Morning Breeze Farm – Hortonville, WI

Morning Breeze Farm has been in Hunter Strebig’s family since the early 1900s. “Until 1998 it was a dairy farm run by my grandparents,” says Hunter. “I took over the farm and converted it into a cow calf beef farm. The farm consists of 80 acres of gentle rolling hills, with pastures extending across 60 acres—perfect for grazing our herd of grassfed beef cattle.” In addition to being Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (AGW), the beef cattle herd at Morning Breeze Farm is Certified Grassfed by AGW, the first—and only—food label in the U.S. and Canada that guarantees food products come from animals fed a 100% grass and forage diet, and raised entirely outdoors on pasture or range.

Hunter, along with the help of Maggie Elliott, manages a herd of AGW-certified Murray Gray and Black Angus cattle. “The Murray Gray cattle are a good fit for the rotational grazing because they grow efficiently on pasture and are calm, gentle animals. We have approximately 20 cow calf pairs.” The cows at Morning Breeze Farm are rotationally managed, grazing one section of pasture before being moved to fresh fields. This type of management allows grass to recover before cows return to graze again; it also keeps the soil properly fertilized and minimizes the build-up of internal parasites, thereby avoiding reliance on chemical treatments. “Rotational grazing both benefits our cows and the land,” says Hunter. “Carefully managing the pasture helps us ensure the cattle are eating quality forage which leads to high quality meat. Pasturing the cattle also allows them to enjoy a low stress lifestyle, and the Murray Gray and Angus cattle grow very well on pastures.”

Hunter chose to pursue certification with A Greener World because certification is a primary component of the farm’s marketing strategy. “Earning our certification through A Greener World will help us to better market our beef. Our customers can trust the certification especially because A Greener World is a well-known, third party organization.”

In the future, Hunter and Maggie plan to continue to grow their herd and possibly raise other types of animals using pasture-based management.

Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW, Certified Grassfed by AGW beef from Morning Breeze Farm can be purchased directly from the farm by appointment. For more information, contact Hunter Strebig at hstrebig@sbcglobal.net and follow the farm on Facebook and Instagram.