Grayson Natural Foods
In order to address the needs for greater income for cattle farmers, the Grayson LandCare Livestock Committee organized Grayson Natural Foods to pursue better prices through direct marketing. Initially, the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Business Technology Center along with Grayson LandCare applied to the US Department of Agriculture for a feasibility study to determine if there were enough cattle in our area to warrant the construction of an abattoir. The grant was later changed to a planning effort to create a direct marketing business, Grayson Natural Foods, LLC. With the support of Spencer Neale and the Virginia Farm Bureau, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Business Technology Center. a plan was crafted and Grayson Natural Foods, LLC was in operation as a locally owned co-operative.
Led by a board of directors including Charlotte Hanes, Danny Boyer, Kevin Kirk, and Joe Hash, another participating farmer, Gary Mitchell, was hired to manage Grayson Natural Foods. Market success soon followed with sales to restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area, Blacksburg, Virginia, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and locally. Further, sales were made to Virginia Tech, Wake Forest University, and Ferrum College. At the present time, demand for Grayson Natural Beef exceeds the supply.
The protocol for GNF cattle includes no antibiotics, no growth hormones, implants or steroids, pasture-based forage feed only, and family farm-raised. Most commercial beef is “finished” for up to a year at CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) with corn and animal byproducts, which fattens them and leads to marbled meat. However, cattle’s digestive systems are made for grass, not corn, and they often become ill, leading to routine antibiotic use. In contrast, GNF cattle spend their entire lives on pasture, supplemented with local hay in winter. This is not only far more humane and natural for the cattle but also keeps more of the income at the farm. And naturally-raised beef is healthier, with lower cholesterol, saturated fats and calories per serving and more beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids than grain fed beef. And it tastes great!
Read more about Grayson Natural Foods on their website:
www.graysonnatural.com.
Read more about Grayson Natural Foods in the article
"Is Conservation Enough."
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