Vraé Foods, true foods

Welcome to Vraé

Hello,

My name is Delbert Garrett, founder of Garrett Cattle Company/GCC Organics. I am reaching out today to update our new and continuing customers with our story from creation to our present. I will discuss briefly our creation story, then discuss our recent past up to where we are presently and discuss the plans for our farm's future. I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of this amazing journey.

Our farm as it came to be is a childhood dream of mine. Every summer my grandparents would come pick me and my brother up in late May/early June, and take us for the summer to Michigan, the farm, and my dad. This was the highlight of my year, and included milking cows, baling hay, and jamborees. My grandpa called square dances, played fiddle, and loved to dance. My grandma played piano and loved to dance with my grandpa. In 2008, I took over management of the farm and in 2014 purchased it. By then, the farm looked drastically different from my childhood.

Farm circa 1980s

As far as management of land is concerned, I have always felt animals and the land deserve each other. When managed correctly, it is a symbiotic relationship. Multi-species-stacked enterprises are best for the land and the farmer. I also felt that sustainable farming should limit the use of synthetic or un-natural inputs that farmers administer to their animals and land. Nature knows best until people mismanage. This led to certified organic status. After many years, it was a difficult decision to drop our certification status. We discovered that the costs and arduous application process wasn't worth it. We found that we had built trust and confidence from our customers to know we would continue to produce the best quality products while adhering to better than organic standards.

Cows on Pasture

As small and direct as we are with you, we feel that we can show and tell you how we exceed organic certification criteria rather than spending a bunch of money on a certification.