Local beef production is slowly on the rise
[gtxvideo vid=”OKnjRYBT” playlist=”” pid=”OTSe9U1y” thumb=”http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/OKnjRYBT.jpg” vtitle=”Local Beef Production”]
JACKSON, Tenn. — Here’s a question — do you know where your burger was born? Even though Tennessee is home to a whole lot of cattle, most of the beef we eat isn’t from around here. With more than 1.9 million cattle on ranches around the state, the USDA says Tennessee is among the top 15 beef producing states in the country. But according to UT researchers, we buy most of our beef from out of state. Latham’s says they currently carry no meat processed in Tennessee. “There are several good farmers in this area, and they take care of their beef very properly and care about what product they do put out,” general manager Tim Throne said. “But with us, such a volume that we have, that we don’t have any other choice to buy from out west.” Local ranchers say their biggest issue is not having local resources to get their cattle processed. “Locally with the slaughterhouse, there’s no slaughterhouse close enough that could grade cattle,” Throne said. “In this area, the closest slaughterhouse that is USDA approved is in Lexington.” Andrew Donnell prides himself on his fresh product and says he takes his cattle to Lexington and Memphis to be slaughtered. “We sell all natural Angus beef that’s born and raised on our farm, and we sell it straight to the public,” he said. The owner of Rockn’ Dough, Jeremy Denno, purchases his ground beef from Donnell Farm. “The obvious is the taste and flavor, local beef one source, you know, farm to fork — it’s just a more rich flavor,” he said. The cost of local beef is more expensive, but Denno thinks it is well worth it. “The benefit is it costs more,” he said. “Yeah, you pay for what you get, so it’s a premium product and you pay a little more for that.” Some customers we spoke with said as long as the available beef is of good quality they don’t care where it comes from, which is another problem local ranchers face.
