About Us
Who We Are
River Road Farm is located in the beautiful Gila Valley near the town of Gila NM and south west of Silver City. Family owned and operated, our focus is on natural husbandry of sheep and cattle and quality hay production.
We support the farm-to-table movement by offering our exceptional pasture raised meats for sale to individuals and restaurants through direct sales and farmers markets.
How We Operate
- We strive to build and maintain healthy soils through planned grazing and organic farming methods.
- We provide a stress free environment for our livestock. We pasture and rotate them on multi acre fields, in winter we provide them with hay near our shelter corrals. They rest, graze and eat on their own schedule.
- We fertilize our pastures only with natural compost from our manure and garden waste to help build organic matter in the soil.
- We use two types of working dogs that consist of highly trained Border Collies for herding and Great Pyrenees, Anatolian and Akbash Livestock Guardian Dogs for protection from predators.
Why Grass Fed?
Better For Us
It has been scientifically proven that when cattle, sheep and swine are fed a forage based diet and allowed to roam freely outdoors in a natural environment that the meat produced has a higher nutritional value then animals raised in confinement and fed a grain based diet.
Summary of the nutritional benefits of grass finished meat:
- More omega-3 fatty acids (good fats) and fewer omega-6 fatty acids (bad fats).
- Lower in saturated fats linked with heart disease.
- Much higher in linoleic acid CLA's, a cancer fighter.
- Much higher in Vitamin A.
- Much higher in Vitamin E.
- Higher in beta-carotene.
- Higher in calcium, magnesium and potassium.
- No trace of added hormones, antibiotics or other drugs.
Better For the Animal
Because they are kept in a natural environment. Sheep and cattle are ruminants, their digestive system consists of a 4-part stomach with the unique ability to break down cellulose such as grass and other browse into digestible forms.
Pigs and chickens are omnivorous, so we provide them with pasture to roam and grasses as well as organic grains, garden vegetables, fruits and kitchen waste when appropriate.