Pasture-Raised Turkeys in Iowa: Why Over the Moon Farm Turkeys Taste Different

Skip the Grocery Store Line: Weekly Farm-Fresh Meat Delivery to Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Nearby Communities

There's a moment every week when the freezer starts looking thin and the drive to the store starts feeling long. If you live in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Marion, or a neighboring community, we'd like to shorten that drive to zero. Over the Moon Farm is a small, family-run farm in Coggon, Iowa, raising Berkshire pork, pasture-raised chicken, grass-fed beef, and pastured lamb the way it used to be done: outdoors, on grass, with room to move. Every week, we load up the truck and deliver that meat straight to doorsteps across Eastern Iowa, no store run required.We hear the same story a lot. Someone's tired of driving across town to a big box store, standing in line, and still not knowing where the meat in their cart actually came from. So they try us instead, and they don't go back.It's more convenient than Walmart. No parking lot, no cart, no waiting in line at the meat counter. Your order shows up on your porch on a set day, every week, packed and ready for the freezer.It's better meat, full stop. Our pork comes from heritage-breed Berkshire hogs known for rich marbling and flavor you just don't find in a shrink-wrapped supermarket package. Our beef is grass-fed. Our chicken and lamb are raised on pasture, not in a barn under lights. You can taste the difference in the first bite.It's local. We're just up the road in Coggon, not a nameless supplier states away. When you buy from us, your grocery dollars stay in Iowa, supporting an Iowa farm family and Iowa land.How Weekly Delivery Works Our delivery route runs weekly to Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and Marion, so you're never more than a few days from a fresh order. Here's the simple version: Browse and order online at overthemoonmeat.com, choosing from pork, chicken, beef, and lamb by the cut or in a curated bundle.Pick your delivery day. We'll have you on the route before you know it.Meet the truck (or don't). Your order arrives packed and ready for the freezer, no need to be home.Restock whenever you're ready. Many of our regulars just set it and forget it, ordering the same time each week or month. Not in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, or Marion proper? If you're in a neighboring community along the route, reach out. We're always looking to grow our weekly delivery area.What's in the Freezer This Season Right now, our most popular picks for Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Marion, and the surrounding communities include: Berkshire pork chops and roasts for weeknight dinners that don't taste like a weeknight dinnerGrass-fed ground beef for the burger-and-taco crowd (which, let's be honest, is everyone)Pasture-raised chickens for Sunday roasts and a week of leftoversPastured lamb for anyone ready to branch out from the usual rotationReal Meat, Real Farmers, Real Close By We're not a faceless meat company. We're Shae and Anna, raising animals the way we'd want to eat, and standing behind every cut we sell. When you order from Over the Moon Farm, you're not just skipping the store line. You're building a direct relationship with the farm your family's food comes from. Ready to join the route? Head to overthemoonmeat.com to see what's available for delivery in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Marion, and neighboring communities this week.

What Is a Whole or Half Hog and Is It Right for Your Family? A Guide From a Berkshire Pork Farmer in Iowa

We have been selling whole and half hog packages for years and if there is one thing we have learned, it is that most people have never heard of this option before. They find out about it, get a little curious, and then have a lot of questions. This post is our attempt to answer all of them -- honestly and practically, from the perspective of farmers who have walked hundreds of customers through this process. If you have ever wanted a freezer full of incredible Berkshire pork without having to think about ordering every week, keep reading. Iowa raised Berkshire pork ham What Is a Whole or Half Hog Purchase? A whole or half hog purchase -- sometimes called freezer pork -- means you are buying a portion of one of our Berkshire hogs directly from us, before it is processed. You place a deposit to reserve your hog, and once the animal goes to the butcher you fill out a cut sheet specifying exactly how you want your meat processed. The finished cuts are packaged and frozen, then delivered directly to you. It is one of the oldest ways to buy meat. It is also one of the best. Why We Love This Option for Families Here is our honest pitch: buying a whole or half hog is the single best way to stock your freezer with high quality protein for months at a time -- and it is almost always more economical than buying individual cuts week by week. Our whole and half hog packages average out to around $6.60 per pound for finished cuts. When you consider that our heritage-breed Berkshire pork chops retail at $8.99 to $13.50 per pound and our bacon runs $12.00 per pound, buying in bulk saves real money. But the value goes beyond price. We genuinely believe meals are easier when you have high quality proteins already in the freezer. Protein is typically the most expensive and most effortful part of meal planning. When it is already there -- in a variety of cuts, ready to pull out and cook -- the whole rhythm of weeknight dinners changes. You stop thinking about what to order. You just cook. What Is Berkshire Pork and Why Does It Matter? Not all pork is the same. Berkshire is a heritage breed known for exceptional marbling, rich flavor, and a tenderness that commodity pork simply cannot replicate. The difference between a Berkshire pork chop and a grocery store pork chop is not subtle. It is significant. Our Berkshire hogs are raised in low-stress environments on our farm in Coggon, Delaware County, Iowa. No confinements. No gestation crates. We know every animal by sight. That care shows up in the quality of the meat. When you buy a whole or half hog from us, every pound of it is heritage-breed Berkshire. There is no commodity pork in our supply chain. Where Does the Butchering Happen? We use Nimrod Meats in Iowa Falls, Iowa -- a local, family-run butcher we trust completely. When your hog goes in for processing, you fill out a cut sheet directly with Nimrod specifying how you want everything cut and packaged. They do exceptional work and they are easy to communicate with. Working with a local Iowa butcher is part of what makes this feel so different from buying at a grocery store. The supply chain is short. The people involved are real. And the finished product reflects the care that went into every step. How Does the Cut Sheet Work? This is the part most first-time buyers find most exciting. The cut sheet is your opportunity to get the exact pork you actually want for your household. Here are some of the decisions you get to make: Chops: Do you want thick cut Iowa chops, perfect for the grill? Thin cut chops for quick weeknight cooking? Butterfly chops? You specify the thickness and the quantity per package. Roasts: Do you want your roasts boneless for easy slicing and serving? Or bone-in for more flavor? Your call. Sausage: Do you want your trim made into ground pork, or seasoned as Italian sausage, chorizo, maple breakfast sausage, or another flavor? This is one of the best parts of the whole hog experience -- you can have your trim turned into exactly the sausage your household uses most. Pork Belly: Do you want your belly cured and sliced as bacon? Or uncured and whole so you can smoke it yourself at home? The whole hog is the only way to get this option. Ribs Spare: ribs, baby back ribs, or country-style -- specify what you want and that is what you get. If you have never filled out a cut sheet before, do not worry. Nimrod Meats will walk you through it and we are always available to answer questions. It is less complicated than it sounds and far more rewarding than you might expect. How Much Freezer Space Do I Need? A good rule of thumb: Half hog: approximately 75 to 90 pounds of finished cuts. You will need roughly 3 to 4 cubic feet of freezer space. Whole hog: approximately 150 to 180 pounds of finished cuts. You will need roughly 6 to 8 cubic feet of freezer space. If you do not have a chest freezer, this might be the motivation to get one. A small chest freezer runs $150 to $250 at most hardware stores and pays for itself quickly when you are buying protein at $6.60 per pound. How Does the Process Work, Step by Step? Step 1 - Place your deposit. A $150 deposit reserves a whole hog. A $75 deposit reserves a half. You can do this directly on our website. The remaining balance is due at delivery. Step 2 - We schedule the butcher. Once your hog is reserved, we coordinate the processing date with Nimrod Meats in Iowa Falls. Step 3 - Fill out your cut sheet. We will send you the cut sheet and be available to help you fill it out if you have questions. This is where you tell Nimrod exactly how you want everything processed. Step 4 - Wait for the magic. Processing typically takes a few weeks. We will keep you updated. Step 5 - Delivery or pickup. Once your meat is ready, we coordinate delivery to your door or pickup. All your cuts arrive frozen and packaged, ready for the freezer. Is a Whole or Half Hog Right for You? It is a great fit if: You eat pork regularly and want to simplify how you buy itYou want to stock a freezer for several months at a timeYou want complete control over how your meat is processedYou want the best value per pound for heritage-breed Berkshire porkYou want to buy directly from farmers you know and trust It might not be the right fit if: You do not have adequate freezer space (though a chest freezer solves this quickly) You are not ready to commit to a full half hog at once (individual cuts from our store are always available) You need meat immediately -- the whole hog process takes a few weeks from deposit to delivery A Note About Availability We process hogs seasonally, which means whole and half hog packages are not always available. The best way to stay informed is to sign up for our newsletter at overthemoonmeat.com/newsletter-signup. We announce availability to our email list first, and packages tend to go quickly. We will be honest with you: we have told customers "no more hogs until fall" and then had a group of pigs surprise us by being quite ready ahead of schedule. Farming involves a lot of estimation. The best way to not miss a window is to be on the list. How to Reserve Your Whole or Half Hog When packages are available, you can reserve directly on our website: Whole Hog Deposit -- $150, balance due at delivery Half Hog Deposit -- $75, balance due at delivery If you have questions before you commit, reach out through our contact page or reply to any of our newsletters. We are real people and we actually respond. Not Ready for a Whole Hog? We Have You Covered. Our full lineup of heritage-breed Berkshire pork -- chops, roasts, bacon, brats, Italian sausage, chorizo, maple breakfast sausage, spare ribs and more - is available individually in our online store with local delivery every Thursday and nationwide shipping every Monday. The whole hog is the best value. But every single order supports the same farm, the same farmers, and the same vision for a better Iowa food system. Over the Moon Farm is a women-owned, LGBTQ-owned heritage Berkshire pork, pasture-raised chicken, grass-fed beef, and pastured lamb farm in Coggon, Delaware County, Iowa. We offer local home delivery across eastern Iowa every Thursday and nationwide shipping every Monday. Learn more at overthemoonmeat.com.

Why Buying Meat Directly From a Farmer Changes Everything

We have been farming in Delaware County, Iowa for seven years. In that time we have heard a lot of reasons why people first reach out to us - they want better quality, they are curious about how their food is raised, they want to support a local business, or they are simply tired of the same few options at the grocery store. But the reason that keeps people coming back, the one we hear over and over again, is simpler than any of those things. They wanted to know their farmer. This post is about why that matters, what it actually looks like to buy pasture-raised meat directly from a farm in eastern Iowa, and why we believe it is one of the most meaningful choices a household can make about their food. What "Knowing Your Farmer" Actually Means It is easy for this phrase to sound like marketing. Like something printed on a label next to a stock photo of a barn. But when we say it, we mean something specific. When you buy from Over the Moon Farm, you are buying from Shae, who grew up on this land in Coggon, Iowa - the same land where we farm today. Shae is the one checking on the animals in the early morning, repairing equipment, making decisions about rotational grazing, and loading your delivery on Thursday. And you are buying from Anna, who handles communications, advocacy, and the business side, and who has been showing up for the policy work that independent farms need to survive - from Capitol Hill briefings on meat monopolies to farmer-led organizations working on food system reform right here in Iowa. When you email us a question, we answer it. When something changes with your order, we tell you. When we make a decision about how our animals are raised, we share it. That is what knowing your farmer looks like in practice. How Our Pasture-Raised Meat Is Different The meat at most grocery stores comes from a supply chain that most people know very little about. A handful of large corporations control the majority of beef and pork processing in the United States, which means the decisions about how animals are raised, how they are processed, and what gets labeled as "humanely raised" are made far from any individual farm. At Over the Moon, the decisions are made by us. Our Berkshire pork comes from heritage-breed hogs raised in low-stress environments on our farm in Coggon. No confinements. No gestation crates. Berkshire is a heritage breed known for exceptional flavor, marbling, and tenderness -- qualities that simply do not exist in commodity pork. When customers tell us our pork chops are the best they have ever had, we are not surprised. We are proud. Our pasture-raised chicken is raised on our farm in small flocks with access to the outdoors. Pasture-raised chicken tastes the way chicken used to taste - flavorful, with a texture that holds up in any cooking method. We raise our birds seasonally while the grass is green. Our grass-fed beef comes from Millie and Elston at Pine View Angus Beef in Stuart, Iowa, rotationally grazed on pasture. Rotational grazing means the cattle move regularly, the pasture gets to recover, the soil health improves, and the beef develops the rich, complex flavor that comes from animals living as they were meant to live. Every one of these animals was raised by someone we know, on land we can visit, using practices we stand behind completely. What We Mean by Humane Animal Care We use the phrase "humanely raised in low-stress environments" deliberately. For our Berkshire pork, we do not use the term pasture-raised because our hogs are not on pasture in the same way our chickens are. What they do have is space, low-stress handling, quality feed, and daily attention from farmers who care about their wellbeing. We believe how an animal lives shows up in the food it produces. This is not just a value we hold. It is something our customers taste. How to Get Over the Moon Farm Meat One of the questions we get most often from new customers is simply: how does this work? Buying directly from a farm is not something most people grew up doing, and the grocery store is a familiar habit. So here is the simple version. Local delivery to eastern Iowa, every Thursday. If you are in our delivery area, you can order online at overthemoonmeat.com and we will deliver to your door. Order by 8pm Wednesday for Thursday delivery. Delivery is free. Nationwide shipping, every Monday. We ship pasture-raised meat directly to your door anywhere in the country. Orders are packed frozen with insulated packaging and arrive ready for your freezer. Midwest shipping is $25 or free over $150. Nationwide shipping is $49.99 or free over $250. Order by 8pm Sunday for Monday shipping. In person at Buffalo Ridge Orchard Farm Store in Central City, Iowa. If you are local to that area, you can find a selection of our meats on their shelves. They are open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10am to 4pm, from May through December. Subscriptions. Subscribe to any product in our store and set your delivery cadence -- weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Change or cancel anytime. This is the best option for households that want a consistently stocked freezer without having to think about it every week. Bulk Options: Whole Hog, Half Hog, and Beef Shares For customers who want to go deeper, we offer whole and half hog packages and quarter and half beef shares. These are among the most meaningful ways to buy directly from a farm. A whole or half hog means you work with us and our butcher to specify exactly how your animal is processed - boneless or bone-in roasts, thick or thin chops, Italian sausage or plain ground pork, uncured pork belly to smoke yourself. You get every cut from one animal, all at once, along with months of incredible meals. A beef share works similarly. You reserve a quarter or half of a grass-fed steer, pay a deposit to hold your spot, and receive your full order once the animal is processed. It is the most economical way to buy beef from us and the most direct connection to where your food comes from. We release these packages seasonally. If you are interested, sign up for our newsletter to be notified when they become available. Why We Farm the Way We Do Seven years in, we still believe what we believed at the beginning. That how we raise animals matters. That how food is produced matters. That building a regional food system that values the dignity of people, land, animals, and communities is work worth doing. We are a women-owned, LGBTQ-owned farm in Delaware County, Iowa. We are part of FACE -- Farmers for Animals, Communities, and the Environment -- and Anna has testified at congressional briefings about meat monopolies and public health. We show up for the policy conversations that most farmers never have time for, because we believe the farm gate is not the end of our responsibility. When you buy from us, you are not just feeding your family well. You are part of something we are trying to build together. What Our Customers Say We could tell you all day that our meat is exceptional. We would rather let the people who eat it tell you. "Their pork has turned our family, who rarely ate pork, into frequent pork eaters. Their humanely raised Berkshire pork is out of this world." -- Dylan B., Marion, Iowa "The chicken tasted the way poultry used to taste -- juicy, full of flavor, and enough for several meals. This place is a real gem." -- Anne R., Cedar Rapids, Iowa "Supporting local made easy and delicious. Purchased half a pig and filled our freezer. High quality product and fantastic service." -- Alex S., Iowa City, Iowa "I just received a beautiful pork butt roast -- it is so nice, and the freezer packaging was excellent with very timely shipping. Over the Moon is a caring and kind company." -- Denise G. Ready to Order? If you are in eastern Iowa, shop online and choose local delivery. If you are anywhere else in the country, we ship to you every Monday. Have questions about how it works? Visit our FAQ page or contact us directly. We are real people and we actually respond. We are Over the Moon Farm. We are in Coggon, Iowa. And we would love to be your farmers. Over the Moon Farm raises heritage-breed Berkshire pork, pasture-raised chicken, grass-fed beef, and pastured lamb in Delaware County, Iowa. We offer local home delivery across eastern Iowa every Thursday and nationwide shipping every Monday. Shop at overthemoonmeat.com.

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