Frequently asked questions
Paddock to plate is different, so no worries if you aren't sure. You might find the answers you need here. Or send us a message and we'll be glad to help
Ordering
Where do you deliver to?
We currently deliver larger orders to Adelaide Southern Suburbs and for smaller orders have a collection window from Blackwood 5051. If we don't supply your area, we'd be happy to suggest a regenerative farm that does (if we know of one) - please contact us.
Where are your pickup locations?
We currently offer a pick-up window in the suburb of Blackwood, 5051 South Australia
Why don't you deliver to my area?
Although one of our values is helping as many people as possible access better food, in a regenerative system this can only be done on a small scale - locally. Ideally there would be regenerative farms within reach of everywhere people live. If we don't deliver to your area, please let us know and we might be able to put you in touch with a producer who can help.
What if there is a problem with my order?
We recommend that you check your products carefully on receipt to satisfy yourself that there is no problems with your order.
We accept no responsibility for your purchase once it leaves our facilities. Please ensure you are comfortable with the terms and conditions of ordering before making the decision to purchase.
In the case we have made a mistake in processing, packing or allocating your order, please notify us at the time of receipt to discuss your options.
In the unlikely event that a problem has occurred in processing or transit which compromises product quality, we will retain the product and offer a refund or store credit to the value of the items compromised.
What happens if I can't make my pick-up window?
We understand things can change unexpectedly. If you cannot make your collection or delivery window, please contact us as early as possible to discuss possible alternatives. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the product, we will be unable to refund any uncollected orders.
Please refer to the full terms and conditions of ordering before making the decision to purchase.
Why can't I just pick up today/tomorrow/next week?
The nature of supplying beef direct at a small scale involves long lead times to allow for availability, processing and transportation. Occasionally we may have smaller amounts available for immediate delivery or pick up, but we aren't able to predict ahead how much or what these will be. Keep an eye on our social media pages for updates on last-minute specials.
What's the best way to transport my meat home once I collect it?
We recommend an esky at least 70L in capacity to transport a quarter pack of beef. 50L for the meat and 20L spare for cold-packs and awkwardness.
Why isn't this as easy as the supermarket?
In natural ecosystems, animals come in all shapes and sizes. Harvesting and processing animals in a regenerative system has to allow for this variation, trading off efficiencies and standardisation for benefits in a healthier, more nutritious product and better resilience in supply.
Uniformity and cheap pricing on the supermarket shelf comes at the cost of nutritional content, unfair wages and loss of farming livelihoods, unethical husbandry, environmental destruction and a much greater proportion of waste. Quite an expensive bill!
Why can't I just buy a steak?
A high volume of sales is necessary to be sure that you can sell fresh meat in many small portions before it spoils. By its nature, high volume production and distribution goes against what regenerative food production seeks to achieve. The solution to human caused impact is in finding a balance between sustaining ourselves and in preserving the ability for others, including future generations to do the same. Sourcing and using our food in different ways to both gain better nourishment from less as well as eliminate wastage is one of the key ways we can help achieve this.
Why is this beef more expensive than at the supermarket?
Cheap food comes at the hefty cost of resilience. Supermarkets and big ag externalise their costs with environmentally, ethically and socially expensive (unsustainable) practices.
We all pay the price for industrial agricultural 'efficiencies' somewhere along the line, just not at the supermarket check out. We accept losses in biodiversity, farming livelihoods, food sovereignty, antibiotic efficacy, family health and animal welfare. And last, but not least in the nutritional value of our food.
The level of every nutrient in almost every type of food grown industrially today has fallen by between 10 and 100 % since 1940. For meat, this means we would need to eat twice as much [if industrially farmed] to gain the same level of nutrition as we would have 100 years ago
(Source Thomas DE (2003) A study of mineral depletion of foods available to us over the period 1940-1991. Nutrition and Health 17; 85-115. Via Christine Jones Phd 'Five Principles for Soil Health')
Product info
What are the sausage ingredients?
BBQ Recipe: Premium regenerative beef, Rice Flour, Salt, Mineral Salt (451, 452), Seasoning [rice flour, colour (160c – paprika), Herb and Spice extracts.] Cooking tip - ideal for grilling on a high heat.
Grain-Free: Premium regenerative beef, Himalayan Salt, Garlic, Oregano, Basil, Onion, Thyme, Bay Leaves, Rosemary. Cooking tip - use gentle heat to avoid splitting grain-free sausages. The BBQ recipe (with rice flour) is ideal for high-heat grilling.
Nutrient Dense: Premium regenerative beef, Heart, Liver, Kidney, Himalayan Salt, Garlic, Oregano, Basil, Onion, Thyme, Bay Leaves, Rosemary. Cooking tip - use gentle heat to avoid splitting these grain-free sausages. The BBQ recipe (with rice flour) is ideal for high-heat grilling.
There is approximately 1 litre of water used in every 10kg of sausages made. This is triple filtered rainwater which is then sterilised with UV so it is pure and chemical-free.
Please note that as all sausages are preservative-free, they need to be frozen to store them longer than 24 hours after delivery.
What are the preservatives used in the nitrate-free corned silverside?
The traditional recipe corned silverside is made by curing the silverside beef cut in a brine made with triple filtered rainwater, salt, rosemary, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves.
Why is this beef healthier for me?
When a natural ecosystem functions well, every part of it (people included) is healthier and more productive. Beef grown regeneratively on diverse pastures is not only free from chemical nasties like antibiotics and pesticides, it is also higher in nutritional content than feedlot and supplemented equivalents. This is because the animals gain more nutrition from the diversity of plants they forage. Plants growing in healthy functioning soils also have a higher nutritional content because they exchange nutrients with the microbial life in the soil.
Regenerative farming
Is regenerative the same as organic?
Many of the same principles apply to both regenerative and organic production systems. Both promote ecological balance, diversity and the natural cycling of resources. Both result in healthier, more nutritious end products. Organic systems are subject to prescriptive processes however, where regenerative systems are instead focused on environmental and social outcomes that can be achieved within the entire ('holistic') operational context.
What do you mean by chemical free?
Regenerative grazing techniques - where animals are moved regularly onto fresh pasture and can access a diverse range of forage plants - means they stay healthy and grow well naturally, so there is no need for growth hormones, antibiotics or chemical treatments. If an animal becomes sick or injured, we will never deny it the veterinary treatments professionally advised as necessary for its welfare. If prescribed treatments are administered, the animal is subject to the relevant withholding period to ensure it is both fit and well, and the medication has cleared its system before it returns to regular pastures.
Why isn't your beef certified organic?
Many of the same principles apply to both regenerative and organic production systems. We believe that a holistic management approach to farming represents a more realistic pathway toward building human resilience through environmental improvement. Holistic management promotes ecological balance, diversity and the natural cycling of resources. Its results in healthier, more nutritious end products and there is little to no use of chemicals and artificial supplementation. Without the prescriptive overheads of organic certification however, we are able to achieve better overall outcomes for the land and community surrounding it.
K2 Farm is part of the Savory Global Institute Ecological Outcome Verification Program. Ecological health indicators are independently monitored to verify that regeneration is occurring on the land. We are also members of the Australian Holistic Management Co-operative, a Hub of the Savory Global Institute.
What do you mean by ethical treatment of animals?
We believe that raising an animal ethically is providing it with the opportunity to express its natural instincts in an environment that supports this. Foraging naturally and moving to new pasture regularly enables them to stay healthy, so there is rarely (if ever) any need for antibiotics or chemical treatments, and certainly never any requirement for growth supplements. We manage our animals with low stress handling techniques, taking the time to plan activities and their grazing environments to minimise any unnatural stressors.
Why is beef grown this way better for the planet?
If nature is the gold standard for life, a truly productive farming operation is one that enables the symphony of an entire ecosystem to thrive, people included. Nothing in nature exists in isolation and people are no different.
In the South Australian climate, grassland environments need grazing animals to renew themselves and build soil. Livestock are an important tool in regenerating dry or desertified farm land and climate change abatement. Regenerative grazing builds biodiversity, supports living soils, sequesters carbon, restores ecosystems and strengthens communities.
What is holistic management in farming?
A holistic perspective or looking at 'the whole' bigger picture in any given context, recognises that nothing exists as stand alone in nature. If we make a change to any part of a system, it has an impact somewhere else. In the last 100 years, human impact on the planet through agriculture has become unsustainable, both in the degradation of productive land and as a major contributing factor in climate change. Farming holistically facilitates ecological, social, and financial regeneration and resiliency.
But how can small scale farming feed everyone in the world?
Our agricultural systems already produce enough food for 10 billion people. Industrial agriculture is necessary to feed consumerism, but not to equitably and appropriately nourish the world's population. A staggering 1/3 of all food currently produced under industrial systems is never consumed. Of the food that is consumed in the developed world, poor health outcomes indicate the food we are consuming is not appropriately nourishing us.
Rather than produce more, we need to re-orient our food production so it happens closer to home, is seasonal and sensitive to local conditions, and occurs in a way that sequesters greenhouse gas emissions in rich new soils.