Demand Growing For Pasture-Raised Protein

There is a product some Northwest Arkansas consumers are willing to pay a premium for, in some cases double the amount they would pay for it at any Walmart Neighborhood Market in the area.

And it’s one they’re oftentimes going out of their way for, some even going so far as to wake up early on a Saturday morning in February and hoof it to a “pick-up site” — usually a centrally located parking lot in Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers or Bentonville.

So it’s not cheap. And it’s not convenient.

It is local, pasture-raised meat and poultry.

Consumers who seek out this type of protein typically have three main reasons for doing so: They believe it’s healthier for them and their families, better for the welfare of the animals and raised via a method of farming that’s more environmentally sustainable.

And thanks to a growing and coalescing sustainable agriculture movement taking place throughout Arkansas, the increasing demand for local, pasture-raised meat and poultry is being met here in Northwest Arkansas by new distribution channels that, at the end of the day, are not only proving more convenient for consumers, but could play a role in raising sustainable farming to another level in the state.

 

The Butcher

Since opening its doors in 2001, the Bentonville Butcher & Deli, one of the few standalone, full-service butcher shops in the region, has carried local products. For example, on its shelves these days are pasture-raised eggs from Davis’ Chick-n-Egg, a poultry farm in Lincoln, milk from Ozark Mountain Creamery in Missouri and a variety of cheeses from White River Creamery in Elkins.

But, with a few exceptions, the majority of the protein sold there has been what’s known as “commodity” meat and poultry. (Commodity protein comes from livestock raised on an industrial scale.)

Enter Travis McConnell, the establishment’s new head chef/butcher. A recent transplant to the Northwest Arkansas area, McConnell took over the reins of the Butcher & Deli in February and is spearheading a complete revamp of the place.

A trained chef (he was schooled at the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont) with a passion for charcuterie and butchery, McConnell’s culinary career path has placed him in a few of the country’s most ardent sustainable agriculture hubs, namely the San Francisco Bay area, Oregon and Vermont. So it’s hardly a surprise that, in addition to a goal of morphing the Butcher & Deli into a fun, Friday-night hangout, complete with full-service restaurant — think German-style ale hall tables and television sets here and there tuned into the game — McConnell is planning to begin offering local, pasture-raised meat and poultry.

“That’s one thing I thought when I moved back here,” he said, “is that I can play a role in this movement of pasture-raised livestock.” To that end, his goal in the next six months is to have between 10 percent and 15 percent of the protein in stock — on the butcher side of the business — fit that bill.

So what exactly is behind a “local” and “pasture-raised” billing? 

Generally speaking, it’s livestock that’s raised to live and eat according to animal husbandry methods that were in play for centuries prior to the industrialization of farming that took place after World War II.

Under these methods, the animals are not raised in so-called “confined animal feeding operations” or CAFOs, but are instead given room to roam outside. And they eat and forage what they’ve evolved to eat and forage, i.e.: cows eat grass (and hay during the winter), chickens and turkeys eat bugs and pigs eat whatever their snouts can dig up — typically grass, clover, roots, fallen fruit and thistles.

There’s no GMO-laden feed involved and the animals are not treated with antibiotics or growth hormones.

For its part, the “local” moniker simply means that the farm, usually a small-scale, family-run operation, is located relatively close to the transaction, usually in state, but local to Northwest Arkansas might also mean Missouri or Oklahoma.

So how do consumers know that the protein they’re buying comes from animals raised according to these practices?

Indicators are that progress on this front won’t be made any time soon. Back in January of this year, the USDA actually backtracked and rescinded a labeling standard for grass-fed meat — a similar, but not identical standard — that had been finalized and in play since 2006.

If consumers want to ensure that meat and poultry is pasture-raised and local their best bet is to build a trusting and transparent relationship with a farmer or butcher. According to some experts, rather than being a hassle, this step is actually a vital part of the transaction for this particular product.

“The research consumers do on this product is part of the path to credibility that they need to trust that it’s delivering on what it says it is,” explained Jessica Hendrix, president of Saatchi & Saatchi X USA in Springdale.

But even as this type of protein becomes easier to access in Northwest Arkansas, the consumers who are interested in buying it will likely continue to want to know the story behind how it’s getting from the farm to their table, Hendrix added. Therefore, it’s incumbent upon the farmers to continue to nurture their relationships with customers and to continue to be clear and transparent about their farming methods.

 

The Co-Op

For his part, McConnell plans to source the lion’s share of his local, pasture-raised protein from an organization he’s already cemented a solid, trusting relationship with — the Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative.

In fact, in just the past year, this organization has amped up its direct-to-consumer business, and that includes its distribution to consumers in the Northwest Arkansas region.

The co-op is a relatively new endeavor. It was formed in 2014 when a group of like-minded, small-scale, sustainable Arkansas farmers decided to band together in an effort to affect their own economies of scale and livelihoods and to help incubate additional sustainable farms throughout the state. It became fully operational just last year.

Today, it consists of 11 small-scale, family-owned, sustainable farms throughout the state, from Cedarville to Wynne to Leslie. The Little Rock-based nonprofit, Heifer International, an organization committed to eradicating poverty and hunger through community development, is a major supporter of the venture.

The benefits to the farmers of being organized into a co-op are vast. Whereas before, each of the individual farmers were separately charged with every aspect of making their farms work, from hauling the animals far and wide for processing to manning farmers’ markets to delivering to restaurants to accounting and marketing, now there’s a centralized effort focused on accomplishing these tasks, one that includes a staff. That equates to more time spent on the farm for the farmer.

“The ability to focus on the farm and production is the biggest benefit,” said Andrea Todt, owner of Falling Sky Farm in Leslie. Todt, along with her husband Cody Hopkins, were founding members of the co-op. Hopkins now serves as its general manager. 

“Before the co-op, it was very overwhelming,” Todt said. “Sustainable farming is not always sustainable for the farmers. There’s a lot of focus on environmental sustainability and it being healthy for the animals, but it also has to be sustainable for the farmers.”

While the benefits are many, the decision to come together under one brand was not one Todt and Hopkins made lightly, especially given that their 200-acre farm, which had been in operation since 2007, practiced what is widely considered to be the most stringent sustainable agriculture standards out there. Their farming philosophy and the methods they use are borrowed straight from Polyface Farm, the Virginia-based farm that farm-to-table guru, Michael Pollan, held up as the exemplary example of sustainable agriculture in his book, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.”

“One of the things we didn’t want to happen was that our reputation would be damaged by forming the co-op,” Todt said. “So as far as standards for production go, every farmer on the co-op does meet the same set of standards, and we were very strict about those standards.” 

To ensure transparency, the co-op publishes its standards in detail on its website at grassrootscoop.com. On top of that, all of the farms adhere to an “open-farm” policy whereby customers can pop in and tour the farm for themselves. And twice a year a few farms are selected for group-oriented tours. The next event is scheduled for April 30.

In addition to soon being able to purchase meat and poultry from the co-op at the Bentonville Butcher & Deli, Northwest Arkansas customers can now shop for it on the organization’s direct-to-consumer website, which allows for front-door delivery. Whereas initially, shoppers could only order protein in bulk, 200 pounds of protein delivered over the course of the year, a new, revamped version of the online store has a plethora of more customizable choices.

Customers can still order a half or quarter of a hog if they so choose, but also on offer is a single pasture-raised whole chicken or a couple of chicken breasts. Other consumer-friendly packages include a “For your Convenience” package designed for a few quick and easy meals that includes pork brats and minute steaks and a “Just Add the Grill” package with beef, chicken and pork cuts that are ready to be fired up. 

Along with the online market and its distribution at the Bentonville Butcher & Deli, the co-op is working on partnerships with three vendors that will enable their meat and poultry to more easily end up on the tables of consumers: Ozark Natural Foods in Fayetteville, Arkansas-based Whole Foods stores (for its pork) and Texas-based food and beverage distributor Ben E. Keith Co. (To date, the co-op delivers to a number of restaurants, including a few in the Northwest Arkansas area, namely The Hive in Bentonville and Greenhouse Grille in Fayetteville.)

As distribution continues to expand, the hope is that it will create opportunities for additional sustainable farms to come online.

“The key is to grow the market for what we raise, so we can in turn grow the number of farmers,” Todt said.

 

Farmer-to-Customer

Besides taking advantage of new in-store and online avenues, farmers’ markets throughout the region continue to be a predictable way to not only make a purchase, but to also meet and solidify relationships with the farmers themselves.

But what happens when farmers’ markets are out-of-season? Or when farmers are too busy to spend an entire day manning a stand?

In the past few years, a number of farmers have circumvented that predicament by setting up “pick-up” points around the area at set times and on set days. And in much the same way that food trucks or pop-up restaurants alert customers to their whereabouts, they’re using social media.

Cheri LaRue of Farmington-based Green Fork Farm, is one such farmer. In fact, LaRue, who also happens to chair a coalition called the Northwest Arkansas Regional Food Council, a group that is working to assess and advocate for sustainable agriculture in the state, works with a few other farmers to help them distribute their protein to customers as well.

To that end, every Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m., LaRue mans the Green Fork Farmers Market where other farmers can just drop off their wares for customers to pick up. The pick-up location is at Nightbird Books at 205 W. Dickson St. in Fayetteville. As of now, would-be customers can pre-order products, including meat and poultry online at www.green
forkfarmersmarket.locallygrown.net.

LaRue readily admits that the endeavor is a “labor of love.”

“I think it’s truly important to keep local food and local farmers in the forefront for people to have access to, so I try to serve that need especially in the winter,” she said.

“Local, pasture-raised is not going to be for everyone,” she added. “But it’s important to make sure it’s at least an option.”