JUNE 2012
“Come see us at Morgan’s Grove Farmers Market each Saturday”???
Back Creek
Bend Farm John Gonano (304) 867-4368
jgonano@hotmail.com
GRASS FED BEEF, POULTRY & MORE Come see us at Morgan’s Grove Farmers
Market each Saturday! -Grass Fed
-Locally Raised in Hedgesville, WV -No Antibiotics or Hormones -Humane and Sustainable -Free delivery to Jefferson and
Berkeley County (minimum order may apply)
www.grassfedbeefwv.com
Advertise with The Observer 304.876.2414
Treat your Ft with New Sandals!
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Goes Back To The Farm Getting Acquainted
John Gonano By Claire Stuart Back Creek Bend Farm has
been in John Gonano’s family since 1868. Gonano grew up in Montgomery County, Md., on weekends visiting the farm where his grandmother lived until her death in 1986. No fam- ily members lived there for about the next ten years, until John, his sister Dawn, and her son Daniel, decided to move to the farm, with no clear plan as to what they were going to do with it. “I had no inkling that I’d be-
© 2012 Vera Bradley Designs, Inc.
© 2012 Vera Bradley Designs, Inc. © 2012 Vera Bradley Designs, Inc.
come a farmer,” says Gonano, previously a school teacher. He had to learn farming with the help of a cousin who farms nearby. In around 2000, Daniel, still
304-876-3336
www.steppinoutss.com
110 West German Street Shepherdstown, WV 25443
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in his teens, decided to buy some cattle in spring and sell them in autumn. This proved to be a successful venture. They began raising cattle, transition- ing to grass-fed in 2006. “We started out feeding a
little corn,” Gonano recalls. Then he was inspired by a book by Joel Salatin, a well-known grass-fed beef farmer in Virgin- ia who has written and lectured extensively on the subject. “We believed in the ethics of
the grass-feeding system,” says Gonano. “It’s better for cattle and the soil. Corn is hard on the environment. It takes lots of fertilizer and erodes the soil.” Gonano leads the way to a
pasture with a col- orful mix of brown, black, tan, and bi- colored grazing cattle. He points out a big, brown bull under a tree, noting that it is a Charolais-Limousin mix. He explains, “We have animals we like, not a spe- cial breed. The main genetics are Hereford and Angus. It de- pends on the bull.” They pasture about 20 head
of cattle. Their own animals are grass-fed all their lives, with hay in winter. Pastures are mostly orchard grass and timo- thy, with some clover. Cattle that may have had other feed are occasionally bought to sup- plement the herd, but they are switched to grass. There are several pastures,
and the cattle are fenced into a pasture for one to three days and then moved to another. “Moving them is very impor- tant,” he explains. “When they move, they get excited and want to eat a lot! If they are not moved, they get bored and just lie around, and they don’t eat aggressively. The other im- portant reason they need to be moved is that their manure would build up, and it’s un- healthy for them to be walking around in it.”
PRIVATE WEALTH PLANNING & MANAGEMENT
WWW.HOXTONFINANCIAL.COM
304.876.2619 SHEPHERDSTOWN
540.450.1500 WINCHESTER
Thank You to all who voted. And a special thanks to all those who supported me and voted for me for School Board.
Paid for by James M. Davis, Treasurer PAID FOR BY JAMES M. DAVIS, TREASURER
—Gary Kable PAID FOR BY JAMES M. DAVIS, TREASURER
30
The cattle don’t return to
any one pasture for three to four weeks. Ideally, they eat down the grass in an entire area, but sometimes it has to be cut. Gonano says that once grass reaches a certain height and maturity, the cattle do not like it. The goal is to have them grazing when they can get the best nutrients, and grasses at a height of three to four inches are optimum. “The challenge of grass-fed is
that it’s a slower process,” says Gonano. “Cattle put on pounds faster on corn.” He adds that grass-fed is also
more expensive because corn is subsidized, selling at prices below what the market would dictate. Cattle don’t digest corn as well as grass, and there is a higher incidence of E. coli in feedlots, he said. “You get leaner beef on
Thank You to all who voted. And a special thanks to all those who supported me and voted for me for School Board.
—Gary Kable
grass,” he continues, “and they’re healthier than those fin- ished on corn. In grass, there’s a larger variety of things to eat, with lots of different nutri- ents.” He stressed that Back Creek
Bend Farm does not use any hormones and will use antibi- otics only if absolutely neces- sary for a sick animal. Gonano describes the “fin-
ishing” as crucial, entailing at least a two-month period. “Many producers call their op- erations grass-fed, although
New! Spring 2011 Colors & Styles
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