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Intermountain Farm & Ranch, Friday, August 12, 2005

By Benjamin Gisin

Century farm travels a new/old road

Soda Springs couple put cattle, sheep on healthy diet for best meat

Soda Springs-John and Lori Lau represent the fifth generation working land on a ranch that had its beginnings back in 1882. This centruy farm, with 123 years of Lau family history, constists of 1,100 acres five miles north of Soda Springs.

After considerable research and investigaton, the Laus decided to raise their beef and lamb without hormones, antibiotics or feed additives. Most of the feed is grown on the farm, including alfalfa, sainfoin and grass mixtures and oat hay.

The Laus say this diet creates meat high in Omega-3 essential fatty acid, Vitamins E and A and high in Conjugated Linoleic Acid, a cancer-fighting, heart healthy nutriet. The slow, steady growth of grass-fed animals means they are naturally lean, and contain less than half the total fat of grain-animals.

"Our meat tastes just like meat that Grandpa used to raise," Lori Lau said. "Our ranching practices are almost identical to those of 100 years ago when everything was done naturally."

Marketing under the Lau Family Farm Label, the Laus sell directly to consumers. Each week the Laus trek to farmers markets in Pocatello and Logan, Utah. They make monthly stops in Idaho Falls outside the Wealth of Health on Woodruff Avenue and in Ogden, Utah outside the Pizza Runner. The Laus also take orders over the phone and via e-mail.

Direct marketing takes a lot of work. Days may start before 5 a.m. and go till late evening when they sell at farmer's markets.

Raising feed and livestock coupled with marketing efforts takes the full-time attention of both John and Lori. The Laus stay connected with other ranchers and may buy calves that were raised in similar fasshion to assure their customers a continuous supply of quality meat.

To meet the varying needs of their customers, the Laus fill orders as small as one steak up to a whole beef or lamb. The animals are processed when they are in top condition to provide the best quality meat possible. The meat is dry aged to promote tenderness and enhance flavor. The animals are taken to UDSA-inspected plants for processing, then vacuum-packed and frozen to prevent loss of quality. The Laus' operation consists of 55 red Angus/Hereford cross mother cows and about 80 Columbia ewes. One of the Laus' goals is to minimize stress on the aimals whenever possible. This reduces the likelihood of health problems and increases the quality of the end product.

The Laus are part of a growing trend where quality-conscious consumers are connecting directly with farmers who are working to provide more natural foods while reducing their environmental footprint.

For more information on the Lau Family Farm call (208) 547-3180, e-mail: lorianne@laufamilyfarm.com or visit their Web site: www.laufamilyfarm.com