Grass Fed Beef Is A Connecticut Affair For One Farm

The special cows at have names. Sunset, Sassy and Macaroni, named by Morgan Riley, the daughter of owners Elisha and Mike, sun themselves in a field on the farm located on Barnes Road in Stonington.

Morgan who states she loves the cows keeps an eye on them. But really all of the cows at Stonington Beef are special. They’re grass feed, free to explore the outdoors and loved.

“We want to give people something good to eat, the most natural product we can produce,” Elisha said.

Elisha and her husband Mike began selling their beef in 2007. For Mike who grew up on a farm in North Stonington it was nothing new, but for Elisha it was a different way of life.

“His family always had cows, we met in high school and when we ventured into this I jumped on the wagon,” Elisha said.

Now Elisha said she would like to create a place to pass on their two children Morgan and Seth.

From early May to October they spend their weeks traveling to different farmers markets in the state including ones in Old Saybrook, Marlborough and Mystic as well as Connecticut Fairs.

“It’s sort of like tourist season we’re busy from now to Labor Day and then it slows down,” Elisha said.

They sell their beef seven days a week at their farm stand in Stonington. Anyone who has even been to would be familiar with the system. Normally people call ahead and then the Riley’s have the meat packaged in the cooler that works on the honor system.

Elisha said that even as the farmers markets die down they have a group of loyal customers that continue to purchase throughout the fall from the farm stand some even coming from Old Saybrook.

Still Elisha said the past few years haven’t been easy.

“With the economy, I think it’s very hard for everyone, it’s just not helping,” Elisha said.

But Stonington Beef may be helping in a small way. The farm is an all Connecticut affair.

“We try to keep it all in Connecticut,” Elisha said, adding that they use a USDA approved facility in Bristol to slaughter the cows and a producer in Burlington.

And someday they would like to sell their beef to a local restaurant that specializes in locally produced beef and other foods.

“People like to know how and where their food comes from,” Elisha said.