Hardwick Beef: Grass-Finished Protocol

1. Grown in the Northeast:
   All cattle must be raised and finished in the Northeast.



2. Identification:
   All animals in the program should be identified with an ID tag, no later than weaning age (preference is calves tagged at birth). Each animal must have an affidavit that includes breed, age, movement history, veterinary interventions, birth date, weaning date, and ultrasound data. Affidavits must accompany the animals at delivery to the processing plant.



3. Diet:
   Animals must remain on their mother's milk for a minimum of 60 days (preference is for calves to stay on cows for 10 months). Once animals are weaned, their diet will be any combination of grass, legumes/forbs (including Swedes, mangels, beets, etc.), herbs and/or stored feeds made from grass and legumes such as hay or haylage. Animals may be finished on grass or stored feeds. Prohibited in this diet will be grains, corn silage, animal by-products and fish by-products. *Emergency rations of up to 10% of the animals' diet are permitted in case of a natural emergency. These emergency rations must be documented and can include grain and corn silage.



4. Veterinary:
   All veterinary treatments or worming medications must be recorded in a record keeping system. This record keeping system must be available for inspection. Withdrawal periods for medications or wormers must be doubled. No routine antibiotics are permitted. No hormones are allowed in feed or as implants.



5. Treatment of Animals:
   Animals must be handled according to AWI (Animal Welfare Institute) humane handling standards. Humane handling procedures in loading, trucking, and restraint for harvest are required. Efforts must be made to keep the animals as calm as possible throughout the harvest process.



6. Ultrasound:
   Animals can be ultrasounded to determine the following data: Backfat Thickness, Ribeye Area, Percent Intramuscular Fat, and Tenderness Score. An individual animal live weight should be recorded at time of ultrasound (scale weight or heart girth tape weight accepted).



7. Products eligible for inclusion as Hardwick Beef:
   
   o Heifers 16-26 months weighing 550-850 # carcass wt.
   o Steers 16-26 months weighing 550-850 # carcass wt.
   o Bulls 16-24 months weighing 550- 850 # carcass wt.
   o Fat cover must be a minimum of 0.2 inches.
   o Actual Ribeye Area must be a minimum of 10.00 in2.
   o Minimum Percent Intramuscular Fat must be 3.2%.
   o Tenderness Score of 2.5 or less.
   
   


8. Traceability:
   Each fabricated carcass will be traced throughout processing* and will be identifiable back to the individual animals' farm of origin. *With the exception of ground products.