Subscribe & Save 5% now + get Free Ground Beef with every order over $149 Learn more HERE

Why we are doing it

written by

Dustin Schnabel

posted on

August 2, 2023

    ZOE Farms and my family are synonymous.  It's Erin, Sierrah and Morgan and me.  The reputation of our business is our own reputation.  This is why I want to make it clear what our intentions are with our expanding dry-aged beef program.  

     To a casual observer, this may appear as a tactic to make more money.   After all, the prices are roughly 25% higher than our regular beef.  I want you to know right now, up front, that this is not happening.  By the time we calculate losses with shrink and waste (the outer moldy crust layer, the "pellicle" is thrown away), we are making the same profit as all the other beef.  Believe me - we sell enough of our existing beef already as soon as it is butchered. We do not need to wait sixty days to sell it for more!  

    So, why are we doing it?  

    At first, it was about taste.  The controlled process of dry-aging beef for more than 45 days does two things: 1. Tenderizes the meat.  2. Enhances flavor.   When I first dove into this, I was going for a better tasting steak.   Success.  More tender and richer flavor. 

    I began to feel a bit guilty about the endeavor, though, because I felt like I was wasting all this time and resources to simply chase a better taste.  Epicurious, the ancient Greek philosopher, said that the meaning of life is to pursue pleasure. I have nothing against pleasure, don't get me wrong.  That said, ZOE Farms is not founded on the pursuit of pleasure.

    If ZOE Farms is to invest in something, there must be a deeper reason to justify the allocation of time and resources.  This bothered me for a few months, then it dawned on me one day... "I'm not changing this meat, nature is!"  I am not systematically jiggering with the chemicals of salt, fat and sugar to predictably create a human craving reflex.  This ain't a candy bar -- this is a purely grass-fed piece of meat being transformed into something better by natural methods.  

    When this light bulb turned on, I immediately asked Erin to find any literature that studied the effects of dry aging (she does all the research!)  BINGO - she found several studies that explained what was happening molecularly to the meat.  Both of us were blown away.... This stuff doesn't just taste better, it is better for us! 

    It was at that moment when Erin and I both agreed - we stumbled into something wonderful.  Our beef dry-aging program is solely focused on sharing a better way to eat meat.  Our pursuit is not increased profit. It is not about increased pleasure -- This, my friends --- this is our search for an increasing connection to the life around us through the food we consume.  

Thank you for reading - Dustin

Erin captured the video below as we were driving home from the butcher. It was heavy on my mind and I'm thankful she turned on the camera.   

More from the blog

Driving Deeper: Regenerative Farming Below the Soil

Driving Deeper: Regenerative Farming Below the Soil

Regenerative Farming Starts Underground People often ask what I’m most passionate about when it comes to farming. The answer surprises them. It’s not cattle genetics. It’s not the business. It’s not even livestock management I love all of these aspects of what we do, but my deepest passion is soil food web biology. Because that’s where regenerative farming actually begins. It's the foundation from which everything else is built.  If the biology in the soil is broken, nothing above ground will truly thrive. You can put animals on pasture, rotate them beautifully, and use all the right buzzwords—but if the living system underground isn’t functioning properly, the whole thing is mostly optics. Real regenerative agriculture starts with the biological economy inside the soil. This only exists in healthy, well managed land. Microbes are eating, or being eaten. When this cycle is functioning well, the plant's ability to create more energy from photosynthesis put on turbo-charge!  The Soil Economy The easiest way to understand soil biology is through economics. Think of soil like a functioning marketplace. Plants are the primary investors. Through photosynthesis, they convert sunlight into sugars. A large portion of those sugars—sometimes 20–40% of what the plant produces—is released into the soil through the roots. Those sugars are the currency of the soil economy. They feed bacteria and fungi living around the roots. In return, those microbes perform services the plant cannot do alone. They mine nutrients from minerals, break down organic matter, and transport nutrients and water through microscopic fungal networks. But the economy doesn’t stop there. Protozoa and beneficial nematodes graze on those microbes. When they consume bacteria and fungi, they release nutrients—especially nitrogen—in plant-available forms right where the plant needs them - when the plant needs them. This constant cycle of investment, trade, and consumption is what scientists call the soil food web. And when that biological economy is functioning well, plants gain access to a much broader spectrum of nutrients than they could ever pull from soil on their own. The Difference Between Slogans and Proof There’s a lot of talk about regenerative farming right now. Pasture photos. Buzzwords. Marketing slogans. But real regenerative agriculture requires something more. Measurement. On our farm, we don’t just put cattle and chickens out on pasture and assume everything is working the way it should. We monitor the biology underground. That means taking soil samples and putting them under a microscope to look directly at the organisms that drive the soil food web—bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and other microscopic life. It’s the difference between guessing and knowing. When you can actually see the biological community in the soil, you can tell whether the ecosystem is functioning or whether something is missing. That crosses the line from marketing language into hard biological evidence. Bulk DNA Analysis has been performed on the biological extracts we are applying to our land. This is hard proof confirmation that we are effectively inoculating our soils with tens of thousands of different species of microbes Healing Relationships with Land and Animals Our farm’s mission is simple: “As farmers, we seek to heal our relationships with land and animals. We share this healing with our patrons through the food it produces.” That healing begins with this soil food web economy. When the soil food web is functioning properly, nutrients cycle efficiently. Plants grow stronger. Pastures become more resilient to drought and stress. Animals grazing those pastures receive a more complete nutritional profile from the plants they consume. The result is healthier animals and more resilient land. And the food produced from that system? That’s the byproduct. That's why "we share this healing with our patrons through the food it produces" is the second part of our mission.  When soil biology improves, nutrient density often follows because the plants—and the animals eating those plants—are operating within a healthier biological system. This is a soil sample under a microscope at 400X. The long strand is a fungal strand known as hypha. The bacteria are smaller, round, somewhat translucent. We actually review samples of our soil to be sure the correct micro organisms are present in the right ratios to ensure the soil food web is functioning properly.  Raising the Bar on Regenerative Farming The word “regenerative” is being thrown around a lot these days. Sometimes it’s used meaningfully. Oftentimes,  it’s used as a slogan. I’m committed to something deeper. For regenerative agriculture to mean anything, it has to be grounded in biological function, not just good intentions. That’s why this year I’ve made a decision that reflects where our priorities truly are. I've set in motion a plan to reinvest the majority of profits this season into a comprehensive soil improvement program spanning more than 400 acres of land under our management. This includes detailed biological soil analysis, targeted strategies to strengthen the soil food web, and management practices designed to support the long-term health of the entire ecosystem. When the biological economy underground is functioning well, everything above ground explodes with productivity and resilience. The Foundation of Everything We Produce At the end of the day, regenerative farming isn’t defined by labels. It’s defined by whether the land is actually getting healthier. Whether the soil biology is becoming more diverse. Whether the ecosystem is becoming more resilient year after year. That’s the work I’m committed to. That's where I'm directing the majority of our investment this season.  It's not flashy, fancy or romantic -- but it's where regenerative farming truly begins and ends.  Driving deeper - that's where I'll be. ☀️ Dustin

Read more
Return To Top
Privacy Policy