Part 3 of What’s Keeping You From Buying Beef?
Can we all agree there is nothing like the taste of fresh ribeyes? Seared to perfection in butter, perfectly seasoned, cooked medium rare… it’s pretty tough to beat. We are fortunate that we are able to walk down to the freezer and grab a pack of ribeyes, or any other beef for that matter. How can you get access to the same, high-quality Prime Angus beef?
High-quality beef is much more accessible than you think! Local farmers and ranchers are here to answer the call and provide you with amazing beef. We want to help supply change issues and provide Americans with quality food supply. Protecting the food system is of the utmost importance for the U.S. beef industry.
One way beef cattle producers and the United States Department of Agriculture is to pass new legislation to Congress informing American consumers where their beef comes from. This act is called MCOOL, or mandatory country of origin labeling for beef. In 2015 as part of budget-reducing measures, Congress suspended MCOOL requirements on beef and pork.
What does this mean for the beef industry?
Theoretically, beef produced in the U.S. should be sold for human consumption in the U.S., however, that is not always the case. So long as the beef (and pork) is packaged in the U.S., the USDA labeling can state that the meat is a product of the United States. Meaning, while we have abundant beef cattle, the beef found in the grocery may not have actually been produced in the U.S.
Now, I don’t say this to scare you, I say this because we are part of proud American farmers and ranchers who want to see our beef and meat products readily available and accessible to grocery stores and to consumers as a whole. As beef producers, we want to put our beef in the hands of Americans and into the U.S. food system. If Covid taught us anything, it taught us how truly fragile our food system can be.
The other issue at hand is, beef can be imported at considerably lower costs than what it costs to be produced in the U.S. This puts an entire industry in jeopardy importing from the international market. Our natural environment is perfectly suited for cattle production and necessary to keep invasive plant species in check. Cattle are essential to maintaining our ecosystem and are a beneficial product packed full of protein and nutritional value. Cattle are also used for so many other beef products, other than meat consumption.
What’s the solution?
While we wait for the MCOOL decision to be handed down from Congress (let’s face it, it’ll be a minute) you as the consumer play a crucial role. The U.S. beef industry has seen a huge shift in recent years and it’s largely thanks to consumer demands. Market access is critical and the demand for high-quality local beef is on the rise. The demand for U.S.-produced, slaughtered, and packaged beef has greatly increased.
The most beneficial way to ensure food security is through local support. You don’t have to let your geographic location negatively impact your accessibility. Livestock producers are ready to provide fresh and nutritious meat products to you! Quality beef products are accessible to all consumers in a myriad of ways.
Farmer’s markets are increasingly popular for direct-to-consumer beef sales. As beef producers we truly make a reasonable effort to provide a high-quality product and provide put it directly in consumers’ freezer. With the use of technology, we are better able to inform the public not only where their beef comes from but how to purchase directly from a farmer or rancher. The rapid growth of social media allows us to reach so many more potential customers!
To purchase our high-quality Prime Angus beef; we offer two options;
- Directly from our website
- Farmers Markets
When you order directly from our website; we will contact you directly for delivery! We currently deliver within a 2-hour radius of Mid-Missouri. We will email you and schedule a time for delivery. We always deliver in a safe and public spot so we all feel safe! We also always publish our schedule on Facebook, Instagram, and in our weekly emails as to what Farmers Market we will be at. Don’t see your location, reach out to us! We are open to new places!
As always, we want to be your beef provider and are always looking for better ways to get our products to your freezer! We hope to explore shipping again once the cost of shipping and materials come back down. At this time, it is simply not cost-effective. Reach out to us today and remember, it’s ok to have beef with us!