Overview

Going into a category such as “Natural” requires a lot of planning and execution for success. As you will see in the industry quotes below, these markets are becoming more competitive. So, while there is considerable growth in the category, there is growth in supply as well.

The trick for producers is in either selecting an established company to produce for, or in creating a brand of their own. Branding can be an expensive proposition and it takes a long time to establish. Producers will need to carefully consider which strategy will work best for them. Refer to the Business Development section of the AgMRC Web site for guidelines on branding and establishment of a business strategy.  June 2011 ... Natural Beef

Marketing

• After the Ban: The Japanese Market for U.S. Beef, Roxanne Clemens, Midwest Agribusiness Trade Research and Information Center (MATRIC), Iowa State University, 2007.
• American Grassfed Association - The goal of the association, established in 2003, is to promote the grassfed industry through government relations, research, concept marketing and public education.
• Companies Who Purchase Naturally Produced Beef Cattle, Beef magazine, 2009 - The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation provides a listing of companies that purchase and sell natural beef cattle and products.
• Conventional, Natural, and Organic Beef Production and Consumption, South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service, 2007.
• Does pasture-finished beef make the grade?, Research Brief #77, Center for Integrated Agriculture Systems, University of Wisconsin, 2008.
• Free Farmed, Farm Animal Services, American Humane Association - This site details how farmers can certify for the Free Farmed label.
• Grassfed Beef Educational Web site, California State University-Chico and University of California Cooperative Extension - This joint Web site contains information on health benefits, product information, cost studies and links to other resources.
• Grassfed Certification: The Case of the Uruguayan Beef Industry, Agricultural Issues Center, University of California, 2005 - Kansas State University and ORT University report on the development and operation of Uruguay's beef traceability (DIOSE) program and industry. Discusses whether U.S. producers could benefit from USDA Process Verification certification for grassfed beef production systems.
• Marketing Claim Standards for Naturally Raised and Grass Fed Beef, Ag Marketing Service, USDA.
• MHR International Meat Directory - Links to companies throughout the world in all meat categories.
• Natural Beef: Consumer Acceptability, Market Development and Economics, Cooperative Extension Livestock & Natural Resources, University of California - This Web site gives readers case studies, business and marketing plans and an overall thought process guide to establishing a natural beef enterprise.
• The Natural Beef Market in the United States, Uruguay Instituto Nacional de Carnes and Kansas State University, 2003.
• Organic, natural and grass-fed beef: Profitability and constraints to production in the Midwestern United States, Leopold Center Progress Report, Leopold Center, 2008 - Farmers considering a transition from conventional beef production to one of several alternative production systems (such as organic, natural or grass-fed) need to be well informed about the possible challenges and constraints of making this shift.
• Premiums Being Offered for Natural Beef Cattle, Beef magazine, 2009.
• Raising Natural Beef: Opportunities and Risks, Iowa Beef Center, Iowa State University - PowerPoint presentation on natural beef labeling, economic costs and feasibility studies conducted on natural beef.
• USDA: Naturally Raised Marketing Claim Standard, Beef magazine, 2009.

Processing/Manufacturing

• 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 Alternative Natural Beef Production System: A Differentiation Strategy for California Producers and Packers, ARE Update, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, 2004.
• Cattle Production: Considerations for Pasture-Based Beef and Dairy Producers, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), NCAT, 2006 - At this site, producers are walked through a sustainable beef operation.
• Food Labeling Procedures, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA.
• Natural and Organic Beef, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
• North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP) - A nonprofit trade association that provides information and technical services to the meat processing industry.
• 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.

Businesses/Case Studies

• American Pasturage, Inc., Marionville, Missouri, Renewing the Countryside - On his 100-acre beef farm near the Ozark Mountains, Rick Hopkins switched to raising grass-fed beef. The transition make farming easier and opened up new market opportunities with people who wanted natural beef.
• Brandt Beef, Brawley, California – In the livestock business since 1945, the Brandt family is dedicated to producing high-quality, source-verified natural beef through cattle selection, natural feeding practices and humane treatment of animals. They sell their premium natural beef to upscale restaurants and on the retail market.  
• Coleman Natural Beef, Golden, Colorado - This supplier of fresh, branded natural beef has an approved USDA label describing their production practices, which include no added hormones or antibiotics.
• Country Natural Beef, Boardman, Oregon - This co-op began 20 years ago and now boasts 120 family ranches. It provides natural beef to customers such as Whole Food markets and Burgerville.
• Dakota Beef, Howard, South Dakota - This natural and organic beef operation stresses vertical coordination.
• Grassland Beef, Monticello, Missouri - Launched in 2001, this company prides itself on providing grass-fed beef that is "nutritious and health-enhancing." Testing at two independent facilities has validated the company's claim; their beef contains high amounts of conjugated linoleic acid.
• Lasater Grasslands Beef, Matheson, Colorado - Cattle finished on grass and both direct marketed to the public and offered in retail stores.
• Laura's Lean Beef, Lexington, Kentucky - This branded beef company purchases calves, yearlings and bulls from suppliers that are raised without added growth hormones or antibiotics. The company is dedicated to supporting family farms.
• Maverick Ranch Natural Meats, Denver, Colorado - This western company meets or exceeds all USDA carcass labeling requirements for Natural and Lite, forming the brand NaturaLite. Maverick Ranch rewards producers of natural beef with premiums.
• Meyer Natural Angus, Missoula, Montana - This ranch follows the American Humane Association's Free Farming Standards to produce their natural beef. Cattle are given no animal by-products, growth hormones or antibiotics.
• New American Farmer, SARE, USDA, 2005 - Mark Frasier grazes over 3,000 head of beef cattle each year on his 29,000-acre cattle ranch near Woodrow, Colorado.
• Niman Ranch, Alameda, California - This ranch markets beef fed pure, natural feeds without animal by-products or waste. Cattle are not given any growth hormones or subtherapeutic antibiotics and are allowed free movement and natural maturity.
• Painted Hills Natural Beef, Fossil, Oregon – Seven families from Oregon formed a corporation to sell natural beef products.
• Shenandoah Valley Beef, Rural Cooperatives, Rural Development, USDA, 2009 - This cooperative was created to help local producers gain better control and returns for their members’ livestock by pooling their resources to pursue the natural, pasture-raised beef market.
• Van Wie Natural Foods, Hudson, New York - A USDA-certified natural grower of beef and pork. Animals are raised in a natural environment without the use of chemicals, hormones or antibiotics.
• Pineland Farms Natural Meats, Freeport, Maine - A USDA-inspected producer of natural beef since 1959. The operation uses no hormones, steroids, feed antibiotics, animal byproducts in feed, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators or livestock feed additives. High-quality feedstuffs are a premium and cattle are treated humanely.

Links checked June 2011.