Association Updates For Our Members

Attention TLBAA Members: Announcements and Updates

REVISED EVENTS CALENDAR

Due to the changes that hit the nation in March with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and government-mandated attempts to stop the spread, many of which may still be affecting us, quite a few April and May events had postponed or cancelled by the time we went to print. See the calendar on pg. 56 to see all the changes available to us prior to going to press. If you have questions about a non-TLBAA event, please contact the chair or hosts directly.

2020 Board Meeting Schedule Announced

The TLBAA Board voted in January to have regularly scheduled Board Meetings on the dates listed below so members know the timeframe they have to discuss concerns or ideas with their directors prior. (Directors can be found on pg. 2) There may be additional called meetings as needed. May 19 June 16 August 18 October 20 December 15

Where Are My Registrations?

Just a few reminders when submitting registrations to prevent delays: • When submitting on HORNS you have to take the final step of clicking close and invoice. It will give you an option to pay via PayPal or let us know how you will be paying. Payment must be received in the office before work will be processed. • A ll transfers mailed into the TLBAA office must have the original certificate with them, and a signed transfer application. • Do n’t forget your A.I. or Embryo breeding forms if applicable. • When bu ying at a sale, check with the hosts to see if they will be submitting transfers for you or whether you are responsible. • Be car eful to fill out forms completely. Missing information prevents your work from getting started. • Mak e sure your contact information in HORNS is current so certificates are mailed to the proper address and attempts to resolve issues via phone or email go through to you.

TLBAA Wishes Dana Coomer A Happy Retirement!

In a world where the most disgruntled voices tend to be the loudest and the giants of the beef industry seem to overshadow all others in the marketplace, many breeders approach Longhorn beef with trepidation and a head filled with myths that kill enthusiasm and lead to people giving up or not trying in the first place. Those myths are about to be de-bunked. Myth #1. Texas is the only place where you can get people to buy Longhorn Beef. FALSE

We currently have 20 states and Canada represented in the Registered Texas Longhorn Beef Provider Program. Add 6 more states that have members who have purchased brochures since January 2019 to help market Longhorn beef. This is just the tip of the iceberg of people actively selling beef at various levels. Members in other countries as well as most of the 50 states have managed to find repeat customers for their product. Is it easy? Not always, and those in Texas often face the same hurdles as those outside the state.

There may be times when you have to focus on other aspects of your product that appeals to the demand in your area and let the fact that it is Longhorn be secondary. Become familiar with the food movements in your area, watching for keywords such a “Farm To Table”, “Farm to Fork”, “Locally Raised” or any state-centered ideas such as Grown in _________ (your state here).

Be aware of labeling laws if you venture into terms such as “Organic” and “Grass-Fed Only” as they carry USDA requirements to be met.

While those who love their Longhorns and the taste and nutrition of their beef value the product highly, a distinction of Local, Grass-Fed, Naturally Raised Beef may actually allow you to sell at a premium easier than the fact that it is Longhorn, especially if your area has a mistaken idea of what Longhorn beef is like. The flip side can also be true. People who aren’t as focused on what’s good for them to eat may be drawn in by the idea

of eating something new and different, or beef aficionados may be lured in by emphasizing the flavor of the allnatural beef. Other producers have found success offering grain-finished as well as grass-finished options.

Everyone I have ever talked to who has sold Texas Longhorn beef agrees on one thing. You have to do the work to find out what will sell in your area.

While some people have had better reception than others, here are some beef producers in states outside of Texas who have been working to acquire customers in areas where folks might be skeptical of Longhorn beef, or beef in general. (Editor’s Note : International Longhorn beef success and challenges will be featured in an upcoming article.)

The check marks represent countries that have indicated selling Longhorn beef. The TLBAA has active members in 15 countries as well as most U.S. States. We will look further at international success and challenges in future articles.

Coast-to-Coast Sample of States outside of Texas and Oklahoma - the two states with the most registered head of Texas Longhorn Cattle

GRANBY, MASSACHUSETTS: Guy and Charlotte Cote of Double C Ranch in Granby, Massachusetts are not struggling to get people to accept Longhorn beef, rather having animals ready to process when they need them is their challenge. They prefer to sell only beef they raised, but when they need to buy one they seek out farms they are familiar with. TELFORD, TENNESSEE: Using the combination of “locally sourced” and “lean and healthy” has made people receptive to trying the Longhorn beef offered during the past year by Todd Hensley of Flying H Cattle Company in Telford, Tennessee. Their biggest challenges have been figuring out multiple ways to get it to market and the ability to keep product on hand at the right time. LAMAR, MISSOURI: Jeremiah Thieman with Hat Creek Cattle, LLC is working to overcome the public perception in his area that the meat is tough and gamey. “Getting the public to fully understand how the Longhorn beef differs from other meats has been the biggest challenge,” stated Thieman. “Most people in the Midwest are not familiar with Longhorn beef and are hesitant to purchase it.” He offers what he refers to as “the Pepsi® Challenge” – a free sample to allow them to see that it is good. LANGDON, KANSAS: Dean and Melinda Melton of Prairie Winds Ranch Longhorns are facing a tough crowd. Located in the heart of Angus country, three miles from a 5,000 head feedlot and surrounded by cattle producers who eat their own beef they’ve had a rough start. Add to that a nearby urban population that questions if beef is healthy and buying into the idea that cows are bad for the environment and Melton has sold little beef, even after giving away 20 lbs with no return interest. They are sticking in there and going to try to find new outlets for their beef over the coming year. CASTLE ROCK, COLORADO: Longhorn beef has been part of the Rocky Mountain Longhorns overall ranching operation for five years. J.R. Matott has no problem getting people interested in the Longhorn beef, but the challenge has been learning what customers wanted in order to keep them coming back and growing a base. It takes a while, but once you do you can move product regularly. In their case, they found it better to hit a price point that kept product moving instead of selling at a premium. It doesn’t hurt that the area around him is driven by “All Natural” and “Grown in Colorado”. CULBERTSON, MONTANA: Once people try the Longhorn beef offered by Cody and Shynna Maloney of the 5/7 Ranch, they usually come back for more. The combination of a local product and his willingness to deliver to people have been a big selling point. During the first year, finding a consistent processor has caused a challenge keeping beef on hand when needed, but they’re working the kinks out. It’s showing potential to one day be more than just supplemental income. DUNDEE, OREGON: Scott and Amelia Picker of A&S Land and Cattle have no trouble finding buyers for their beef. However, a processor to accept Longhorns is a different story. While most of their customers return for more, no processors within a 1-hour drive will accept a Longhorn and Scott has had no luck getting a response from the Regional Director of the USDA. He has had success with USDA processed beef in a local restaurant in the past (sold out 4 times), but that processor is two hours away. So logistics, not customers, is an issue.

Myth #2. All I have to do is present the nutrition/ health benefits and it will sell itself.

FALSE

While education has led to a population that is more health conscious overall, there is still a preconceived notion held by many consumers that nutritious and delicious seldom go together. Think of the vegetables you may enjoy but your kids won’t even try. How many lowfat healthy food products have you tried and bemoaned sacrificing taste for health? Those who truly value health over all else should jump on the product when they read the nutritional data, but as Thieman pointed out earlier, many have a perception of Longhorn as gamey and tough (Both of which can be true if poorly processed or cooked).

Add to that the percentage of the population hesitant because they are buying into the “beef is harming the planet” claims and the “beef has to have fat or be from an Angus to be good” and Longhorn beef producers have to be prepared to present much more that nutritional stats to win customers.

Photos of healthy cattle on green grass provide evidence of naturally raised beef raised in a humane environment. For most Longhorn producers a few minutes conversation and a photo or two will assure buyers that the animals are well cared for.

Keep in mind that showing photo of cattle during a muddy spell or in a pasture with junk items or old fence you “haven’t gotten around to cleaning up” can have a negative impact on potential customers. Be aware of the entire photo when posting to your website or creating a flyer.

Try to gather contact information for your buyers so you can follow up. “NEVER assume that yesterday’s customer is going to return” warns Matott. “You have to reach out to them and make sure they know you’re still around. Several times, a customer would ask us if we had more beef even after we told them, we always have inventory.”

If you give away beef and no one returns, you need to know why. Reach out to those you have contact info for and politely ask why they did not return for more. Take a pound of that batch and cook it yourself to verify if there is something unusual about it. Sometimes beef producers have to go through several processors to get a product that their consumers will return for.

If you are going to attempt to sell the product without giving away free product or providing cooked samples, then at the very least you need to have cooking instructions explaining how to cook the leaner meat in a printed form they can take with them. A bonus would be to also have several recipes available for them as well. The best marketing step however is to have a way to expose potential customers to the properly cooked product.

“We have a large customer base because we have a construction business,” says Matott. Hosting customer barbecues is one way they expose potential buyers to the product.

Donating meat to be used in fundraising is a good avenue as well. “We’ve donated our beef to “farm to table” fundraiser dinners as a featured course”, related Hensley. Other breeders have donated it for their church to use when selling burgers for fundraisers within the community.

The Cotes actually have a line of homemade spice rubs made by Charlotte specifically to complement the beef they sell.

Throughout the years a number of breeders have gotten Longhorn burgers onto local restaurant menus. If the establishment is open to acknowledging the source of the meat and providing your contact information in some form, it’s a great way to let people experience it cooked by a professional.

If you decide to give a farmer’s market a chance, inquire first to see what their requirements are for providing cooked samples and, even better, if they will allow you to cook it at your booth. Regulations at farmer’s market vary widely, even within the same area, so make sure you do your research.

Through the past years of talking to successful sellers of Longhorn beef, most report a return rate that is high once people try the meat and if their price-point is right for the market. If not, carefully analyze your approach to see if your marketing should take another direction. Whether you give away samples or donate meat to a fundraising cookout, get the product in people’s mouths so they will know how great it really is. Photo courtesy of Charlotte Cote.

Myth #3. The ONLY way to get started is by selling at the farmer’s market.

FALSE

If you are successfully utilizing a Farmer’s Market don’t take offense. Farmer’s markets and Longhorn beef can be a great match. However, many people choose to not go that route for various reasons, the most common being the time commitment or the restrictions/permits/ costs associated with them. If you do not set up a public stand to sell, how do you get customers? FRIENDS & FAMILY – The ideal first step to building a customer base would be to process a Longhorn beef for your family and share part of it with friends. This gives you a chance to see if your processor is delivering a good product and working out kinks before you put it in front of potential customers. Once you have a product your family/friends likes then consider avenues to sell it. OFF THE FARM – Whether you sell pre-processing or as individual cuts, you can always utilize marketing that simply drives people to you for the product. If you are selling from your farm or individual packages elsewhere, make sure that you have researched and met all storage and labeling requirements for your state, county and city. COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (CSA) PROGRAMS –Farm or network/association of multiple farms that offer consumers regular (usually weekly) deliveries of locally-grown farm products during one or more harvest season(s) on a subscription or membership basis. Customers have access to a selected share or range of farm products offered by a single farm or group of farmers based on partial or total advance payment of a subscription or membership fee. (source: USDA.gov) LOCAL CATERING COMPANIES – Caterers are always looking for local sources for menu ingredients to differentiate themselves from other services. PREPARED MEAL SERVICES - In these busy times, more people are turning to meal services for either precooked meal or fresh ingredients packaged with recipes to cook their own quickly. LOCAL RESTAURANTS - Restaurants, along with bars that serve food, usually highlight a burger on the menu. For many, the more unusual burger the better they like it. Been locally raised is a big plus as well. Try getting them to try making a burger with your Longhorn beef to feature for a special. BOUTIQUE BUTCHERS SHOPS - People who go to local butchers are looking for local products that they can trust. Many also process meat as well or will take it in as sides or quarter to sell as cuts. CRAIGSLIST OR COMMUNITY FACEBOOK GROUPS - Many people manage to draw in regular customers from these two free resources. Even if you’re not a fan of the digital world, it is a good way to see if there is interest in your product without much commitment on your part. WEBSITE - If you already have a Longhorn website for your ranch it should be easy to add a page featuring your beef. Provide nutrition and cooking tips as well as products you sell with instructions on how to make purchases. Myth #4. Unless you get chain stores to carry it, it’s not worth trying to sell it. FALSE

20 | April 2020 TEXAS LONGHORN TRAILS In a day and time that people are leery of grocery store meat, why would you let the fact that there is no national distribution for Longhorn beef stop you? Many Longhorn breeders are utilizing beef to remove cull animals from their herds in a way that nets them more than the sale barn, and may even provide enough secondary income to pay the feed bills or upgrade the genetics in their herd.

While there are some in the Longhorn industry talking about the logistics of being able to supply a grocery store, the reality is that at this present time 2 – 10 animals a year is the range for many producers, while a few people are processing 100-200 animals per year and others fall somewhere in between.

“Meat sales are part of the overall ranching process for us. Our focus is on seed stock first. Because there is no current market for the Longhorn in a feed yard, this is the best way to eliminate the culls. The animals we process would only bring $1k or less at a sale or $500 or less at a sale barn. If we deduct expenses from that, we are negative margin. By establishing our beef business, we average a $2k profit per animal,” states Matott.

While the biggest profit is in retail cuts of beef, even selling on the hoof, delivering the animal to a processor and leaving the rest up to the customer is a better return on a cull than a regular sale barn and means more money back into the operation.

Breeders focusing on raising Longhorns for beef and not just selling culls have reported percentages of operation income as high as 80% from beef sales, while those using beef to cull while building the upper end of their herd can range as low as 5% and as high as 50% of their income.

Grocery stores are still an industry goal, but there is money to be made via other avenues while that outlet develops. Continued on pg. 22

Myth #5. I don’t make enough selling my beef to afford to market it.

FALSE

You can’t afford not to. But before you stress out thinking about hundreds of dollars in ads or a website, rethink what marketing is. Marketing is simply the act of promoting and selling a product or service. There are a limitless number of ways to achieve this, many of which are free, only take a time investment or can be had at a minimal cost.

To successfully sell within your community, it helps for your community to see that you are an active part of it. Join local business and/or civic groups. When speaking to others show interest in what they do and they will be more likely to listen when you speak about your product. The goal is to build trust, and even if people have not met you personally, if they see your business as a part of their community they will be more willing to give your beef a try. Support local is a big movement in many areas.

Do all you can to make the buying experience and the product you sell the best it can be. Social media posts can be a big business driver or can scare people away. A negative post doesn’t do as much harm if people in the community have already become familiar with you and your product. If you respond to a negative post, do it in a factual, pleasant way. Always remember that every encounter with the public is a marketing moment. Make the most of every opportunity.

Ways to Market For Little to no cost:

WORD OF MOUTH

Mention the healthiness to your doctor, local health food stores or butcher shops, anyone who can spread the word to others CRAIGSLIST SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE FLYERS in local businesses & on community boards TLBAA BEEF PRODUCERS PROGRAM

$75 gets you 150 marketing brochures and a website listing MAGNETIC TRUCK SIGNS (some as little as $20 each online) SIGNAGE OUTSIDE YOUR RANCH

saying beef available (varies - can be homemade) COMMUNITY FOCUSED EVENTS:

SPEAKING TO CIVIC GROUPS - Rotary, Kiwanis SPEAKING TO SCHOOL GROUPS - 4H, FFA COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS DONATE MEAT to a church or social event to be cooked for the public SUPPORT SCHOOL-RELATED FUNDRAISERS such as sports or arts programs SPONSOR a peewee sports team or a local run/walk event JOIN A LOCAL FARM TO TABLE TYPE CO-OP

For more information on the registered Texas Longhorn Beef Producer Program visit www.tlbaa.org