Excerpt:
“Elevation Burger is a rapidly growing, fast casual concept serving 100% USDA-certified organic beef burgers and fresh-cut fries cooked in heart-healthy 100% olive oil.”
Archive for February, 2009
Elevation Burger: Grass-fed Fast Food
February 27, 2009Article on the CEO of growing organic dairy/meat business
February 27, 2009Excerpt:
“Evans’ background is in business and he has been the chief financial officer at several corporations. Before becoming self-employed, he was the financial controller for Civco Medical Solutions in Kalona.
He first set foot into the world of organic foods five years ago when he began as a financial consultant for the Amish/Mennonite-owned creamery as its facility was still under construction. He soon realized that the creamery, as well as other local organic food suppliers, had a need for marketing expertise. Thus the beginning of Kalona Organics. “
Niman Ranch Today
February 24, 2009Very interesting article on the history of Niman Ranch–an early leader in alternative livestock production systems. It is no longer owned by Niman, but apparently is now making money.
More on Winter Farmers’ Markets
February 24, 2009Nice article talking about a farmers’ market in Vermont that operates successfully during the winter.
More Changes in Australian Grass-fed Beef Industry
February 24, 2009Excerpt:
“We’ve laid the support for our belief that grass-fed beef is going to be in greatest demand. The prices we received were all equivalent to net tangible asset value (about 70pc higher than AACo’s sharemarket value). We have therefore demonstrated the real value of these properties.”
Pres. Obama Picks Kathleen Merrigan for No. 2 Spot at USDA
February 24, 2009Here’s an exerpt:
“Sustainable and organic farmers are excited … that someone who has been associated with these issues her whole career is going to be at that level in the department,” said Ferd Hoefner of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
More about all those labels
February 20, 2009Here’s a pretty comprehensive but short article detailing what different meat labels mean–”natural” vs. “naturally-raised”, “organic”, etc. The article focuses on beef.
Fewer inputs, more profits with grass-fed beef
February 20, 2009Interesting (but brief) article in Beef Today about a family’s decision to convert their dairy and beef cattle operation to grass-fed.
Brief Interview with Tom Vilsack, new Secetary of the USDA
February 16, 2009Excerpt:
Will local foods play a part?
In a perfect world, everything that was sold, everything that was purchased and consumed would be local, so the economy would receive the benefit of that. But sometimes that stresses the capacity: the production capacity or the distribution capacity. Especially since we don’t have yet a very sophisticated distribution system for locally grown food. One thing we can do is work on strategies to make that happen. It can be grant programs, loan programs, it can be technical assistance.
Tough Times for California Beef Producers
February 11, 2009Brief article on the effects that the current drought and markets are having on California beef producers. Interesting quote in the end:
For Humboldt County rancher Jay Russ, however, these economic issues have so far not been a major problem. He runs a grass-fed beef operation and says his sales have been holding, which surprises him because grass-fed beef is often considered a luxury food item.
“I guess we just have a committed clientele,” he said. “But that’s just such a little niche. That’s not the rest of the cattle world.”
More on USDA Ag Census
February 9, 2009Some local news regarding the new USDA Ag Census. Talks briefly about farmers’ markets, organics, etc.
Organics and the Economy
February 9, 2009Packaged Facts, a consumer research company, released a report entitled “Food Flavors and Ingredients Outlook 2009″. It includes some predictions as to the effects the economy may have on consumers’ choices in terms of organic foods. The full report can be found here, but it requires a registration. You can find a brief summary in this article.
Argentinian Drought
February 9, 2009Argentina is one of the world’s leaders in grass-fed beef. This is an interesting short article on the effects of the current drought on all sectors of Argentinian agriculture.
USDA Release Agriculture Census
February 6, 2009Among other details, the number of farms in the United States has increased as has diversity among those farms. In short, the number of small farms is increasing as well as large farms. Mid-sized farm numbers are still decreasing. Organic production is up.
A few articles on Uruguayan beef exports
February 6, 2009Uruguay exports a large amount of its grass-fed beef to various countries. You can find the products in many grocery stores throughout the midwest. Here are a couple of articles that go into some depth regarding markets, etc.
