Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have a retail store on the farm?
We do not. We ship all of our orders directly to your home via UPS or local courier depending on your location.
Can we visit the ranch?
At this time we are not offering tours, and do not have a visitors center. Check out our gallery for virtual farm tours and much more!
Why the name ‘Acabonac Farms’? Why is it spelled with only one ‘c’?
Acabonac is an Algonquin word that is very familiar to our hometown of East Hampton, NY. It translates to ‘root place’ and so we thought it was fitting. A place where roots are grown… Acabonac is spelled a number of different ways, most frequently today as ‘Accabonac’. However, old Algonquin texts present the spelling in a number of different ways, including: Accabonac, Acabonac, Accabonuck, Accombommok, Accombomok…. We like them all.
Why do your meats taste so good?
The flavor of meat is heavily influenced by the flavor of the intramuscular fat in the meat. The flavor of the fat in the meat is heavily influenced by the diet of the animal. The diet of our animals are (largely) local forages. The flavor of our beef is derived from our local soils, local forages, and (generally) our local environment making it delicious and familiar to our palette. Similar concepts exist for wines throughout the world.
Where is your farm located?
We have several farms located on eastern Long Island, NY. Our largest farm is located in Middle Island, NY.
Is your operation certified organic?
No, we are not certified organic. We farm regeneratively. Our protocols do not allow for the use of any pesticides or herbicides (organic or conventional), and we do not use synthetic fertilizers (organic or conventional). We also do not use tillage on our fields, and of course, we keep pasture roots in the soil year-round, and use livestock and our own compost to build fertility.
What does ‘regenerative farming’ mean?
Our definition of regenerative farming is to prioritize building the health of the soil above all else. No herbicides, no pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, limit compaction, and practice no-till farming. We incorporate livestock into our farming operations, and intensively manage their grazing to mimic the natural interactions of animal, land, and soil observed in nature. Long Island, NY has sandy loam soils, thus requiring us to irrigate most of pasture land.
Are you GMO-free? Do you feed your animals corn or soy?
We supplement our pigs and chickens on pasture with a grain mix that contains non-GMO corn and soy. Our cattle and lamb are 100% grass fed and finished and are thus not fed any corn and soy.
Are your animals provided with any added hormones / growth promotants?
No, our livestock are not provided with any added hormones and/or growth promotants.
Do you use antibiotics?
We do not use any sub-therapeutic antibiotics. And thankfully, we’ve not been required to use any antibiotics for sick animals in the past several years.
Do you use vaccinations?
We’ve not used vaccinations in the past several years. Thankfully, we’ve not felt there was a need.
Is your beef aged or is it frozen immediately after butchering?
We flash freeze our beef immediately after butchering and packing.
What breeds are your cattle?
We are open to all small-framed English breeds. Most of our cattle have Angus genetics. But we’ve also raised beautiful Hereford, South Poll, Devon, and crosses between these genetics.
What breed are your lambs?
We raise Katahdin lambs. They are easy to maintain, and join the cattle herd without much issue.
What breed are your chickens?
We raise Cornish and Delaware chickens. They do well on pasture, and chicks are fairly easy to source.
What breed are your pigs?
We raise Tamworth pigs. They do really well in our silvopasture.
What does pasture raised mean?
Pastured animals simply means that the animal was raised on pasture for its entire life (i.e., never in a feedlot).
What type of forages are in your pastures?
We target to have approximately 50% of our pasture in a diverse mix of perennial grasses (e.g., rye, timothy, orchard grass) that are selected for their ability to thrive in our local environment, and are relatively high in energy. The remaining 50% we target to grow a diverse mix of legumes (e.g., white clover, red clover) as not only are legumes palatable for livestock, but it also is a great way to add nitrogen to our soil structure (thus eliminating the need for synthetic nitrogen). We of course also have some weeds in our pasture. Thankfully, most weeds are highly nutritious and palatable for livestock.
Can I buy a whole/half/quarter cow?
Absolutely!
You can learn more here.
When you order bulk beef from us you are able to not only customize your package - but are also able to add our pastured chicken pork and lamb at a steep discount!
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship nationwide.
What is your return policy?
Acabonac Farms has a strict no returns and no refunds policy since our products are perishable and can not be shipped back and forth - nor are we able to accept frozen products back for resale. In the event of shipping delays or missed delivery attempts it is the responsibility of the customer to work with the carrier to collect their package, and/or filing of any claims. Acabonac Farms is not responsible for a package once it has been shipped.
What are the shipping costs?
- Minimum order $125. Free shipping for NY, NJ, CT at $200
- Shipping charge calculated at checkout (flat-rate depending on delivery location)
- All orders shipped frozen. All products individually packaged
Nationwide shipping Monday thru Thursday - UPS Ground / UPS Air depending on delivery location
- Packed with dry ice and environmentally friendly packaging to ensure order arrives safely
- Tracking information emailed when order is shipped
Can I return the packaging?
No, currently we do not accept return of the packaging materials. All of our packaging materials however are curbside recyclable.
How will my order be packaged?
We ship all orders with environmentally friendly liners, and dry ice. The maximum transit time for your order will be two days. We do this to ensure your order arrives perfectly frozen and in proper condition. Our preferred shipping partner is UPS at this time.
Do you have a blog?
Yes! You can check out our blogs here:
You can also learn more about Acabonac here.
General Questions
Do you have a retail store on the farm?
We do not. We ship all of our orders directly to your home via UPS or local courier depending on your location.
Can we visit the ranch?
At this time we are not offering tours, and do not have a visitors center. Check out our gallery for virtual farm tours and much more!
Why the name ‘Acabonac Farms’? Why is it spelled with only one ‘c’?
Acabonac is an Algonquin word that is very familiar to our hometown of East Hampton, NY. It translates to ‘root place’ and so we thought it was fitting. A place where roots are grown… Acabonac is spelled a number of different ways, most frequently today as ‘Accabonac’. However, old Algonquin texts present the spelling in a number of different ways, including: Accabonac, Acabonac, Accabonuck, Accombommok, Accombomok…. We like them all.
Why do your meats taste so good?
The flavor of meat is heavily influenced by the flavor of the intramuscular fat in the meat. The flavor of the fat in the meat is heavily influenced by the diet of the animal. The diet of our animals are (largely) local forages. The flavor of our beef is derived from our local soils, local forages, and (generally) our local environment making it delicious and familiar to our palette. Similar concepts exist for wines throughout the world.
Where is your farm located?
We have several farms located on eastern Long Island, NY. Our largest farm is located in Middle Island, NY.
Protocols
Is your operation certified organic?
No, we are not certified organic. We farm regeneratively. Our protocols do not allow for the use of any pesticides or herbicides (organic or conventional), and we do not use synthetic fertilizers (organic or conventional). We also do not use tillage on our fields, and of course, we keep pasture roots in the soil year-round, and use livestock and our own compost to build fertility.
What does ‘regenerative farming’ mean?
Our definition of regenerative farming is to prioritize building the health of the soil above all else. No herbicides, no pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, limit compaction, and practice no-till farming. We incorporate livestock into our farming operations, and intensively manage their grazing to mimic the natural interactions of animal, land, and soil observed in nature. Long Island, NY has sandy loam soils, thus requiring us to irrigate most of pasture land.
Are you GMO-free? Do you feed your animals corn or soy?
We supplement our pigs and chickens on pasture with a grain mix that contains non-GMO corn and soy. Our cattle and lamb are 100% grass fed and finished and are thus not fed any corn and soy.
Are your animals provided with any added hormones / growth promotants?
No, our livestock are not provided with any added hormones and/or growth promotants.
Do you use antibiotics?
We do not use any sub-therapeutic antibiotics. And thankfully, we’ve not been required to use any antibiotics for sick animals in the past several years.
Do you use vaccinations?
We’ve not used vaccinations in the past several years. Thankfully, we’ve not felt there was a need.
Is your beef aged or is it frozen immediately after butchering?
We flash freeze our beef immediately after butchering and packing.
The Animals
What breeds are your cattle?
We are open to all small-framed English breeds. Most of our cattle have Angus genetics. But we’ve also raised beautiful Hereford, South Poll, Devon, and crosses between these genetics.
What breed are your lambs?
We raise Katahdin lambs. They are easy to maintain, and join the cattle herd without much issue.
What breed are your chickens?
We raise Cornish and Delaware chickens. They do well on pasture, and chicks are fairly easy to source.
What breed are your pigs?
We raise Tamworth pigs. They do really well in our silvopasture.
What does pasture raised mean?
Pastured animals simply means that the animal was raised on pasture for its entire life (i.e., never in a feedlot).
What type of forages are in your pastures?
We target to have approximately 50% of our pasture in a diverse mix of perennial grasses (e.g., rye, timothy, orchard grass) that are selected for their ability to thrive in our local environment, and are relatively high in energy. The remaining 50% we target to grow a diverse mix of legumes (e.g., white clover, red clover) as not only are legumes palatable for livestock, but it also is a great way to add nitrogen to our soil structure (thus eliminating the need for synthetic nitrogen). We of course also have some weeds in our pasture. Thankfully, most weeds are highly nutritious and palatable for livestock.
Can I buy a whole/half/quarter cow?
Absolutely!
You can learn more here.
When you order bulk beef from us you are able to not only customize your package - but are also able to add our pastured chicken pork and lamb at a steep discount!
Shipping & Returns
Where do you ship your meats?
We ship nationwide.
What is your return policy?
Acabonac Farms has a strict no returns and no refunds policy since our products are perishable and can not be shipped back and forth - nor are we able to accept frozen products back for resale. In the event of shipping delays or missed delivery attempts it is the responsibility of the customer to work with the carrier to collect their package, and/or filing of any claims. Acabonac Farms is not responsible for a package once it has been shipped.
What are the shipping costs?
- Minimum order $125. Free shipping for NY, NJ, CT at $200
- Shipping charge calculated at checkout (flat-rate depending on delivery location)
- All orders shipped frozen. All products individually packaged
Nationwide shipping Monday thru Thursday - UPS Ground / UPS Air depending on delivery location
- Packed with dry ice and environmentally friendly packaging to ensure order arrives safely
- Tracking information emailed when order is shipped
Can I return the packaging?
No, currently we do not accept return of the packaging materials. All of our packaging materials however are curbside recyclable.
How will my order be packaged?
We ship all orders with environmentally friendly liners, and dry ice. The maximum transit time for your order will be two days. We do this to ensure your order arrives perfectly frozen and in proper condition. Our preferred shipping partner is UPS at this time.
Do you have a blog?
Yes! You can check out our blogs here:
You can also learn more about Acabonac here.