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After eight years of research
and testing, Bill and Di Hodge successfully developed a “consumer-acceptable
product from pasture.” Courtesy of Wendy Crager. |
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HODGE FAMILY
Bill and Di Hodge had raised a small cattle herd in addition to
their “day jobs” for decades, but got serious about
making the sideline activity a real income-generating enterprise
after they saw the potential of marketing grass-fed beef.
“Six to eight years ago, we suddenly came to the realization
that a cow was put on this Earth to graze,” said Bill Hodge,
an extension educator who farms in northwest Georgia. “We
wanted to see if we could produce a consumer-acceptable product
from pasture.”
After four years of forage research, the Hodges had perfected a
system of growing cold-season and warm-season grasses that not only
performed well in their climate but also produced a good flavor
in their beef. They introduced customers to their new product at
a nearby farmers market in Carrollton started in 2002 partly with
support from a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
program grant.
The Cotton Mill Farmers Market filled a gap in northwest Georgia.
As a suburban population drifted west from Atlanta during the 1990s,
Carroll County grew. Many of the new residents knew nothing about
the local farm products. SARE’s grant supported a new market
initiated by civic groups, government agencies and farmers committed
to bridging that gap.
As Carroll County extension director, Hodge participated in the
local effort to launch the market. In 2003, its second year, the
market featured 32 producers, the Hodges among them. The market
was an ideal venue to test their packaging scheme devised to use
the whole animal: 20-, 30- and 40-pound packs of ground beef, steaks
and roasts.
That season the farmers market became a primary sales outlet for
the Hodges, especially with the opportunity to feature their beef
in occasional chef demonstrations prepared on site.
“The farmers market gave us a venue to be in the market and
expose the product,” Bill said. “It really made a difference
[to customers] to have a chef prepare our beef, with the aroma flowing
through the market.”
Today, the Hodges sell their meat under their “Hodge Common
Sense Beef” label directly from their farm or on online at
websites like LocalHarvest.org and EatWild.com, where Hodge says
they have gained many customers. They still go to the Cotton Mill
market sometimes, but say demand now exceeds supply from their herd
of 40.
The Hodges have begun marketing meat for several producers under
their label. “Others don’t want to spend the time dealing
with the public,” Bill said. “There’s a lot of
time and energy involved in direct marketing.”
Despite that, the Hodges still sell at the market periodically.
They expect to diversify and offer lamb from a new flock of sheep
and are considering goats as a biological weed control on their
land.
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