No, our cattle have never received a vaccine for COVID-19. Our cattle are vaccinated for bovine coronavirus which is not the same as COVID-19. Bovine coronavirus is specific to cattle and other domestic animals and does not have any effect on humans. The bovine coronavirus vaccine does not have any effect on humans. 

Please see the next FAQ for full details on the necessary vaccines our cattle receive.

To ensure optimum health for our herd, we vaccinate our cattle for species-specific viruses and diseases.

Our cows are vaccinated against the following diseases each year when we pregnancy check. They pass on passive immunity for the targeted diseases to their calves at birth.

Scours

Scours is an intestinal infection caused by rotavirus, bovine coronavirus, and/or perfringens that causes diarrhea.

IBR

Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by viral herpes. If left untreated, IBR causes abortion, conjunctivitis, encephalitis, and systemic infections.

BVD

Bovine Viral Diarrhea is a viral diarrheal disease that affects cattle's immune systems and can cause cows and heifers to become infertile.

Bovine Influenza

Influenza is a respiratory virus that affects cattle.

BRSV

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus that affects the upper and lower respiratory tracts in cattle.

Leptospirosis

This bacterial disease can cause infertility, abortion, and poor milk production.

We follow a recommended vaccine schedule for our feeder calves, both steers and heifers. They receive their initial vaccines during branding when they are several months old but still with their moms. We also vaccinate our calves after they've been weaned and then boosters are also given for some vaccines.

Pasteurella

Also known as shipping fever, this respiratory disease is a pathogenic Gram-negative bacterium.

Mycoplasma

Mycoplasma the smallest free-living pathogen in animals and causes chronic respiratory disease.

BRSV

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus that affects the upper and lower respiratory tracts in cattle.

IBR

Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by viral herpes that is 100% fatal in calves.

BVD

Bovine Viral Diarrhea is a viral diarrheal disease that affects cattle's immune systems and can cause cows and heifers to become infertile.

Bovine Influenza

Influenza is a respiratory virus that affects cattle.

Bovine Pneumonia

Caused by a variety of viral and bacterial pathogens, bovine pneumonia is the most common respiratory disease in young calves.

Clostridial Infections

This vaccine protects against bacterial infections including black leg, tetanus, and botulism. Clostridial infections result when bacteria from the soil enters the body and then synthesize to release poisonous exotoxins.

The majority of our herd is Red Angus. They're a calm, maternal breed which means they make excellent mothers who produce fast-growing calves. Red Angus also produce beef that is among the highest in the industry for marbling, tenderness, quality grade, and flavor.

Our calves are raised on native pasture grasses, roaming the expansive plains of Northeastern Colorado until they are nearly a year old. Once they've grown naturally, we start them on a grower ration. Approximately 180 days prior to harvest, we put them on a finishing ration. Our finishing ration does have corn, but we use earlage which is different from the corn product used by commercial feedlots. Earlage contains more roughage, which is what beef cattle need. Instead of feeding them the kernels of corn, we grind the whole ear of corn for their finishing ration. It takes us weeks longer to finish our cattle using this method, but we don't stress their bodies or burn up their organs trying to push them to grow too quickly. We use a nutritionist to make sure our cattle are receiving the proper nutrient balance at all stages of their life. We want them to grow on nature's schedule, and we want the finished product to have that classic, beefy flavor.

We grow all of the crops fed to our cattle right here on our ranch. These include corn, alfalfa, oats, Sorghum Sudan, and irrigated grass. Our crops, along with natural pasture grasses, ensure complete nutrition for our cattle.

Our cattle are raised on pasture for nearly a year so they can mature on nature's schedule. We then finish them on a corn-based diet right here on the ranch for the classic, beefy flavor you know and love. We work with our nutritionist to develop custom rations for each stage of their growth during the finishing phase.

The classic, sweet, beefy flavor we love comes from the earlage corn in the finishing ration we feed to our calves.

No, we do not give our naturally raised cattle added growth hormones. While all animal-based foods contain naturally-occurring hormones, we don’t believe in altering our herd with growth-promoting hormones. Even though supplemental growth hormones in cattle have been shown to pose no risk to human health, we prefer to let nature run its course when it comes to delivering superior Colorado beef.

Antibiotic stewardship is something we take very seriously. We have strict herd health practices in place to ensure we use antibiotics on a limited, as-necessary basis. While we do not use antibiotics, or other medications, unnecessarily, we’ll do everything we can to minimize pain and suffering for our cattle, including administering antibiotics. If one of the calves gets sick, we do pull it into our hospital and treat it therapeutically, just like we do for our kids or ourselves. If an animal is treated, it is removed from our natural program and marketed differently. We know how each animal is treated as we ID each one with individual ear tag numbers and keep detailed records for each animal.

At Christensen Ranch, we let the animal dictate the fat content of our ground beef. That means we don’t add any additional fat when processing our ground beef. We rely 100% on each cow's natural fat content to flavor our pasture-raised, corn-finished single-source ground beef. On average, each pound is between 85-90% lean. We know you’ll taste the difference!

The process of dry aging is a 3 step process. First, the water is evaporated during the dehydration phase, resulting in a robust, rich, beefy flavor. Second, the natural enzymes found in beef break down the collagen tissue, essentially tenderizing the beef. The final phase is the production of bacterial fungus, similar to that found on aged cheeses. This is a natural state that occurs on the external surface of the meat, with the natural enzymes working with the external fungus to give the beef maximum tenderness and richness and depth of flavor. Before packaging, the fungal growth is completely trimmed from the meat.

This all comes down to your desired end result. Do you want a thick, juicy steak that doesn't require a lot of fuss to prepare it? Choose Rib Eye, Tenderloin, Chuck Delmonico, or NY Strip, all with plentiful marbling which equates to flavor! If you're looking for versatile cuts that you can use in a variety of recipes, both for 30 minute meals or slow-cooked meals, choose leaner cuts that you can marinade or use with dry rubs, then braise to lock in the flavor (either on the grill or in a skillet), and cook low and slow. These steaks include Flatiron, Skirt, Tri Tip, Sirloin, Denver, Ranch, Western Griller, Mock Tender, and Petite Tender Medallions,.

All the beef in our Beef Boxes and Standard Beef Shares is processed by our USDA-inspected butchers. Our Beef Sticks, Beef Summer Sausage, and Beef Jerky are also processed by our USDA-inspected butchers.

Our Custom Beef Shares orders are fulfilled by one of three butcher partners, all located near Eastern Colorado. Our standard butcher, Stagecoach Meat Company, is an inspected, non-USDA butcher and Mike’s Meat Market and 307 Meat Company  are USDA-inspected butchers.

All our boxed beef cuts are vacuum sealed immediately after butchering, and are stored frozen until and during the shipping process, ensuring you receive the best quality product possible when you order with us. Because no air is inside the vacuum sealed packaging, your beef can be stored for up to 1 year.

Customers who order our Custom Beef Shares that is processed with Mike’s Meat Market or the 307 Meat Company will receive their vacuum sealed and labeled cuts which are frozen immediately after they’re butchered. If your Custom Bulk Beef order is processed by Stagecoach Meats, your cuts will be wrapped in plastic and butcher paper.

To be honest, we’ve found packages of steaks tucked away in our personal freezer for longer than a year, and they still cook up as delicious as ever. Trust that yours will too!

The most important factor to keep in mind when thawing beef is to keep it out of the temperature "danger zone", where bacteria grow and multiply quickly, between 40 °F and 140 °F, The best way to ensure you follow safe food handling practices is to thaw beef in the refrigerator. This method can take 1 to several days, depending on the thickness of the meat.

Alternatively, you can submerge your packaged beef in cold tap water, changing the water every 30 minutes so it continues to thaw. Smaller packages will thaw within an hour using this method, while larger cuts can take 2 to 3 hours.

Lastly, you can thaw beef in the microwave, but need to plan to cook it immediately after thawing because some of the beef will become warm and begin cooking (enter into the temperature danger zone) during the microwave thawing process. Any meat thawed in the microwave should be cooked thoroughly before refreezing.

While we aren’t able to offer samples of our delicious, pasture-raised, corn-finished, and dry-aged beef, we’ve added some 5lb Sampler Boxes that are the perfect size to try our beef for the first time. 

We have a collection of nine 5lb Sampler Boxes, and most of them include at least one premium steak and our single source ground beef, along with other customer favorite cuts including skirt steak, short ribs, cubed steak, and more. We think you’ll agree that our beef delivers not only a rich, classic, beefy flavor, but also a true value.

Individual vacuum-sealed and labeled packages of your favorite Christensen Ranch beef including brisket, rib eye steaks, tri tip steak, sirloin steak, dry aged patties and our single source ground beef are available at All About the Smoke BBQ, 617 Main Street in Fort Morgan, CO 80701.

While we'd love the opportunity to meet with our customers face-to-face, unfortunately we are not able to sell our beef directly from the ranch at this time. If you're local, All About the Smoke at 617 Main Street in Fort Morgan is stocked with some of our most popular cuts. Stop in and shop their selections.