 
We want you to feel confident that the Dakota Beef products
you buy are not only nutritious and flavorful, but are also safe to eat.
Our processing plant uses the newest state-of-the-art equipment and is
inspected on a regular basis by both the USDA and International Certification
Services to remain certified organic. The cattle we purchase are raised
on pasture that is certified organic, meaning it has not received chemical
fertilizers or herbicides for at least three years. As calves grow, they’re
diet changes from their mother’s milk to certified organic pasture,
with their feed supplemented with high-protein grains, such as certified
organic flax seed cakes, or grass such as certified organic alfalfa. When
they are close to their market weight, their rations are changed to certified
organic corn which results in highly flavorful and tender beef products
for you to enjoy.
Dakota Beef, LLC is the largest vertically-integrated
certified organic beef company in the United States. We
started the company for two reasons. First, we were concerned about
the way beef
is raised in this country and questioned the routine practice
of using growth-promoting hormones and antibiotics. Secondly,
we were tired
of buying steaks that were tough and chewy.
As we began our
search for organic beef producers, one of the first ranchers
we met was Joel Rissman, whose organic steaks were better
than we thought possible. He explained that raising cattle
using organic methods kept them healthier, reduced their
stress levels, and resulted
in beef products that were consistently high in quality.
So we asked ourselves, why isn't everyone raising organic beef?
There's
no market for them, Mr. Rissman replied. Like many other organic
ranchers, he sells his products at small
farmers' markets and over the Internet. But people like
him are rare. Most
ranchers have
small operations and can't devote the time and energy
it takes to handle the entire process of raising, marketing,
and selling products directly
to consumers. Some have tried to sell their beef through
grocery stores, but the retail industry is dominated
by major chains that only want
big suppliers who can deliver goods to all their stores.
Why aren't these independent ranchers banding together to create such
a market? To answer that question, we
had to understand the beef
industry, and what we learned really opened our eyes.
Most people probably assume that cattle are raised
for a few years, then
sent off to processors,
prepared for retail sale, then placed on a grocer's
shelf. But in fact, the traditional beef industry is divided
into several small segments
with ownership changing hands every few months as calves
grow to their full, marketable size.
It begins with
breeders selling bulls and cows to replenish or expand a rancher's
stock. Ranchers, or cow/calf
producers, as they're called, maintain ownership
of a herd of cows,
selling the year's calves
as soon as they're weaned. These yearlings are sent
to pastures owned by backgrounders, who specialize
in putting weight on their
animals.
After spending a season maturing, they are auctioned
off and moved to feedyards, where their diet is changed
from
grass to grains to quickly
reach their optimum weight before being sold again
to processors.
Each segment is interested in one
thing - increasing their cattle's weight fast enough. Because
of this, growers are constantly looking for inexpensive ways
to improve weight gain, which explains
their reliance on growth
hormones and antibiotics. This often results in
poor-quality steaks.
The only way to change this strategy
is to convince ranchers to raise high-quality beef that meets
or exceeds the expectations of consumers. Everyone along the
supply chain would have to work
together, which would take vertical integration.
We believed vertical integration was possible, especially among certified
organic producers who were already required
to
document their cattle's treatment and feeding
programs. The documents on each animal could
then be examined to determine the best management practices and
relay this information back to ranchers in Dakota Beef's program.
When ranchers
implemented these changes and delivered superior cattle, Dakota
Beef would then financially reward them for their efforts.
Dakota Beef managers
have spent the past two years building relationships with ranchers
who share our vision. Now, with a product
base sufficient to fill grocery
shelves
on a national level,
consumers
will benefit from easy access to high-quality
organic beef that is consistently tender
and flavorful.
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