Farms grass-fed beef barely keeping up with demand

Originally published in the Grand Island Independent on Sunday, March 30, 2014. Story by Ellen Campbell.

Luke and Lori Jacobsen in pasture with cattle
Independent / Matt Dixon Luke and Lori Jacobsen pose for a portrait with some of their grass-fed cattle in a pasture on their farm near Marquette. The Jacobsens’ beef products have been sold all over the United States and can be found online at rangewestbeef.com.

MARQUETTE — Many people believe grass-fed cattle produce a tough, stringy product, and that good beef comes only from corn-fed animals.

Luke Jacobsen, who farms near Marquette, is proving that, given the right conditions, the opposite is true.

His wife Lori, who is a first-grade teacher, helps with their beef business, especially the marketing. They live on the L&L Jacobsen Farm, where they raised their three children. The kids live away from home now, but assist on the farm when they are visiting.

“I come from a long line of beef producers,” said Jacobsen. “My great-grandfather Peter Jacobsen immigrated to the United States from Denmark in 1868. He came to Nebraska in 1872 and settled in the Marquette area in 1892. He was a cattle farmer, and sold his animals at the Omaha Stockyards.

Old photo of stockyard
Courtesy photo Peter Jacobsen, great-grandfather of Marquette farmer Luke Jacobsen, sold his cattle at the Omaha Stockyards. Photo was taken in the late 1800s or very early 1900s.

“At that time, there was a special market in England for fattened beef. The cattle were loaded onto rail cars at Marquette for the trip, and the cattlemen could ride along in the caboose.”

Then there were the next two generations.

“My grandfather, Christian, was born in 1884 and also raised cattle, as did my father Elmer (1919-2008).” Luke Jacobsen said. “I began farming in 1978 and have been involved with cattle since that time. I planted the first ‘finishing’ pasture in 2004 and began selling grass-fed beef in 2007 through the Nebraska Food Co-op. This cooperative is focused on local foods, and has a delivery point in Grand Island.”

Jacobsen said he became interested in grass-fed cattle from the health standpoint. Grass — not corn — is the natural diet for ruminants like cattle, and the meat from these cattle provides three times more omega-3 than those that are grain-fed, twice the amount of beta carotene, less saturated fat and fewer calories per serving. The Jacobsens use no antibiotics or synthetic hormones in their cattle.

“I took a trip to Argentina in January of 2003,” he said. “They grow excellent beef there on the Pampas plains, and I was with a group that wanted to counter the corn-fed theory. We learned that Argentine cattle genetics are different from ours, producing animals with a smaller frame. Also, with abundant rainfall, the pastures have a high moisture content, and the grazing is rotated.

“All of these contribute to a more tender, tastier beef. When we get away from all the grain and artificial additives, and decide to return to nature, we can have that.”

“We feel our flavor is superior to corn-fed beef. And one reason is that the animals are older before begin butchered. In earlier times, cattle were not sold until they were about 2 years old and had time for their meat to develop more taste. Then, when the push was on to get fat cattle to the market as soon as possible, to increase sales volume, the producers began feeding corn and giving supplements so that they attained the desired weight at a younger age.”

 

cattle at Jacobsen's farm
Independent / Matt Dixon These cows, and many others raised by Luke and Lori Jacobsen on their farm in Marquette, are raised on a pure grass diet.

Back home, Jacobsen began his experimentation with a small part of his 80-acre home place, and now uses all of the property. He has divided the pasture land into a number of different paddocks, and rotates the cattle through, giving each plot a 30-day rest period before another herd comes in. In addition, the pasture is irrigated to emulate the wet Argentinian Pampas.

He has also focused on genetics for cattle that are smaller-framed than the typical beef animal.

“We feel our flavor is superior to corn-fed beef,” he said. “And one reason is that the animals are older before being butchered. In earlier times, cattle were not sold until they were about 2 years old and had time for their meat to develop more taste.

“Then, when the push was on to get fat cattle to the market as soon as possible to increase sales volume, the producers began feeding corn and giving supplements so that they attained the desired weight at a younger age,” Luke Jacobsen added. “We sell our grass-fed cattle when they are more mature, and we get great feedback from customers.”

arm roast in package
Independent / Matt Dixon Grass-fed beef arm roast is one of the beef products sold by Luke and Lori Jacobsen.

The Jacobsens’ brand label is Range West Grass-Fed Beef. They established a website to provide general information, details on ordering including a price list, a chart of beef cuts, health benefits and a section for customer comments. A sampling of the comments:

  • Richard B. of Toronto: “Fantastic meat! Your flat-iron steaks are better than some rib-eyes I’ve had.”
  • Ken C. of Omaha, on a filet cookoff: “We compared your fillets against a competitor’s prime tenderloin at a large dinner party. Every single person preferred your steaks.”
  • Ellie S. of Lincoln: “Thank you. Your ground beef is sooo good!”

Luke Jacobsen recommends a book — “Steaks,” by Mark Schatzker — as an excellent source of information about the benefits of feeding cattle on grass. The Range West website has a link to a video of an interview with the author. In this interview, Schatzker mentioned Range West, and it brought numerous inquiries and orders to the Jacobsens.

cattle in pasture
Independent / Matt Dixon Pictured are some of the grass-fed cattle raised by Luke and Lori Jacobsen on L&L Jacobsen Farm near Marquette.

The Jacobsens have customers all over the United States, as well as a wide constituency of people in Asia, Europe and Africa who don’t like the American corn-fed beef.

“One of our problems is keeping up with the demand,” said Jacobsen. “We’re a small operation and can turn out only a certain amount of beef at a time.

“A frequently asked question is ‘Why can’t I find grass-fed beef in grocery stores?’ The answer is that American food production is geared for high volumes of basically wholesome, inexpensive food with little regard for nutritional differences. Feeding grain is the fastest way to fatten animals and has been the least costly. But our customers are concerned about availability, not price.

‘How Can I Continue to be Better’ Workshop

springBuy Fresh Buy Local® Nebraska (BFBLN) in partnership with the UNL Nebraska Cooperative Development Center will provide educational workshops and trainings to assist specialty crop growers in Nebraska. The purpose of the workshops are to not only provide knowledge but also change marketing and business management behaviors to sustain a successful, profitable business.

BFBLN will strengthen the specialty crops grower businesses in Nebraska by offering presentations that focus on three areas: “Business & Enterprise Planning and Financing”,” “Food Safety for Direct-to-Consumer Markets” and “Marketing & Promotion Utilizing Social Media”.

The workshops are open to anyone, but the focus and topics geared toward specially crops growers. Specialty crops are defined as “fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture and Christmas trees.”

It matters not if you are just starting out as a young specialty crop grower or have some years of experience under your belt, these workshops can help you expand your skill set and gain practical knowledge!

DATE:  Saturday, March 8

TIME: 12:30 – 4:30 pm

WHERE: Kearney Public Library, 2020 1st Ave

Please register by Friday, March 7th so we will have an accurate number of workbooks available.

There is a $10.00 registration fee for the workshop and payable on day of workshop.

Registration information to: BFBLN coordinator Billene Nemec, bnemec2@unl.edu or 402-472-5273.

Smothered Pork Chops

Cookbook
Recipes

In this beloved southern recipe, meaty bone-in pork chops are literally smothered in vegetables and broth, then simmered until the vegetables have melted into a sauce tailor-made for spooning over rice.

Ingredients:

  • 4 bone-in pork loin chops, each about 1 inch thick
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
  • 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
  • 1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced, white and light green portions separated
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
  • 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp. hot sauce, plus more for serving
  • Steamed rice for serving

Directions:

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large electric skillet set on medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the chops and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter in the skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up the browned bits from the pan bottom, until the onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper, celery, the white portion of the green onions and the garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add the thyme and flour and stir well. Gradually stir in the broth and bring to a simmer.

Return the pork chops to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then turn the chops over, cover and simmer until the pork shows no sign of pink when pierced at the bone, about 10 minutes more. Transfer the chops to a deep platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Stir the cream into the gravy in the skillet and bring to a boil. Cook until thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the green portion of the green onions and the 1 tsp. hot sauce and season with salt. Pour the gravy over the pork chops and serve immediately with steamed rice. Pass more hot sauce at the table. Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food, by Rick Rodgers (Oxmoor House, 2009).

NFC Movers and Shakers

Keeping NFC Strong
Keeping NFC Strong

The DEDICATION of every single one of these MOVERS and SHAKERS ensure that NFC’s collective wheels keeps delivering healthy local food to you every other week.   Show them your appreciation the next time you see them!

President:   Randy Wattermann
Vice President:  Stephanie Kennedy
Secretary:   Liz Sarno
Treasurer:   Jeremiah Picard
Chief Information Officer:   Roy Guisinger

Board Members: 
Bob Bernt, Libby Broekemeier, Jim Knopik, Lanette Stec

Advisory Committee Members: Frannie Bruening, Laura Chisholm, Gary Fehr, Rebecka Fleischman, Liz Frombgen, Brynn Jacobs, Luke Jacobsen, Jeff Kazor, John Johnson, Beth Kernes Krause, Brian O’Malley, Katie Wattermann

Site Coordinators:  Adam Hoogeveen, Shelly Grimm, Beth Farleigh, Beth Kernes Krause, Bruce Reneaud, Libby Broekemeier, Al Mittan, Tammy Kuper, Jill Hansen, Heidi Slaymaker, Francine Bruening, Paul Verderfecht, Yvonne Wilder, Sandi Hohn, Randy Wattermann, William Powers, Susan Stoppkotte, Lanette Stec, Phyllis Randall, Danna Seevers, Laura Chisholm, Catherine Renshaw

Logistics Coordinator:  Beth Kernes Krause

Delivery Driver:  Kevin Krause

General Manager:   Caryl Guisinger

Lincoln Volunteers Needed!

Get Involved!
Get Involved!

Seeking one or two additional volunteers to help with the Lincoln pickup site located at Indigo Bridge in the Haymarket.

Ideally, volunteers would be expected to work every third or fourth pickup cycle and perhaps a last-minute substitution in case of illness or emergency. The pick-up window is from 4:30 to 6:30, but volunteers should try to be at Indigo Bridge around 4:00 in order to set up. One volunteer per pick-up day is the norm, unless there are a large number of orders (typically around Thanksgiving).

Please email Beth Farleigh if interested.

Weston A Price Omaha Chapter meeting

When: Saturday, March 8th from 1:00-2:30 pmstethoscope
Where: Natural Grocers….. 7831 Dodge Street
What: The Best Way to Prepare Grains, with samples, cooking, ideas and presentation from a local Baker!

Come and eat and chat with us!

For more information please contact Miranda @ 719-694-6113 or sparkysherman@msn.com or check out our Facebook page: Weston A Price Omaha

(This is a public notice. The event described is not sponsored by the Nebraska Food Cooperative)

National Food Entrepreneur Program Seminar

Food From ThoughtThe University of Nebraska Food Processing Center is offering a one-day seminar for all individuals interested in exploring the idea of starting a food manufacturing business.  Interested individuals are encouraged to attend the “Recipe to Reality” seminar, which will be offered on May 16, 2014.  Pre-registration is required and space is limited.  Registration deadline is May 2, 2014. Contact Jill Gifford at 402-472-2819 or jgifford1@unl.edu for an information packet.

(This is a public notice. The event described is not sponsored by the Nebraska Food Cooperative)

March 18….Save the Date!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014 1:00 - 4:30 PM
Tuesday, March 18, 2014 1:00 – 4:30 PM

Are you an NFC producer?  Do you know someone who has a desire to get into gardening or small-scale farming as a business?  Are you involved in your local school?  Are you a parent who wants your child’s school to serve up ‘healthy, local foods’?  Or as a community member, are you interested in starting a school garden?

Then this afternoon workshop is for you.  Attend the Farm-to-School Summit March 18th at the beautiful Nielsen Community Center in West Point and see what other states are doing in their school cafeterias!  You’ll like the new face the Center for Rural Affairs – along with collaborators from the Department of Education, Farmers Union, and Nebraska Food Cooperative – is bringing to our rural schools.

See the Save the Date for the Farm-to-School Summit for details.

New Micro-Sites are Popping Up All Over!

The word is getting out about the Nebraska Food Cooperative and the local food movement!  Since the start of the year, new memberships have exploded with a 300 percent increase.  So what does that mean?  We need more micro-sites to staff customer pick up.

Two sites are newly in action as of the February order cycle:  Beatrice and Unadilla.  And two more sites will be open very soon:  Hastings and Lincoln in the Farmers Union parking lot.  As interest increases, we plan on expanding in even more markets!  So spread the word.  NFC is coming your way!

Number 2000 Hits the Mark!

Congratulations, Jennifer Nichols, for signing up as NFC’s 2000th member!  Joining as a visitor and hitting the jackpot, Jennifer received an upgrade to a one year, non-voting membership, a $40 value.  When you see Jennifer around, be sure to congratulate her on hitting 2000!

See NFC at the NSAS Conference!

Stop by our exhibitor booth Friday, February 7 and Saturday, February 8 at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney.

If you bring a friend who is not yet a member of the Nebraska Food Cooperative and they sign up for a FREE TRIAL, they could win a FREE ONE-YEAR MEMBERSHIP (a $40 value).  NFC will be gifting several of these non-voting memberships during the conference.

Free Producer Training for Farm-to-School Initiative

Sponsored in part by the Loup Basin RC&D
Sponsored in part by the Loup Basin RC&D

Many schools in Nebraska are now buying local fruits and vegetables for their school food programs. Farmers can learn how to participate in these growing “farm to school’ initiatives in a series of free training sessions offered in the Loup Basin RC & D area in February and March.

“Farmers can access an increasing market for fresh produce while providing healthy food to children in their community,” said Wyatt Fraas, lead trainer for the project. “At these sessions, farmers will learn what schools are looking for and how to assure them that their crops are clean and safe.”

Six Loup Basin area communities will host the two-part series of workshops. In the first round of sessions, “The Business of Selling to Schools”, farmers will learn how to sell foods to local schools, including business basics and marketing, regulations, and production practices.

In the second of the two-part series, “Farmers are Food Handlers, too”, farmers will learn ways to use and document a “safe food handling plan” that satisfies concerns of school and retail food buyers and also reduces risk of food contamination on the farm.

Training sessions are sponsored by the Loup Basin Resource Conservation and Development Council of Burwell and by the Center for Rural Affairs. Funding for the project is provided in part by USDA Rural Development.

Trainings will be held in the following six locations in February and March:

Ord, Volunteer Fire Hall, 1628 M St. from 1-4 pm on February 25 and March 4

Loup City, Community Center, 803 O. St. from 1-4 pm on February 26 and March 5

Spalding, Clear Creek Organic Farms, 82228 499th Ave. from 1-4 pm on February 27 and March 6

St. Paul, Miletta Vista Winery, 1732 Highway 281 from 1-4 pm on March 11 and March 18

Burwell, Sandstone Grill, 416 Grand Ave. from 1-4 pm, March 12 and March 19

Broken Bow, Custer Public Power, 625 E. South E St. from 1-4 pm, March 13 and 20

Visit www.loupbasinrcd.org for more information, or contact Sarah Smith, Center for Rural Affairs Farm to School Coordinator at 307.321.9766 or sarahs@cfra.org, or Janet Sanders, Executive Director of Loup Basin RC&D at 308.346.3393 or info@loupbasinrcd.org.

Local Food Quotes: Jan. 2014

Woody Tasch“We as a society and as an economy need to start optimizing for a large number of small things, not just relying on a small number of large things.”

Woody Tasch, founder of the Slow Money Alliance,
a new nonprofit that is raising money to support local food ventures.

Why NFC is Moving to an “€œEvery Other Week”€ Schedule

The Nebraska Food Coop is growing, plain and simple. That’s great news! And that means more opportunities for both customers and producers.

Most shoppers prefer to purchase food more frequently than just monthly. As the local food movement grows, conscientious shoppers prefer more options on a more frequent basis. With NFC’s commitment to an “every other week”€ cycle, more consistent buying habits will follow.

Just think! You now only have to remember that every Sunday is an order day…by 6 pm, of course!

Running a four-week cycle, NFC found that an increasing number of orders often maxed out the delivery truck’s capacity, which caused additional juggling of product in and out of the truck.

By going to an “every other week”€ cycle, the delivery driver doesn’t have to go through needless and time-consuming gyrations to get all of the products to fit and properly sorted into the appropriate pick-up site containers. So logistically, it makes better sense to open up a second cycle in a given month so that products can be properly sorted and stored until the driver reaches the appropriate pick-up/delivery site.

Once we move into the vegetable season, it gets even more complicated. Perishables typically don’t keep so well for a month at a time, especially those delicious cucumbers!

chicken
Think about it…..

Likewise, laying hens don’t have on and off switches. And customers typically don’t like eggs that have a pick date older than two or three weeks.

So by increasing the frequency of deliveries, you are reaping the benefits of fresher produce, eggs, and fewer number of lost products!

Shopping NFC every other week also reduces stress. How so, you may wonder? To determine all of your shopping needs a full month ahead can be stressful. You never know when you need to plan that special meal to impress someone, and you might not have a whole month to plan ahead. By opening up the cycle to every other week, one only has to plan for two weeks instead of four weeks at a time.

More and more of our vegetable producers are not raising produce as a hobby… it is their livelihood. Timely harvesting – for the freshest possible fruits and vegetables -€“ requires frequent cycles. Unlike the grocery store where produce is maintained via ethylene inhibitors for months, NFC farmers know that you want your tomatoes, cantaloupes, zucchini, etc, as fresh from the ground as possible.

Mixed Veggies
Fresh from the farm

Many NFC vegetable producers have invested in greenhouses and hothouses to extend their growing season and meet the increasing demand. This means that NFC producers may have local produce available before area farmers markets ramp up in May. What a boon for NFC customers!

NFC has been blessed with our current delivery driver, Kevin. As tight as the job market is these days, how can NFC ask our driver to commit to driving only one week out of a month? NFC needs to maintain enough job stability so that the products you ordered are assured of being properly delivered in a timely fashion on a consistent basis.

As NFC grows through increased volume for both the coop and our family of producers, we will eventually be able to offer discounts for certain products. But until then, we continue to expand our market of producers in order to meet the new demand for emerging farm-to-customer activities. Two new initiatives that are taking shape are the farm-to-chef and the farm-to-schools opportunities. More information will be forthcoming soon about these programs as they are just getting off the ground.

Look forward to more news about our growing cooperative that you helped us grow with every single local product that you ordered. So thank you, for your continued support of the Nebraska Food Cooperative.

NEW! Announcing a Two-Week Cycle for 2014!

NFC is starting the new year in DOUBLE time…that is, delivery days now occur every other week.

Jan/Feb Cycle
January and February 2014 Cycle

Doubling the delivery opportunities will help not only the producers get more product to you more often, but come summer and fall, vegetable producers will get it to you fresher!

Some delivery sites will sometimes choose alternate schedules, so be sure to verify with your site coordinator that your delivery site is open for both monthly cycles.

If your particular site decides to take a cycle off, don’t worry.  You can still order, but you will need to select another delivery site for that cycle.

Just refer to the Select Locations to find an alternate delivery site. Likewise, any producer may opt to only provide products one cycle per month so be sure to check product offerings during both cycles in a given month.

Note: BELV1 will only be open for pick-ups on January 23, February 20, March 20, April 3, and April 17 for the first quarter of 2014.

Delivering NFC Products

Customer service.  That’s the name of the game.

Kevin
Kevin, NFC’s driver

And Kevin, NFC’s truck driver, is definitely steeped in providing superior customer service.

NFC Producer Route
NFC Producer Route: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday

Kevin dedicates four and a half very full days to picking up products from producers in 16 towns, sorting each item into its respective delivery site bin, and delivering products to each of the 23 customer sites in 11 cities and towns across eastern Nebraska for each cycle.

 

 

NFC Delivery Route
NFC Delivery Route: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday

NFC knows that without the dedication and attention to detail that Kevin provides many products would be incorrectly sorted.  But, Kevin is keen on getting it right the first time.

So when you see Kevin on his very long route, give him a friendly nod of appreciation.

How Much is Too Much for Eggs?

So how do you decide if you are paying too much for eggs? Let’s first take a quick look at the differences between conventional and farm-raised eggs.

Then, once you read the linked true-to-farm reprint So You Want to be a Chicken Farmer? about raising chickens and its follow-on comments, you’ll completely understand about the heartbreaks, sacrifices, and hard work that goes into providing healthy, nutritious, farm-raised eggs.

I’m sure you have heard that conventional hens are raised in enormous confinement houses in tiny battery cages with only about a half square foot of space each and are fed genetically modified grain that contains antibiotics.

There is little-to-no human contact and the lifespan of these hens are just about one year before their egg-laying productivity peak is reached.

Eggs
Fresh from the nest

Conversely, hens raised on a family farm have a much more humane and much longer life. Most, if not all, of the NFC chicken farms operate on a free-ranging or pasture-raised basis.

Farmers get to know their chickens and happy layers produce eggs for up to ten years. Being fed grain that is GMO-free, antibiotic-free, and organic is the standard fare that most chickens enjoy.

Pasture-raised eggs have 50% more folic acid, 70% more B12, higher levels of Omega-3 and Vitamin E. The result? Healthy, nutritious eggs with orange yolks that are more firm with an amazing rich flavor from very happy hens.