Finding a Way to Sell Food Locally to Schools or Other Institutions

This rancher was able to connect with a local school and provide meat for school lunches all year round.  But he was only able to make this work because he had access to a small, local USDA-inspected meat processing facility nearby that was willing to work with him to get meat processed in a timely manner as needed for the school. 

The school got a grant from the government so it could afford his higher quality meat.

Source: https://www.drovers.com/news/education/how-ranchers-can-sell-beef-schools

Selling directly to consumers has become a popular way for ranchers to generate additional revenue and share the beef story. But some ranchers have taken it a step further — selling beef to local schools.

So, what does that process involve, and how can ranchers get involved?

“… I know when we first started, someone reached out to both me and the Stegalls to inform us about a grant that was available,” Barber says. “Having someone take that initiative makes a big difference.”

Todd and Taylor Stegall raise Red Angus cattle near Colusa, Calif., and are no strangers to direct-to-consumer beef sales.

“We’ve always sold halves and wholes locally and made the switch to USDA-inspected processing to sell individual cuts about six years ago,” Todd says. “We heard the school was looking for local beef, so we put in a bid and have been selling beef to our kids’ school for three years now.”

“… I pick up and deliver the beef to the school,” Stegall says. “They want larger packages than our other clients, so we specify that with the processor beforehand.”

Having access to a USDA-inspected local processor is also essential.

“I try to keep two spots every month with my processor, but he’s been really flexible,” Todd says. “At this point, I’ve learned what the school needs and can be consistent with that.”

“The school takes a lot of my ground beef and roasts, which used to be the harder cuts to get rid of,” he says.

“… If other ranchers want to pursue this, they should get in contact with their school’s local nutrition director,” Stegall says. “We’re fortunate to have this program because I don’t know that I could compete with larger packers on price.”