While not commonplace yet, the movement towards cleaner, healthier beef has become more popular in recent years. Some ranchers are new to the movement and still others have never changed from what they’ve always done.
I recently read an article about Christina Traeger and her girls who wrangle their grass-fed British White cattle on their ranch near Avon, MN. They work long hours to keep the ranch running and the work never runs out. It’s been said that if you were to calculate an hourly wage for most farmers and ranchers that they end up making about $2 an hour.
Christina and her girls have a passion for these cows and work non-stop to deliver their “better beef” to market. It’s a constant challenge to not only raise the animals and all that goes with that, but to also drive a freezer truck around the state to co-ops and farmers markets where they can find people interested in their quality meats.
Traeger started the ranch with her husband when she was 21, and even after their divorce some years later she was determined to continue growing the ranch into a successful business. She chose the British Whites due to their hardiness, flavor and also their calm demeanor which would be needed around her young daughters.
Their cattle are free of hormones and antibiotics and are fed mainly on grasses. The challenge is in both making consumers aware of the meat they’re buying, including how it’s raised, what it’s given and how it should taste, as well as making it easy to buy. While co-ops and farmers markets continue to expand it’s still a far cry from the ease with which a person can head to their big-box grocer and buy cellophane-wrapped feedlot beef for a much cheaper price. The good news is that there is a movement afoot in America which will help grow the base of consumers who make a conscious decision to be more responsible in their food choices. To find out more about the Traeger Ranch and where to buy their products go to their website at LoveBritishWhites.com.
