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Direct from the Farm By Julie Turner-Crawford
Scott Bass launches new venture with e-commerce and the 27/7 accessibility of beef Scott Bass is no stranger to the Direct this summer. Real Beef Direct alcattle business. He’s a fourth-gen- lows customers to buy and pick up beef eration cattleman in Webster County, from cattle raised on the Bass family Mo., near Rogersville, farming some of farm and processed at local facilities, the land that has been a part of the fam- 24/7. “When the fake meat deal started gainily for more than 100 years. Scott has been offering custom-fed ing traction in around early 2020, a lot beef to customers since high school, of groups jumped onto that bandwagon and he planned on being a dairy farm- for their interests, like PETA, climate er once he graduated. After a few years, change groups, and those looking for a however, Scott liquidated his 120-cow cheap protein source,” Scott said. “Also, herd and began focusing on his cow/ feeder calf prices we very venerable, so I decided to do the retail beef cuts. I felt calf operation. Scott and his late father Gene start- we had a very good opportunity to do ed Bass Premium Beef in 2001, offering this with the facilities we have and the wholesale beef, but as times changed, so infrastructure that has been put together over the years.” did Scott’s beef operation. Scott also said issues with the coun“You have to adjust,” Scott try’s “big four” meat packers regardsaid. “Just being old-school ing supply chains and consumer and set in your ways isn’t pricing prompted the endeavor. going to do it anymore. I “We have to be able to get our try to see the opportunity in things.” Rogersville, Mo. end product out at a marketable price,” he said. “I’ve Scott, who also owns Bass thought about this for a Livestock Nutrition, launched long time and said ‘I’m in.’” a new venture with Real Beef
Scott Bass said producers must adapt their farming operations to the changing times. Scott started Real Beef Direct to do just that.
Photos by Julie Turner-Crawford
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Scott turned to e-commerce for retail sales for Real Beef Direct and looked to his oldest son Parker to set up online ordering and payment. Once the order is placed, beef is packaged and customers come to the Bass farm to pick up their order, using their unique code to enter a secure freezer area. “The easy part of this whole deal is the online ordering,” Scott said of the Real Beef Direct website. “We are open 24/7, 365 days a year. I told someone our overhead is so low I can hit my head. I have a secure facility, safe for the public to come to the farm, and it is simple. Without the online presence, this would Ozarks Farm & Neighbor • www.ozarksfn.com
not have been possible. We’re just using technology that’s available today to market our product.” Customers may not have the convenience of grabbing something from the meat case on the way home, but Scott said Real Beef Direct offers something big retailers can’t. “If you ask a guy at the counter where it came from, they can’t tell you,” Scott said. “I don’t think it’s the deciding factor, but it’s more important to serious buyers, that’s someone who is putting some thought into what they are buying. We have a fresh product with no antibiotics, no hormones, and source-verified because they are born and raised here. DECEMBER 6, 2021
