Frequently Asked Questions

Our beef and lamb are grass-fed and grass-finished. Our pigs and chickens are raised on pasture with organic, corn-free, soy-free feed. (Our lamb is available starting November 7, while supplies last.)

An animal's fat reflects what it eats. Conventional hogs are fed corn, which raises omega-6 fatty acids, and soy, which contains plant estrogens many of our customers prefer to avoid. We leave both out.

Clean raising is what makes our pork better, even as ham or bacon. It doesn't remove the nitrites in cured products, though. More on that under Holiday hams.

Our grass-fed, grass-finished lamb is available starting Saturday, November 7, at the market, while supplies last.

Mostly moderate-frame Red Angus, plus Dexter bulls (so some of our calves are “Dangus” crosses) and a half Red Angus, half South Poll bull for heat tolerance. All of them are grass-fed and grass-finished.

No. Our dairy cows are our family's milk cows, and we don't offer milk shares.

Email orders@saltandarrowranch.com, text (757) 469-4131, or message us on Facebook. We don't have online ordering, because stock sells fast. For ranch pickup, we'll confirm what's available, send you an invoice, and set a pickup time. At the farmers market it's first come, first served. Just ask if you'd like a price list. Not everything is always in stock.

We don't take pre-orders for market pickup, except for specialty items that require a deposit, like holiday hams, turkeys, and specialty cuts.

Our ranch is in Machipongo on Virginia's Eastern Shore. You'll find us at Old Beach Farmers Market in Virginia Beach on Saturdays, 9 to noon (from November, only the 1st and 3rd Saturdays). We also have a small selection of items at Foodie's Local Market. We're not at any Shore markets right now.

Yes. Eastern Shore customers can pick up at the ranch. There are no set hours, so we'll arrange a time together. Texting is the best way to set that up. Your order will be waiting in the cooler at the egg stand by the house gate, up the driveway. The minimum for ranch pickup is $50. If you're coming from Virginia Beach, keep in mind the Bay Bridge-Tunnel toll is $16 each way.

Most of our products are frozen. Fresh chicken is available on processing days if you order ahead.

We're happy to suggest a swap. Just ask.

We email you an invoice so you can pay electronically. For ranch pickup, you can also pay with cash or Venmo, or use the cash box at the egg stand.

Smoked, $14.99/lb. Cured and smoked by our butcher and fully cooked, so you just warm it through.

Fresh, $12.99/lb. Completely raw (not cured, smoked, or cooked). It cooks like a pork roast and won't taste like ham.

Yes. Ham flavor needs a cure, and a cure means nitrites. Our butcher doesn't offer a celery-powder option. The cure ingredients from the label: water, salt, sodium phosphate, autolyzed yeast extract, sugar, dextrose, sodium erythorbate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium nitrite.

Those are cured with celery powder. Its natural nitrate becomes the same nitrite, with the same effect on the body. USDA requires them to be labeled “uncured / no nitrates added except naturally occurring.”

Here's our take: we're very health-conscious, and we still enjoy ham and bacon on occasion, just not as a regular part of our diet. One holiday meal is no big deal. If you want the healthiest holiday option, a turkey is the better choice.

Shank end, bone-in, 5 lb minimum, cut to your size. You can have it whole or sliced into individually packaged ham steaks.

If you want the bone (for beans, say), order a whole ham. Ham steaks have the bone cut into them, and the bone can't be saved separately.

Message us on Facebook, email orders@saltandarrowranch.com, or text (757) 469-4131. We'll send an invoice for the $30 deposit, and the balance is due at pickup.

Holiday hams come from one fall processing, the only one before Christmas. Deposits for 2026 holiday hams were due Thursday, October 22.

Whole birds run 5 to 7 lb and are usually frozen. Fresh birds are available on processing day if you order a day or two ahead.

No, and that's on purpose. A healthy chicken needs grain carbohydrates, because its single-chambered stomach can't thrive without them. Ours are raised on pasture with 100% organic, corn-free, soy-free feed.

We don't sell rendered lard, but starting Saturday, November 7, we'll have pork leaf fat and back fat in 5 lb bags at the market, perfect for rendering your own.

No. We sell pasture-raised retail cuts only.

No. We sell all of our 100% grass-finished beef individually by the cut. Demand at market doesn't leave any for bulk.

Beef sells out between processing dates, so just ask us what's available right now.

Yes. We sell compressed 2-string bales, about 35 lb each, on pallets, from a supplier with consistent quality. Prices and types change, so ask us what we have. Single bales can be left at the egg stand and paid by invoice or the cash box. For a pallet, text (757) 469-4131 to set up an appointment, and James will load it with the tractor.

Yes, we can give you a shipping quote. It's usually only economical for orders of roughly 30 to 35 lb of meat. Email orders@saltandarrowranch.com or text (757) 469-4131 and we'll work it out.

Salt + Arrow is a working ranch, and we keep handling of our animals to a minimum, so we don't offer open visits. That said, we're looking at offering educational tours for a fee in the future. A few lucky customers even won an educational tour this fall in a drawing!