Exploring the possibility of a grass-fed and grain-fed beef producer co-op in Michigan

 

Beef producers who are interested in learning more about cooperatives are invited to attend a gathering with two guest speakers. The speakers will share the reasons for the success of farmer/rancher owned cooperatives that they are involved in. It is difficult to be successful on an island, those producers that are fortunate enough to belong to a group of like-minded individuals that bring different strengths to the table should be more successful than a person that tries to go at it alone.

 

In 2010, a team consisting of MSU animal scientist Dr. Jason Rowntree and MSU Extension educators Jerry Lindquist (emeritus) and Kable Thurlow began working with producers that were interested in producing grass-finished beef. Since that time, the idea of needing a marketing cooperative in Michigan has come up time and time again. Marketing alone in the good times can be easy to accomplish, but not so much in the tough times like we have experienced in the past three to four years. In those times, strength of the herd is important.

 

We urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to learn from the experts. Make 2020 the year of change in the right direction for your farm or ranch. Both Country Natural Beef and Desert Mountain Grass-Fed Beef are suppliers for Whole Foods among others. You are encouraged to learn more about them by going to their website ahead of time.