August 2026

 

Summer has settled in. The heat has been steady, but we have received enough rain to keep the pastures in good condition.

We are preparing the hayfields and fertilizing the pastures used for strip grazing. This is also the time of year when we clip some pastures just high enough to remove the seedheads from the dallisgrass. Clipping encourages the grass to remain vegetative and continue producing forage. It is a simple management practice that helps extend our grazing base through the summer.

The cattle are doing well despite the heat. We continue to watch their water, shade, and grazing conditions closely.

Much of our other work is routine but necessary. We are repairing fences, servicing equipment, and keeping up with the day-to-day needs of the ranch. That work also prepares us for hay season and ryegrass planting later in the year. Good pasture management depends on doing each job in its season.

 

Louisiana beef at the Summer Picnic

On August 15, Gonsoulin Land & Cattle will take part in the Steakhouse Summer Picnic at Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse in New Orleans.

This year’s event focuses on Louisiana grass-fed beef and the ranchers who raise it. GLC will be featured alongside Three Fires Farms. Chefs from Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse, Bourbon House, Tableau, Pascal’s Manale, Audubon Clubhouse, and The Commissary will prepare a range of dishes using Louisiana-raised beef.

Events like this give ranchers, chefs, and customers a chance to speak directly with one another. We value the opportunity to explain how our cattle are raised and to see how different kitchens use the beef.

A portion of ticket sales will benefit St. Michael Special School.

Learn more about the Louisiana Summer Picnic

Vendor Spotlight

Anna Marie Seafood

Captain Lance Nacio comes from four generations of South Louisiana fishermen. Since 1998, he has worked from the F/V Anna Marie, a 55-foot vessel named after his daughters.

The boat is equipped to sort, chill and freeze shrimp soon after they are caught. Freezing at sea helps preserve the shrimp’s natural texture and flavor without soaking them in water or brine. Lance also uses turtle excluder devices and fishing practices intended to reduce bycatch.

Anna Marie Seafood is based in Montegut. Their work is a good example of how experience and practical innovation can help preserve Louisiana’s commercial fishing traditions. Knowing who caught our seafood, where it came from and how it was handled keeps more of our food connected to the people and waters that produced it.

Learn more about Anna Marie Seafood or follow them on Facebook.

 

A Practical Guide to Cooking Grassfed Beef

A beef share can feel like a lot when it first reaches the freezer. Start by sorting the packages into ground beef, steaks, roasts, bones and fat. Keep a few everyday cuts near the front and make a simple inventory of the rest.

Grassfed beef is often leaner than conventional beef, so it can cook more quickly. Watch steaks closely, use a meat thermometer and allow them to rest before slicing. Ground beef may benefit from a little butter or rendered tallow when cooked.

Save the bones for stock. Roasting them first develops more flavor before they go into the stockpot. Tougher cuts such as chuck, brisket and shanks respond well to low heat, moisture and time.

The extra fat can be slowly rendered into tallow for browning meat, frying potatoes or caring for cast iron.

There is no need to master the whole freezer at once. Begin with familiar meals, then choose one less familiar cut each week. Before long, every part of the beef will have a place in the kitchen.

Featured Cut: Chuck Roast

The chuck roast comes from the shoulder. It is a hardworking part of the animal, so the meat contains connective tissue that needs time to soften. This is not a cut to cook quickly. It does best with low heat, moisture and patience.

Thaw the roast in the refrigerator for a day or two. Season it generously with salt and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Brown each side in a heavy pot with a little tallow or cooking oil. This step develops the flavor that carries through the finished dish.

Add onions, garlic and enough stock to come about one-third of the way up the roast. Cover the pot and cook it in a 225-250°F oven. Check it after three hours, but let tenderness determine when it is ready. A fork should slide into the meat easily. If the roast is still firm, it needs more time.

Grassfed chuck can be leaner than expected. Keeping the pot covered and allowing the roast to cook in its own juices helps prevent it from drying out.

Serve it with potatoes and vegetables the first night. Leftovers can become sandwiches, tacos, vegetable soup or (our favorite) rice and gravy. One chuck roast can provide the foundation for several meals.