Neptune Farm
723 Harmersville-Canton Road, Salem, NJ 08079
Telephone:
856-935-3612
Frequently Asked
Questions
What
is your service area?
We sell to customers within a
roughly 100-mile radius of the farm: all of New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania,
and Delaware. If you're not in this
region and are interested in organic and/or grassfed meat, you can check the
farmer directory at eatwild.com; find a
chapter of Buy Fresh, Buy Local http://www.foodroutes.org/buy-fresh-buy-local.jsp;
or see which organic certifiers have lists of their farms. In the Northeast, try NOFA for state chapter links with organic
farms.
Do
you ship?
Sorry, no. We can deliver to you within our 100-mile
limit, or you can pick up from our butcher, Bringhurst Meats.
What
does it cost?
Beef is $4.00 per hanging
pound, which translates to about $5.50 for the assorted cuts in a share. A typical beef order costs between $320 and
$360. Lamb is $150 per half, between
$5.00 and $6.00 per finished weight of assorted cuts. We charge $20 for delivery outside our immediate neighborhood.
How
do I pay?
By cash or check when you
get your order. We'll let you know the
exact amount in advance, when Jeff Bringhurst gives us the hanging weight.
Do
you take credit cards?
Again, sorry, no. We're a small outfit and can't afford the
fees.
Can
I get some of my order before it's frozen?
If this is important to you,
let us know, and we'll arrange for you to pick it up on the day your meat is
cut. For purchasers of whole animals,
we can deliver your order before it's frozen.
Can
I get organ meats or oxtail?
For the most part, if it's
in the animal, we can prepare it for you, but for some items we need to know
when we're making arrangements with the butcher. Some organs, like heart and liver, are standard in every order,
and you'll need to let us know if you don't want them.
Can
I have the meat cut according to my own specifications?
If you're buying a whole
animal, you can have it cut any way you like—the Bringhurst folks are gifted
artisanal meatcutters, and may even be able to suggest useful variations. If you're buying a share, we're limited by
logistics and the needs of the other purchasers, but we do ask whether you'd
prefer your beef in roasts or in smaller cuts, like sandwich steaks. For lamb, we'd like to know whether you want
your leg boned and butterflied (great on the grill), or cut as a bone-in roast.
May
I slaughter an animal on your farm?
We do not offer this accommodation,
and wish someone would develop an online list of farms that do. For now, you might try Garden State Sheep Breeders.
How
do I reach you to order or ask questions?
E-mail us at farm@neptunefarm.com
or telephone us at 856-935-3612. Please
have a heart and don't call us late at night, early in the morning, or at all
on Sunday mornings.
Why
don't you certify your livestock organic?
We did certify our animals
through 2007. However, our certifier,
the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, has levied a number of additional
fees: for livestock certification; for certifying hay fields not adjacent to
the farm; and for selling organic products in the state of New Jersey. Because we're quite close to our customers
and would like to contain the costs of our operation, we're experimenting with
a no-frills, farm-only certification, but we'd like your feedback on this
decision.
What
does "grassfed" mean?
It depends on who you ask,
unfortunately. Some feedlot operators
have been lobbying the USDA for a grassfed label that would apply to almost any
beef cattle raised in the US, because nearly all of them begin life as range
animals. On the other hand, some experts
who have studied the benefits of pasture-raised livestock feel that they should
be fed only on grasses and other forage legumes for their entire life
cycle. Our lamb is 100% grassfed, but
most of our beef has been fed tiny amounts of organic corn or wheat during
freezing weather. We've tried to do
without grain altogether, but the meat quality wasn't as good. So our compromise is 97% grassfed beef,
because we think your food should be delicious as well as healthy.