Farm History
Farm History
Ginkgo Farms specializes in raising grass-fed Hereford and Hereford-Angus cross Beef cows in a natural stress-free environment. Our cows do not receive any kind of antibiotic or hormone treatment and are fed and finished on pastures which are completely chemical-free. Ginkgo Farms is located in beautiful Essex inside Essex County just 3 miles west of Lake Champlain, New York. It is comprised of 250+ acres of hay fields, pastures and woods on an escarpment overlooking the mountains of Vermont to the east and the ADK mountains of New York to the west.
Ginkgo Farms cows graze on pastures and eat hay exclusively, the food that best suits their ruminant stomachs. They also range across open pasture from birth to market, rather than live in confinement. This allows them to stay healthy and live free of antibiotics.
Our cows grow naturally, at nature’s pace, without growth-producing hormones. They live outdoors on the Farm’s fields and the woods during spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Hereford
The Hereford is a British breed of beef cattle that originated in the county of Herefordshire, in the West Midlands of England. It has been exported to many countries, and there are more than five million purebred Hereford cattle in over fifty nations worldwide. The breed was first exported from the United Kingdom in 1817, initially to Kentucky,[4] and spreading across the United States and Canada, through Mexico, to the great beef-raising countries of South America. Today, Hereford cattle dominate the world scene from Australasia to the Russian steppes.
The Hereford cattle are hearty, with foraging abilities and a longevity ranging to 15+ years. The bull can weigh upwards of 1,800 pounds, while the cow is 1,200 pounds. They are red-and white in color, with white horns (there is a Polled Hereford variant as well).