Overview

Organic food sales grew 20 to 24 percent annually through the 1990s. As demand for organic products increased, more land in the United States was converted to organic production. ERS estimates that in 2001 15,197 beef cows were certified organic, up 243 percent from 1997.  May 2006 . . .  Organic Beef

Marketing

• Accredited Certifying Agents, National Organic Program, USDA - Current listing of certification agencies.
• Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, USDA - Identifies resources about sustainable food systems and practices, including current updates on regulatory and marketing issues.
• American Consumers Hungry for Organic Beef, Organic Consumers Association, 2004 - Provides a current look at the organic beef industry.
• Biofuels send organic meat prices soaring, Natural Foods Merchandiser, February 2008.
• Economic Issues with Natural and Organic Beef, Kansas State University, 2002 - Provides an overview of both natural and organic beef and why some consumers may prefer one of those over conventionally raised beef.
• Fourth National Organic Farmers' Survey: Sustaining Organic Farms in a Changing Organic Marketplace (Full Report), Organic Farming Research Foundation, 2004 - OFRF's National Organic Farmers' Surveys have collected data about organic farmers and farming for the years 1993, 1995, 1997 and 2001.
• Fourth National Organic Farmers' Survey: Sustaining Organic Farms in a Changing Organic Marketplace (Executive Summary), Organic Farming Research Foundation, 2004.
• Marginal Value of Quality Attributes for Natural and Organic Beef, Kansas State University, 2002 - Consumers are increasingly demanding natural beef products. Producers have attempted to meet this demand through organized alliances. This paper looks at the value of that investment.
• Market Trends, Organic Trade Association.
• MHR International Meat Directory - Links to companies throughout the world in all meat categories.
• The Natural Beef Market in the United States, Ag Marketing Resource Center, Kansas State University, 2003 - The majority of natural beef companies have exceeded the requirements set by the USDA definition of “natural” and have incorporated other dimensions related to health, nutrition, environment, animal welfare, and support to small farms. The objective of this paper is to examine those changes, review the literature and research related to consumer preferences and perceptions toward natural beef and, in particular, identify the major natural beef producers and their competitive positions in the marketplace.
• Organic Agriculture, Iowa State University - Information from production to marketing, including resources for certification compliance.
• Organic Agriculture, ERS, USDA - This site provides a wealth of statistics related to organic products.
• Organic Production, Economic Research Service, USDA. 
• Organic Trade Association - This association works to promote organic products in the marketplace. Members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmer associations, brokers, manufacturers, consultants, distributors and retailers.
• Why Can't U.S. Beef Compete in the European Union?, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), Iowa State University, 2002 - In this paper, a short overview of current U.S. trade flows with the European Union (EU) is presented, followed by an estimate of the additional costs of producing beef for that market. Then, given that exports to the EU are so low and the costs of producing, processing, and shipping are so high, the paper discusses where producers are marketing their non-treated cattle and beef and whether they are receiving an adequate premium to cover their additional costs.

Processing/Manufacturing

• American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) - This association represents more than 1,800 small- and medium-sized meat, poultry and food businesses.
• Labeling Guidance, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA - This site includes procedures, policies, a listing of ingredients, packaging materials and other related links.
• National Organic Program, USDA - Governing body for organic standards, labeling and regulations. Includes a list of state by state certifying agencies and regulatory changes. 
• North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP) - This nonprofit trade association provides information and technical services to the meat-processing industry.
• Packing House Byproducts, Iowa State University, 2003 - Large packing plants have found markets for the "last squeal" of the pig. How can smaller operations compete without the quantity of animals? This paper looks at small and medium-size beef and pork slaughterhouses and the alternatives for the major by-product categories.
• U.S. Beef Packing Industry Profile, Iowa State University, 2003 - The beef sector of the U.S. agricultural economy is dominated by four major packers who control more than 83 percent of the federal slaughtering. A niche exists for smaller single plants that compete in market segments not occupied by major packers.

Production

• Accredited Certifying Agents, National Organic Program.
• Adding Value to Beef Production, Iowa State University Extension Value-Added Agriculture - This Web site gives readers an overview of various beef production alternatives.
• An Introduction to Organic Beef Production, Saskatchewan Agriculture & Food, Canada. 
• Attracting Consumers with Locally Grown Products, Food Processing Center, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2001 - This research study summarizes results of a survey of 500 households in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. The primary grocery shopper of each household was surveyed for attitudes and opinions on locally grown and produced food, including organic and all-natural food and meat purchasing behaviors.
• Federal Regulations for Organic Beef
• Glossary of Organic Terms, ERS, USDA. 
• National Organic Program, AMS, USDA - This site lists the national standards on organic agricultural production and handling, certification procedures and accreditation.
• Organic Livestock Feed Suppliers, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA). 
• Organic, Natural and Grass-fed Beef: Profitability and Constraints to Production in the Midwestern U.S., Iowa State University, 2006 - This paper defines organic, natural and grass-fed beef as well as looks at the markets for each.
• Organic Production, West Virginia University, 2000 - West Virginia crop and livestock research using organic methods.
• Cattle Production: Considerations for Pasture-Based Beef and Dairy Producers, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), 2006 - At this site, producers are walked through a sustainable beef operation.

Businesses/Case Studies

• Dakota Beef, Howard, South Dakota - This natural and organic beef operation stresses vertical coordination.
• Damar Farms, Strum, Wisconsin.
• Davis Mountain Organic Beef, Dallas, Texas.
• Half Circle Ranch, Belgrade, Montana - This ranch is certified organic by the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA). Cattle are raised naturally--no growth stimulants, biological shots or other potentially harmful shots are administered. If a medical shot becomes necessary at any time during an animal's life, Half Circle Ranch will sell this animal at a local auction as commercial livestock and thereby remove it from the ranch.
• Larsons Greenfarms, Brodhead, Wisconsin - This operation has just completed the final year of a three-year process to be certified organic by the Organic Crop Improvement Association. The operation raises the majority of its own organic feedstuffs but also purchases organic feedstuffs from area producers.
• Mesquite Organic Foods, located in Aurora, Colorado, provides certified, grass-fed organic beef.
• Organic Valley Family of Farms, LaFarge, Wisconsin - This group of farms claims to be the largest organic farmer-owned cooperative in the United States with 750 farm families in 25 states. It markets beef and other meats under its Valley's™ Organic Meats brand.
• Prather Ranch, Macdoel, California - This ranch has been certified organic by Quality Assurance International. Cattle are raised without added hormones, antibiotics or animal-sourced proteins. The beef is processed in a private, USDA-inspected facility on the ranch.
• Genesee Valley Organic Beef, Taylorsville, California - Offer certified, grass-fed organic beef.

Links checked in December 2007.