grass-fed beef article

7/28/2019 Grass-fed beef article

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edibletwincitiesMarch-April 2012 Celebrating the Abundance of Local Foods, Season by Season Number 2

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Gorkha Palace | Minnesota Food Bloggers | Fermented Foods

Grass-Fed Beef:Greener Pastures Ahead?


2/918 MARCH/APRIL 2012 edibletwin cities

INTEREST GROWS; WILLFINANCIAL SUCCESS FOLLOW?

GRASSFED BEEF:

Mike Braucher of Sunshine Harvest Farmnear Webster, Minn. has about 80 headof cattle. In addition to producing andmarketing grass-fed beef directly toconsumers and restaurants, he is alsoproducing lamb, pork, chicken, and eggs.

cover story


3/9MARCH/APRIL 2012 19edibletwin cities

Its a tough business for farmers, wholook at more than the bottom line.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARK A. WEBER

Mike Brauchers career change, from structural engi-

neer to farmer, makes little sense. Except, of course,

for this: Farming is his passion.This pretty much sums up the current crop of

grass-fed beef farmers in Minnesota. They are a passionate lot, and

better be, because the odds seem overwhelmingly stacked against them.

Grass-fed beef occupies a tiny niche, perhaps not much more than

1 percent of the overall beef market in Minnesota. Beef consumption

itself is down among Americans, and the corn-fed variety favored by

most is almost always cheaper and reaches slaughter weight faster than

its grass-fed cousin. More money can usually be made raising commod-

ity crops, where pay-offs come quicker and subsidies are more likely.

And grass-fed beef farming is particularly hard in Minnesota, wherewinter limits the foraging season and meat processors are sometimes

located many miles away. To top it off, grass-fed beef farming requires

a lot of land, and farmland prices in Minnesota have spiraled.

All of which explains why so many people in the grass-fed beef

industry are diversified (producing lamb, pork, chickens, eggs, and

more, in addition to beef) and have second jobs (and in some cases

third or fourth jobs).

People who would say, Boy, Id really like to do this theyd

have to put up a couple million dollars to buy land to get started,

says Lee Egerstrom, a veteran Minnesota journalist, author of bookson agriculture, and fellow with the non-partisan think tank called

Minnesota 2020. Thats a terrible barrier to entrance into that niche

market of the beef industry.

And to what extent are consumers long-term willing to pay some

kind of premium price for something that can cost a lot more to

produce? There are consumers who will, obviously, and do. But how

secure are their jobs and whats their income like?

To a certain segment of the market [grass-fed beef] sounds like

a great idea, and then they go to the store and compare the price,

agrees Ron Eustice, executive director of the Minnesota Beef Council,

which works on education and promotion for all of the states beef

producers, grass-fed beef farmers included. Intentions are good, but

the reality of paying more for the same amount of beef is a decision

that sometimes is difficult for some people. I dont see a large number

of consumers willing to pay the premium.

And yet, farmers such as Braucher, of Sunshine Harvest Farm near

Webster, Minn. and Mary Jo Forbord, of Prairie Horizons Farm near

Starbuck, Minn., say such viewpoints overlook several important quali-

ties of grass-fed beef farming that bode well for the future. They say local

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interest in grass-fed beef is growing, and that the passionate, commit-

ted farmer producing grass-fed beef is looking beyond the bottom line

to good stewardship of the land and other natural resources, a direct

relationship with the consumer, and a benefit to the local economy.

Or, as engineer-turned-farmer Braucher who also produces pork,

lamb, chicken, and eggs says with a laugh: I dont make a lot of

money but I eat well!

It doesnt hurt that Americans seem increasingly interested in

where their food comes from and how it was raised. And the grass-fed

cow fares well in that assessment: It eats from the pasture rather than

being finished on or spending its life on a diet of grains and supple-

ments, and thus its advocates say the practice of grass-fed farming is

more humane, better for the planet, and healthier for consumers.

The tiny share of the beef-consumption market that grass-fed beef

occupies also belies the growing choices that consumers have for beef

thats not only been spared the corn, but typically the antibiotics and

artificial growth hormones as well.

Today there is not only local, grass-fed beef available directly from

the farmer, but there are supply chains that allow you to buy from a

middle man (such as the Grass Fed Cattle Co., in Edina, Minn.) and

in the regular supermarket (such as meat from Thousand Hills Cattle

Company, of Cannon Falls, Minn.)

MARKET SHARE GROWING OR IS IT?By and large, all of these sources of grass-fed beef say they are en-

couraged by consumers who are awakening to the benefits of healthy

local, sustainable food. Thats evident in the growth of community-

supported agriculture (CSA) farms listed in Minnesota Grown

annual straight-from-the-grower directory: from 14 CSA listings in

2006 to 85 in 2011.

Grass [beef] farming is in a state of growth; that is my gut feel-

ing, and that it will be in a state of growth were only at the very

beginning, says Forbord, a farmer, nutritionist, and coordinator o

Healthy Eating at the University of Minnesota-Morris.

And of course none of that would be possible if there were no

a complementary growing consumer awareness toward localization

natural resources, conservation those sorts of things, she adds

Even large supermarkets are starting to stock grass-fed beef, such as this CubFoods store.



Edible Twin Cities Marketplace

Recipes from Thousand HillsThe following recipes use beef from Thousand Hills Cattle Co. and are

the work of Scott Pampuch, executive chef/food and beverage director at

Bloomingtons Minnesota Valley Country Club. Pampuch is also host of the

television show In Search Of Food, on the Ovation network, with new

segments starting in March or April.

PERFECTLY ROASTED PRIME RIBServes: 4-6

1 tablespoon peppercorns

6 bay leaves

1 cup kosher salt

5 allspice berries

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

12 cloves garlic

4 pounds rib eye roast

Toast peppercorns, salt, bay leaves and allspice berries. Chop rose-

mary and garlic. Combine spices, rosemary and garlic. Rub roast and letmarinade for 24 hours. Roast at 400 degrees until thermometer inserted

in middle of the meat reads 125 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest

for 20 minutes.

BRAISED THOUSAND HILLS BEEFServes: 4-6

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4-5 pounds beef brisket

1 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup flour (just enough to coat all sides of meat)

1 medium onion, finely chopped1 medium carrot, finely chopped

celery rib, finely chopped

2 cups red wine (preferably Burgundy or Chianti)

2 cups beef stock

2 cinnamon sticks

Rosemary sprigs, bay leaf, thyme

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in an ovenproof, 6-quart heavy pot over mod-

erately high heat. Pat the beef brisket dry and season with salt and pepper.

Flour and brown on all sides, about 20 minutes, and transfer to a bowl.

Pour off fat from pot, and then add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cook

onion, carrot and celery over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally until

softened, about 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Stir vegetables,add wine and beef stock, and scrape up any brown bits. Increase heat to

high and boil until liquid is reduced by half. Return beef and juices to pot;

add fresh herbs and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a simmer, braise and cover,

place in middle of oven until very tender, 3-4 hours.

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People are buying that now as much as they buy taste, nutrition

and price.

Braucher, who has about 80 head of cattle on his farm south of

the Twin Cities, says he used to spend a lot of time at farmers markets

explaining the benefits of grass-fed beef. But not so much lately. It

seems like people are educated and theyre coming and just buying,

he says. It sells itself.

Still, pinpointing any progress in the grass-fed share of the beef

consumption market is difficult, since so much of the grass-fed supply

chain farmers selling directly to consumers doesnt have the same

mechanisms for tracking sales that exist at supermarkets, for example.

As far as quantifying it, thats a new frontier, Forbord says.

The Beef Councils Eustice, for one, is adamant that even if aware-

ness of grass-fed beef is growing, its share of the market is not. And he

questions some of the claims made on behalf of the grass-fed product

From a nutritional standpoint, the benefits are insignificant and

theyre probably exaggerated by the proponents of grass-fed beef, he

says. Theres very little difference between grass-fed and traditionally

fed beef from a health standpoint.

On the other hand, a 2010 report from California State University

in Chico, published in Nutrition Journal, indicates that grass-fed bee

comes out ahead from a nutritional standpoint, though its unclear i

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theres a meaningful impact on human health. The beneficial omega-3

fatty acids that are higher in grass-fed beef than grain-feed beef are

at levels still far lower than those found, for example, in salmon, ac-

cording to the study. For some folks in the beef industry, the jury is

still out on grass-fed beefs health benefits.

In defense of grass-fed beef, Eustice adds, it offers the con-

sumer an alternative, and we like that. As an industry, we want to be

responsive to the needs of the consumer.

AIMING FOR RESPONSIVE, CONVENIENTBeing responsive to the consumer and especially convenient is

exactly what The Grass Fed Cattle Co. and Thousand Hills Cattle

Company are trying to be.

Abby and Marcus Andrusko are in their fourth year running The

Grass Fed Cattle Co., which connects a cooperative of grass-fed beef

farms with consumers by selling beef in bulk quantities including

through a cow pooling arrangement in which family, friends or co-

workers can share a purchase and pick up their beef at the company

Edina location.

That way, says Abby, people can be assured that theyre getting

100-percent grass-fed beef, with no hormones or antibiotics, at price

lower than grass-fed beef in supermarkets. Its quick, its easy ye

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they still feel a connection to the farm, she says.

In their third year, the number of steers sold by The Grass Fed

Cattle Co. increased from 28 to 47, or about 60 percent. Abou

two-thirds of their customers are women. In addition, 53 percent o

customers come from Minneapolis, St. Paul, or Edina.

From a business perspective for us it continues to grow, Abby

says. I think more and more people are becom

ing aware of grass-fed beef, and that can

only benefit everybody the environ

ment, the animals, the farmers, and

us, the end users, the people that

consume it.

Convenience is also part o

what drives Thousand Hills Cattle

Company to reach beyond food coops

farmers markets, and other smaller outlets

and offer its grass-fed beef products in supermar-

kets, says founder Todd Churchill. Thousand Hills, too, i

growing. Its been in all Minnesota Cub Foods and SuperTarge

stores the past two years, and recently its reach was extended to

SuperTargets in Oklahoma and Texas.

Ive always been resistant to and uncomfortable with the

idea that our product was the kind that would only be sold in

specialty stores, explains Churchill, who gets grass-fed beef from

an eight-state region that includes Minnesota. My goal was always

to make sure grass-fed beef was a choice, an option for consumers no

matter where they bought their food.

I had a hunch that even in a Cub Foods store, even in a Super

Target store, that a reasonable percentage of people, given the choice

would choose to try it and a very high percentage of those people

would like it enough to buy it. And thats being proved by the sales

data we have.

Churchills business model serves to remind what a critical facto

the economies of scale are in farming, and why a diverse operation

and in many cases a second job are so common for the grass-fed bee

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farmer who has a small operation and is marketing directly to the

consumer or to restaurants.

In fact, Churchill believes anyone subsisting on only grass-fed

beef farming and having less than 100 head of cattle is going to have

a difficult time making a living.

John Mesko, executive director of the Sustainable Farming As-

sociation of Minnesota, has 160 acres and 25 head of grass-fed cattle

at his Lighthouse Farm near Princeton, Minn. and says he has more

consumer demand for beef than he can fill. Yet, hes come to doubt

whether someone can make it full-time without a second source of

income. I dont think it can be done, he says.

Until consumer demand reaches a tipping point, those pulling

for that small-farmer, direct-to-market part of the food chain suggest

that Minnesota grass-fed beef operations will need to be patient and

smart, build their customer base one step at a time, manage the risk,

have a meat processor nearby, and more.

And, like Braucher, Forbord, Mesko and others, have a zeal for

their work in sustainable farming.

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it work; to make it last, says Braucher. It makes me happy. I guess

thats how I judge my success.

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grass-fed beef article

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