspector is on the floor and inspecting, full time, from slaughter to the butchering process of cut and wrap.
Do your pigs receive antibiotics, hormones, or steroids?
No.
How much space do I need in my freezer for ½ and Whole Pork orders?
We created this handy graphic for you to get a sense of how big our pigs are! The general rule of thumb is about 20 to 25 lbs of meat for each cubic foot. That’s a lot of pork!
Cooking
Does grass fed beef taste different than feedlot, corn finished beef that I buy from the grocery store?
A lot of our customers are blown away by the amazing taste of our grass fed beef! Since our cattle eat a varied diet that packs an impressive nutritional punch, that burst of flavor and nutrients directly transfers to the steaks and ground beef on your kitchen table. Brad actually tells first-time customers to smell their very first pack of ground beef before they cook it for the first time; the freshness and sweetness of our 100% grass fed and finished beef will come through that very first “sniff!’ A lot of our regular customers also swear they notice slight taste differences depending on the time of the year, since our cattle get access to different pasture at different points in the calendar.
Does grass fed beef cook differently than beef I've bought from the store?
It does. Grass fed beef fat is a completely different chemical makeup than feedlot, corn finished beef. The important thing to know is that grass fat melts, or renders, at a lower temperature than corn finished fat. That’s important because when you are cooking beef, you’re really doing two things; first, melting the fat and second, cooking the beef. The fat melting part happens just a bit faster with grass fed beef. We strongly recommend using a good meat thermometer when cooking any of our beef or pork. We’re a fan of the meat thermometers from the folks at Thermoworks and Meater. We suggest this because the meat stays tender even when well done, that can fool you if you’re type of grill master that uses the “poking” method. Don’t trust the poke, trust the thermometer, you won’t go wrong.
Is there a temp you like to cook your beef to?
Yes, for the perfect medium rare result cook your meat to 128 degrees, pull it off the grill, tent it with aluminum foil for 5 – 10 minutes and by the time it hits your plate you will be at the perfect medium rare temp.
-
- Pro tip: Beef continues to cook after you pull it from the grill!
Is there a rub/meat spice you really like?
Yes, we love our Flying B “Holy Cow” rub, it’s a concoction of our favorite flavors for our specific cattle and flavors that come from grazing on the riparian grasses along our Kiowa Creek. Other options we like are Pit Barrel Beef and Game Rub, or the easy button solution is McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning that you can get on the spice aisle at the grocery store.
Payments
What forms of payment do you accept?
Our website can accept all major credit cards, and our bulk beef and pork packages can be paid for with credit card or cash at pickup.
Do you accept EBT or SNAP?
Not at this time! We are currently reviewing the program requirements with the USDA and hope to offer this soon.
Shipping
Who do you ship with?
We use FedEx for all shipping.
What days do you ship?
- We ship all orders on Tuesdays and Wednesdays every week. Orders received by 10 am on Wednesday will be shipped out the same week, any orders after 10 am will be shipped out the following week.
Where do you ship to?
We ship to the lower 48 states.
How are your products packaged for shipping?
Our products are shipped in Green Cell Foam insulated boxes with dry ice.
Why can’t I get Free Ground Shipping?
Our Free Ground Shipping covers any address that is within two days by truck of our ranch in Strasburg, CO. Unfortunately, any address outside of that range requires us to ship via FedEx 2 Day Express, and there is a significant cost increase. Any out-of-state order over $150 that requires Express shipping will receive a $20 credit towards shipping costs.
Can I pick up my order at the ranch or do you only ship orders?
You can select “pick up at the ranch” when checking out online and pick your order up directly with us. We do customer pickup times on Wednesdays from 9am – noon, Fridays from 12 pm to 5 pm, and every other Saturday from 9-noon. We can also arrange a mutually agreeable time outside of these designated times.
Where can I buy your products?
Where can I buy your products?
We have opened a new Mercantile here at the ranch. You can come out to the ranch during our open hours and peruse the freezer to pick your cuts. We are open on Wednesdays from 9 am to 12 pm, Fridays from 12 pm to 5 pm, and every other Saturday from 9 am to 12 pm. Lots of folks do this and love it, and we love to see you in person! See our next open Saturday here.
Can’t make it to the ranch?
We can ship individual cuts straight from our ranch to your door! You can get quality beef and pork without leaving your house, or more importantly, without putting on any pants!
Vaccinations
Do you vaccinate your cattle?
Yes, they are vaccinated as calves, when they are weaned off their mama’s milk. No rancher can afford to have a respiratory disease spread through their herd and kill their livestock. Vaccines though, are not antibiotics or steroids or hormones, they keep the calves healthy through the weaning process and avoid the cattle version of pneumonia called Bovine Respiratory Disease.
Do you use mRNA vaccines?
None of the vaccinations are mRNA types, and none are Covid-19 vaccines.
Why we do what we do the way we do it
Does your ranch practice regenerative agriculture?
100% in everything we do. From our year-round cover crops that we plant with compost teas that we make ourselves to our intensive rotational grazing systems, to how we farm, everything we do is focused on our mission to do the best for our cattle, our customers, and our planet. Our cattle get no antibiotics, steroids, or hormones, and our pastures and our hay crops are never sprayed. Our regenerative farming practices are focused on improving our grass and soil and to sequester carbon. This is smart for the planet but in our opinion it’s good business too. By improving our soils our crops and pastures get better every year. Better soil produces more grass which is better for everything and by increasing the organics in our soils we are able to improve the soil output while sequestering more carbon. We’ve been doing this since 2006 and we’ve figured out some things, while most farmers only farm their fields every other year, with a fallow year between, we’ve figured out how to use cover crops and compost teas to keep something growing almost 100% of the time. This keeps moisture in the ground and sequesters more carbon and lets us avoid spraying our farm fields for weed control. We let mother nature do the work, and she’s pretty darn good at it!
What is your approach to animal welfare?
Our focus on animal welfare is second to none, from how we manage the movement of our cattle, to how we work them in the pens, to how we feed them, everything we do is determined through a long-term regenerative and animal welfare filter. Animal welfare is at the core of our mission-based family farm. Margaret is our resident cow whisperer, she can see how our cattle are doing from a distance like no one we’ve ever seen, she’s the Dr. Doolittle of Flying B. That is a huge advantage when in the rare situation where we have an animal that is having a health issue. That said, our herd health is such a priority, we rarely, almost never, need to doctor an animal. That is the true sign of a regenerative ranch.
Do you rotationally graze your cattle?
Yes, during the growing season our cattle move frequently from pasture to pasture, that are broken up into smaller areas called “paddocks” that we separate using poly braid hot wire. This allows the cattle to get to fresh grass every few days and has the additional benefit of them grazing everything in the pasture, including the weeds. We do this because if we graze the weeds then the good grasses will eventually win out and naturally reduce any weeds in our pastures. Additionally, this gives our pastures long periods of time to “recover”, rather than putting a bunch of cattle in one huge pasture that they graze on for weeks or months.
What are your farming practices?
We practice cutting edge regenerative farming here at the Flying B. We produce the majority of the hay that we feed in winter. We use cover crops for weed control. Further, we “continuous crop” all our farm fields and that sequesters carbon as well. We use compost tea to create more organics in our soils to improve soil health. It increases water retention in soil, and creates great plant, insect and animal diversity.
What do you feed your cattle?
Our cattle eat grass on pasture for 2/3 of the year. In the winter they are fed grass hay, triticale and alfalfa. This guarantees that we know everything that goes into our cattle. Remember, you are what you eat eats.