Want to enjoy the best tasting, 100% grass-fed beef at your cookouts this summer? Pick up something from local producer Thousand Hills at the St. Peter Food Co-op! Learn more about their regenerative agriculture practices in our Q&A below.

How did Thousand Hills get started?

Our mission is to nourish soil, plants, cattle, and people by holistically grazing cattle for their lifetime. Founded in 2003, Thousand Hills works with 50 family farms across the U.S. to raise Lifetime Grazed Grass Fed Beef with regenerative agriculture practices. To date, 500,000 acres have been transitioned to regenerative practices to support biological diversity, natural resources, native wildlife habitat and soil fertility. This regional, decentralized processing builds a resilient supply chain for customers while invigorating rural economies.

Why is pasture-raised, grass-fed beef so important?

Grass fed beef is important now more than ever due to health of the animals, people, and planet. By keeping cattle on the land for their lifetime, we are promoting a harmonious ecosystem which allows everything involved to thrive. Regenerative agriculture, for example, works more like a natural ecosystem than a monoculture, establishing a system with multiple insect, pollinator, forage, and bird species that collaborate to improve the ecosystem naturally.

Tell us more about your farming practices.

Regenerative agriculture is a combination of land management practices and grazing strategies that aim to repair and enhance rather than deplete natural resources. It examines the agro-ecosystem as a whole to enhance soil health, promote clean and safe water runoff, increase biodiversity and ecosystem resiliency, and reduce carbon emissions. We at Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed are passionate about regenerative agriculture because we’ve seen firsthand how it can help rural economies thrive while restoring diverse grasslands, eliminating the need for synthetic fertilizers and chemical herbicides, and improving the nutritional value of meat. Our Thousand Hills Regenerative Renegades™ use regenerative agriculture practices on thousands of acres to produce healthy and nourishing Lifetime Grazed Grass Fed Beef.

Why is local so important to Thousand Hills?

To make sure that our local communities are able to thrive by providing them with the best possible and nutrient dense 100% grass fed beef. It is also important to know that the 50 family farms we work with are being taken care of and compensated for their efforts in stewarding the land across the United States.

What items do you regularly supply to the St. Peter Food Co-op?

We offer a steady supply of 80/20 Ground Beef, 85/15 Ground Beef, 3:1 Ground Beef Patties, Variety Steaks, Fully Cooked Sausages, Hotdogs, Braunschweiger, and Summer Sausage to the St. Peter Food Co-op.

Find Thousand Hills on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and at the St. Peter Food Co-op.

All photos courtesy of Thousand Hills.