Feature Story
Where's the Beef?
It's ready to be purchased from a producer right here in our local area.
Joe Thomas has a waiting list of people who want to buy his beef. Most of his customers live in the Walla Walla and Touchet valleys, but more and more people from western Washington are learning about his beef through word of mouth.
Thomas is just one of many area beef producers who market their beef directly to consumers. "It's important to my customers that they know where their meat comes from," says Thomas. Thomas feeds about 20 steers on his place outside Prescott. "I don't have the pasture to raise grass-fed beef like some other producers," says Thomas. "But my customers like the taste of corn-fed beef and keep coming back."
Clarkston resident Herb Johnson travels to Dayton to pick up pork and beef he purchases from a local producer with whom he developed a friendship while working in Dayton. "I know that my beef and pork never receive any antibiotics or hormones and that's important to me," says Johnson. "Two years ago, I even picked out the steer I wanted, so not only did I know where my beef came from, but I knew exactly which animal I was eating." This direct connection with the producer and confidence in the quality and safety of the meat are what's motivating more and more consumers to seek out local meat options.
Buying meat from a local producer is completely different from buying it at the local grocery store. For starters, most small-scale producers only sell portions of an animal -- quarters, halves or whole-- not individual cuts. Only meat processed in a USDA inspected facility can be sold by the cut. And transporting animals to a USDA inspected facility puts stress on the animal and costs both time and money.
"I like the fact that my cattle never know what hit ‘em when it's time to butcher," says Columbia County rancher, Wilbur Eaton. "Avoiding stress on the animal is important to me and I think it protects the quality of the meat."
Buying local meat requires planning and patience. Consumers have been conditioned to expect to be able to buy any kind of food they want, when they want it. Small producers can usually only afford to keep and feed the number of animals they have advanced orders for. A steer can take anywhere from 18 to 28 months to reach maturity or six to seven months for a hog.
"It's a commitment between the customer and me," says Eaton. "And over time, that commitment grows into the kind of relationship where I know what they want, when they want it and I do my best to provide it year after year."
Even though buying a quarter beef or more is a significant cash outlay, the cost is averaged across all the cuts. "I end up paying premium hamburger price for everything-- including choice steaks cut to the thickness I like," says Johnson. "I'm completely in charge of which cuts I get. I don't like roasts, so I have that part ground into lean hamburger."
Probably the best-known source of local meat products is Thundering Hooves, started in 1994 by native Walla Wallan, Joel Huesby and his family. Thundering Hooves' greatest marketing advantage is that it is allowed to sell single cuts of meat directly to restaurants, grocery stores and individual customers because its facilities are USDA inspected. The consumer doesn't have to plan ahead financially or have extra freezer space. Convenience, however, comes with a price –literally. The demand for certain premium cuts over other more basic cuts makes the price per pound higher than if the meat was purchased as a quarter, half or whole.
The easiest way to locate a producer is to call a local custom meat processor (butcher). Legally they can't broker deals, but they usually know who has animals for sale. Ask around. Go to the local county fair. Get together with friends to purchase an animal in support of a 4-H or FFA youth or approach participants after the sale to inquire about other animals that might be available at home.
"I'll never go back to buying meat at the grocery store," says Johnson. "Why should I settle for anything less than great taste, affordability and peace of mind?"