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by Chrysa Smith
When I sat down with Sean Ryan and Tonya Rosenberger, the owners of Tussock Sedge Farm, I learned lots. Like I may not be the informed shopper I had thought. Labels can be misleading. And true regenerative, completely natural farming exists—at least on the almost 1000 acres the couple’s farm in and around the village of Blooming Glen.
Tussock Sedge, for those of us who don’t know biomes, is a type of wetland grass. And perhaps there is no better name since not only are 60 acres of their property wetlands, but all their animals graze on a variety of grasses daily. And according to Sean, there’s no healthier, better-tasting meat you can buy than 100 percent grass-fed beef and lamb, truly pasture-raised, Heritage pork (from breeds that are older, rarer and many say, more flavorful) chicken, and several other non-meat, mostly local products that appeal to them. Everything, and I mean everything is more than what many food companies call natural—all non-GMO, soy and corn free, antibiotic and hormone-free, vaccine, drug, and chemical free.
“In mass produced meat farming,” Sean says, “marketing terms are used loosely.” As he explains, pasture-raised may mean a building full of cattle, with a tiny access door to the outdoors. Or grain-fed animals marketed as grass-fed. Many cows and chickens don’t even see the outdoors, and as a farmer, as a man of faith, that’s just wrong.
Their Red Angus cattle have run of a pasture—for a day. Tonya says they have a better temperament, stay cooler—and as she jokes, are prettier. Once they have sufficiently eaten down a field, they are moved to an adjoining, fresh pasture. Sean and Tonya believe it not only helps the cattle be healthier, but that it sort of mows down a nutrient-rich field, letting it grow in time for another herd to come for the day. Thus, it is regenerative. Ruminants, as they are called, naturally graze, and when they eat down the plants, stomping the grass down into the soil, it grows the topsoil. And so, the farm exhibits the cycle of life—nature in process.
According to Sean, “People have taken barren landscapes, added cattle and in a short time, the land will recover and become lush, beautiful pastures. But if the cattle were left in one field for too long, it would look bad again,” which, in addition to nutrition, is the reason for herd rotation.” You can tell by the height of the pasture, where cattle have been and where they’re going,” Sean says. The couple believe it’s the healthiest method of farming. In fact, Sean pointed out that the brown lines you see below the cattle-fencing on some farms are from pesticides being sprayed. That’s just something you’ll never see at Tussock Sedge.
After our chat, I took a little ride in Sean’s small farm truck—out to far pastures where we got to meet one grazing herd. As if magic, the herd, which are all about the same age came to check us out. They know the sound of Sean’s vehicle, and his call—one to call them in and one to push them back. They’re enormous and beautiful animals and seemingly happy grazing in their pasture. A full-grown steer comes in at around 1400-1500 pounds. Heffers, around 1200. And smarter than you might think. According to Sean, while cattle, like us, can be picky if presented with too much of a favorite food item, and not everything nutritionally needed, they will find what is good for them when they need it. Again, nature at the helm.
At any given time, the family may have as many as 300 cattle out grazing on the property, which will be with them for about 30-36 months. Sean says “That’s a long time in the world of beef. Many farmers harvest in 14-15 months. We finish our cattle in more than double the time of conventional beef.” Of course, big farming is all about the bottom line. How fast can we finish a cow to get them to market? “Most grass-fed beef is considered too lean because they’re harvested too early” he adds. It’s all about doing it right.
Finishing means all intramuscular fat that the cow can put on is. So, for flavor, longer is better. I learned much about cattle, including that fat accumulation works its way from the front to the back of the animal. “There are fat bubbles that form in the rear of the cow. This is not only how you know the cow is almost ready for processing, but the longer time results in more marbling,” according to Sean. Those cattle prematurely rushed to market don’t get to that point, and therefore, can’t compare in marbling. And those who grill, or enjoy a good steak know, marbling is what gives great flavor, but it’s also more nutritious. Tonya says that their steaks are called burgundy—they’re that rich in color and flavor.
As labor intensive as it is, you might wonder why they do it. The couple manages the farm operation, Sean says, “Splitting time between work in the field, animal husbandry, mechanical repairs, order fulfillments and various sales, administrative and marketing tasks.” It takes about an additional year to raise their cattle versus conventionally processed beef, which also means a larger investment. “For us, we want to raise the best beef available, in the way God intended it.”
The couple views what they have as God’s creation. Devout Mennonites, their way of life clearly answers to a higher calling. The couple believes Jesus is the center of their faith, community is the center of their life and reconciliation is the center of their spiritual and farm work. “We see ourselves as stewards of what we have. Modern techniques remove anything natural. Nature functions to keep things thriving in balance. And we are called to take care of it,” says Sean. They see a responsibility for protecting streams, reservoirs and all of creation from chemicals, unnatural additives and processes. It not only hurts them, but their surrounding community as well.
In addition to their faith, there’s the matter of the farm being in the family for a generation. When Tonya’s parents, Henry and Charlotte Rosenberger bought 80 acres back in 1990, it was barren. According to Sean, “They began acquiring other farmland from retiring farmers that didn’t want their land developed. They planted thousands of trees and created protected wetlands for wildlife. And, although Tonya’s father raised conventional cattle until shortly after 2000, about the time when the fields were planted in pasture, her father wanted the cattle to be healthier than what feeding them grain produces. That’s when they transitioned to pasture-raised, 100 percent grass fed beef.
Then, in 2017, when Tonya’s father wasn’t well enough to manage the farm, Sean and Tonya’s siblings were faced with the difficult decision whether to continue this generational practice or put the farm up for sale. Fortunately for this family, their children and their customers, it’s thriving. Paul left an IT position and Tonya, a nursing job to make it all work. With land originally inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans, several hundred years as some type of family farm, their own family’s history, a circa 1700s farmhouse and a demand for clean food, Tussock Sedge is truly a success story at the intersection of history and modernity.
When I asked about the effect of farm life on their four children, they were quick to say that they don’t know any other way. “They have a totally different view of the world,” Sean says. “They see life and death. They see slaughter when cows are injured or ill. Our kids know where food comes from. How can you eat food when you don’t know where it comes from? They don’t live in front of screens; they play outside and explore.” Between the ages of five to twelve, they help where they can, in between their homeschooling and adventures on the farm. Sean and Tonya’s passion for farming is palpable, and they hope their legacy will be built upon as their children grow up.
Besides the hard work of running the farm, they operate an online retail store. At their retail ‘pick up’ barn, their freezers are full. Tonya says prior to Covid, they could keep up with restocking freezers. But when people were awakened to the food supply, including how fragile it can be when shelves were bare, Tonya believes people developed a greater interest in buying locally grown and harvested food. Sean adds, “It also made people seek out nutrient dense food for healing.” During Covid, there was a line out the driveway—a long way to the street. So, they discovered an online ordering system would work better. So far, it has. Orders are usually turned around within three days, with customers having the option of pick-up dates—everyday but Sunday.
You can find online ordering here: www.tussocksedgefarm.com/store. From cheese and spices through seafood and bakery items—as well as raw milk, which Sean says is more highly digestible if not more perishable. We talked a bit about the controversy surrounding the product, which he says, the A2/A2 raw milk that comes from 100 percent grass fed and pasture raised cows can often be tolerated by people who have an intolerance to processed milk—something to do with the pasteurization process. There are also completely pasture-raised eggs, teas and a hand-selected variety of provisions from other like-minded people they’ve partnered with. And, while expansion has been contemplated, it’s got to be the right time—they’re working on shipping products in the near future. “We sold wholesale in the past,” Tonya says. But with competition driving the prices down and not knowing ordering patterns, it became too unpredictable. At times they had freezers full of food with no place to go. “It just became unmanageable.”
“Our focus has always been on the highest quality, nutrient dense food we can provide,” says Sean. “We operate with complete transparency.” And that comes at a price. “Farming is expensive. Knowing how and where your food comes from is a priority for us,” says Sean. “You determine if our process aligns with your values.” He says it’s important to support such farms because more are disappearing.
In the end, their philosophy aligns with nature and ultimately, the health and wellness of their customers, and their employees. They’re part of it all, just like their ancestors were and will continue to be. They’re quick to say that they couldn’t have done it without their entire team—including Ranch Manager, Tyler Gray Blair, who Sean says has been with them since the beginning and has worked tirelessly to support their mission. During our conversation, Sean quoted an old, appropriate native proverb—"Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children.” And so it is at Tussock Sedge.
Tussock Sedge Farm, LLC is located at 1239 Souderton Road, (Rt. 113) Perkasie, PA. (Perkasie mailing address; geographically in Blooming Glen). They can be reached at 267-450-4024 or email info@tussocksedgefarm.com. For farm information and online shopping, visit www.TussockSedgeFarm.com.
Chrysa Smith is a regular contributor, who enjoys shopping at local farms and farmers markets.