Raising a Wide Variety of Natural Food

Matt Daniels is definitely proud of the poultry he raises at Bear Creek Farm near Taylorville.

"One thing we think is special about them is the flavor," Daniels said. "And how we manage to get a good flavor is we use whole grain. Any of the additives that go in it are either organic or all-natural. And also, during the summertime, when the pasture is lush and green, they get out on the pasture."

He also has some larger birds that are big hit during the month of November.

"The turkeys that we raise are heritage," Daniels said. "The advantage to those is also in the flavor. They do very well on pasture as far as growing. Some of the other breeds don't quite gain the weight that you would see in those."

He applies a similar methodology to his choice of beef breeds with his herd of belted galloways.

"With their long hair, they're very tolerant to weather," Daniels said. "And they also are great grazers, meaning they will produce weight on grass alone, and ours are strictly grass fed."

But as the temperatures outside are cooling off, Daniels is spending more and more of his time indoors growing things like sprouts and wheatgrass.

"Sprouts are a great source of nutrients," Daniels said. "And as a whole plant, it has a lot of antioxidants. Different ones have different values to them. The wheatgrass has some cleansing properties to it. You're getting the whole plant, like 17 pounds of wheatgrass is equal to 350 pounds of vegetables."

But all the products indoors, as well the animals outside, are raised with organic and all-natural principles, without artificial chemicals and drugs.

"A lot of that carries into the human body," Daniels said. "Whatever you consume, you're gaining those nutrients. Any of the chemicals do come through in that product, whether it be a plant or beef. In our opinion you're seeing more people with problems with cancer and that, and I think if you get back to the basics, that animal didn't need that originally to be grown from."
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In Christian County, Mike Brooks, ABC NewsChannel 20.Raising a Wide Variety of Natural Food