Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “necessity is the mother of invention.” That phrase describes precisely how Painted Hills Beef and their product line of natural, hormone-free beef came into existence. Nineteen years ago, some ranchers in Oregon noticed that in grocery stores they couldn’t find the kind of high-quality natural beef they wanted to feed their families. They figured if they wanted to buy it, others would too. So they formed Painted Hills Natural Beef to bring hormone-free, antibiotic-free natural beef to consumers. Last year, Painted Hills Natural Beef ranchers raised over 30,000 Painted Hills cattle.
In the past 19 years, Painted Hills Natural Beef has grown to a co-op of over 300 family ranchers in Washington, Oregon and Idaho who commit to raising cattle according to Painted Hills Natural Beef’s strict protocol. That means they are never given any hormones or growth stimulants or antibiotics, they graze freely in Northwest grass pastures for about 14 months, and then they are finished with Painted Hills’ blend of locally grown barley, corn and alfalfa hay for 90-120 days in order to produce extraordinary beef with a consistent flavor. Painted Hills has also recently started offering beef that is 100% grass fed and grass finished.
Painted Hills Natural Beef ranchers are held to some of the highest standards in the industry. Every Painted Hills animal is tracked from birth and backed by a producer affidavit. Every rancher in the program knows where each animal came from and follows strict company protocols. The cattle are never fed any animal by-products.
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