Celtic Beef Alliance Manual Mission Statement and Purpose If we were to choose only three words to describe "Celtic Beef Alliance Inc." we might choose "Caring", "Credible", and "Candid" However, three words simply can not do justice to all that our group has to say. We would like to start off with our Mission Statement which not only explains our company, but the dreams and motivations of the families behind Celtic Beef Alliance. "Consciously motivated organizational behavior, ethically submissive to the good in ourselves and ultimately respectful of nature." Our purpose is to create a healthy animal raised on a healthy, natural diet and supply that beef harvest to a conscientious consumer who sees food as we do. A consumer who sees merit in our mission statement not only for a company or a primary agricultural producer, but merit for themselves as well. Not only do we see this philosophy as a method to a healthy life but we see it as an ideological goal. The path of corporate agriculture has driven each member of our organization to seek alternative ways to bring back some true free enterprise to a system that is broken. A system that has seen the demise of the family farm in favor of a profit driven, power hungry food industry that sees marketing as a way to concentrate power and control rather than concentrate on a healthy animal, a healthy person and healthy, moral communities. That being said, we would like to say that we support any and all primary producer direct marketing schemes that have come before us or are still on their way. True capitalism is all about competition and we support all of our competitors, ironically including those who follow or direct our government and industry in the conventional marketing of beef. What we offer is a choice; not only in product, but in knowledge, as we encourage each of our customers to learn more about the goals and practices of conventional beef products beyond the glossy packaging. The following manual has been created for our company and our producers but also for the consumer of our products. The founders and suppliers of Celtic Beef Alliance Inc. are primary agricultural producers with generations of knowledge and experience in our collective group. We also have no fear of cutting edge technology as long as that technology has an ethical purpose and is not simply designed for financial profit. Most of our grandfathers raised a healthy nutritious product and we are not only out to duplicate that product but to enhance it with the future in mind. The people involved with Celtic Beef Alliance Inc. are fully aware that food matters to our families, your families, and our planet - as our food choices influence not only our physical being but our environment and our social structure in the intricate, woven fabric of life. Our Cattle Genetic selection of cattle has been going on for hundreds of years. Throughout this time cattle have been selected for milk and meat production, and, in the recent years of corporate agriculture - profit. Celtic Beef Alliance Inc. recognizes the essential element behind every business is profit, however we are in the food industry, and quality comes first in each of our minds. Therefore we have chosen a number of Beef Cattle breeds that have been selected for the quality of their meat for hundreds of years. Breed difference is one of the many ways that our members will continue to offer diversity and choice to our deserving and discerning customer. The breeds of cattle involved in our Celtic Beef Alliance Inc. program include Galloway, Highland and Welsh Black cattle. More breeds will be included in the program as our company grows, however our strict criteria for carcass size and composition will be met. Those criteria include - 1). Animals sired by either a registered Galloway, Highland, or Welsh Black bull, or one who's DNA matches that of one of the Breeds. It is suggested that these bulls have physical structure that comes close to a 4 or 5 frame score to keep the size of our carcass moderate. These bulls will also be more liable to sire animals that fit our carcass criteria should they have ultrasound measurements showing a minimum of 60% lean meat yield, 1 square inch per hundred weight of rib eye, and a marbling score of 4 or better. Artificial Insemination Bulls will have to meet "standards" of 4 frame score, 4.5 marbling score, 65% lean meat yield, and 1.1 square inch of rib eye per hundred weight. 2). Animals reared by a cow with at least 50% British Breed status, a suggested frame score of 4 to 5 and a maximum weight of 1350 pounds. 3). The suggestion laid out for Dam and Sire are to help producers fit the "Standards" for our carcass animals which include a minimum of 60% lean, a minimum AA grade, a minimum rib eye size of 1 inch per hundred pounds, and a maximum of 800 pounds dressed weight. These animals will be the main focus of our program, however we will have a second line of products from the cows which no longer fit the productive segment of our program. These cows will have a minimum of 50% parentage from one of the designated Celtic Beef Alliance breeds , will show youthful characteristics and be fed a minimum of 60 days on the diet which will be described in the diet section of this manual. 4). We will also offer a separate line of products consisting of beef from mature animals that have fallen out of the production chain in one way or another. This high quality product must still meet all strict criteria for our health and safety standards and be fed a minimum of 60 days on the diet which will be described in the diet section of this manual. Identification and Health Protocol All animals will be identified with the current federally accepted Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) ear tag and will be age verified and traced though out their lives. This traceability will extend to the meat market shelf where consumer will have full confidence knowing exactly where his/her purchase came from. No implanted hormonal growth promotants (HGP's) will ever be introduced into Celtic Beef Alliance animals. No synthetic hormones or ionophores, no feed additive antibiotics, and no animal byproducts will ever be added to the diet of CBA animals. No antibiotics will be given to CBA animals less than 100 days prior to harvest, with every effort made to never use antibiotics period. Low stress management practices will be observed on all farms and ranches participating in the Celtic Beef Alliance program. All of our members strive to keep their livestock as content as possible. Our cattle are not raised in small pens and force fed. They are brought up on open range with as much free access to forage and water as the deer, elk and moose that share their ecosystem. Calfhood vaccination programs will be encouraged and accepted practice as we are responsible and respectful of these animals and do not want them to become ill when simple vaccinations can prevent it. Feed (The current diet does not include the sunflower supplement and sees us using a maximum 60% barley finishing ration with no antibiotic or synthetic feed additives.) The majority of feed for Celtic Beef Alliance cattle will be grass and hay. To continue a long tradition of providing a white fat animal with the unique flavor and tenderness of grain finishing, we will place our finishing cattle on a diet which will include some grain for the final stages before harvest. This diet however will be unique to the industry as we will not use an ensiled forage but rather dry hay. We will also use sunflower seeds in an effort to enhance conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in our meat products. New science is attributing anti-cancerogenic, anti-diabetic, and anti-atherogenic effects to CLA, along with positive effects on immune system, bone metabolism, and body composition. CLA is found predominantly in milk and meat of ruminants due to the importance of rumen micro-organism in the formation of meat products. Not only do we hope to enhance CLA but it's precursor, trans vaccenic acid, also produced in the rumen. The amount of these two extremely important fatty acids along with the beneficial omega 3 fatty acids can be increased by altering the animals diet. Our goals are to continue to search for new and better ways to keep our product the most healthy beef product on the market.