Frequently Asked Questions

How are Donnell Century Beef Angus fed?

All Donnell cattle graze on grass and their mother’s milk for the first 4-6 months on our farm in Madison County, Tennessee. After weaning we feed our animals a mixture of corn silage (which is the whole corn plant, fed when available), corn kernels, wheat, soybeans, cottonseed, and Bermuda grass hay. All of the silage and some other the other feed are grown on our farm. We never use hormones or growth stimulants. We only use antibiotics when medically necessary and that animal never enters DCF All-Natural beef program.

Why is Donnell Century Beef described as “natural” instead of “organic?”

The U.S. Food Safety Inspection Service defines natural as “A product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed (a process which does not fundamentally alter the raw product) may be labeled natural.meat.” containing no artificial color or flavoring; no chemical preservatives, other synthetic ingredients.

We are proud to call our beef natural and in many ways we go above and beyond the governments requirements for cattle to be considered natural beef.


We never, ever use hormones or growth stimulants.

Only when one of our cattle exhibits a need for medical treatment is it given any antibiotic.

To qualify as “organic” by federal standards, our feed would have to include ingredients that have never been treated with pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizer. The cost of those feeds is extremely expensive and getting more so each year. Feeding our cattle organically would raise our price considerably and would require that we pass it on to you our customer, raising your prices by at least 50-100%. We believe our natural methods are more than sufficient to provide healthy, high quality beef at a price our customers can afford.

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What do you mean by "carefully bred?"

Breeding our cattle is a very important aspect of raising the quality beef you have come to expect from us. We use the best genetic and latest technology to track our cattle and to breed them to provide the best beef possible. We know our animals and we know how to make sure that they continue to provide high quality beef. For more information on our genetics please visit our farm website www.DonnellCenturyFarm.com/angus.

How long can I store the frozen beef?

When you buy beef from Donnell Century Farm, it will be frozen solid. If you don’t plan on eating your beef right away, we recommend that you store it in your freezer. We recommend that you use a traditional freezer with a temperature at or below 0 degrees F and never higher than 5 degrees F.

Below are the recommended durations for keeping our beef in your freezer:

• Ground Beef: 9-12 months
• Roasts: Up to 12 months
• Steaks: Up to 12 months

How should I defrost the beef?

We recommend that you keep the beef frozen in its original Donnell Century Beef packaging. When you are ready to use it, remove it from the freezer and defrost in the refrigerator.

Defrost our beef products as follows:

• Large roasts: 4-8 hours per pound
• Small roasts: 3-6 hours per pound
• Steaks and burgers: (one inch thick) 10-12 hours

If you’re pressed for time, however, you can:

1. Place the sealed vacuum pack in a sink filled with cold water. (Make sure the package is still watertight!)
2. Remove the beef from its package and microwave it on the “defrost” setting. (Be careful not to cook the meat in the microwave)

We do not recommend thawing beef at room temperature.

Do you offer as satisfaction guarantee?

Donnell Century Beef guarantees customer satisfaction. If you are not satisfied with the beef you buy from us, we will replace the product. If this does not resolve the customer concern, we will work together to resolve the issue until the customer is satisfied. Please note that in most cases the product in question should be returned to guarantee a full refund.