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Ervin’s Grassfed Beef
operates like a cooperative, buying cattle from other ranchers
willing to meet their standards. Courtesy of Will Holder. |
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THE HOLDER FAMILY
ERVIN’S GRASSFED BEEF
Will and I started Ervin’s Grassfed Beef (EGB) in 1997. The
company was named after my husband Will’s maternal grandfather,
Ervin Hicks (right), who had a wonderful land ethic and a gentle
way with animals. Originally, we tried to form a cooperative, including
our neighbors and a few other ranchers who do a great job with their
land and their cattle. Unfortunately, even though everyone agreed
that it was a great idea, no one but us was willing to spend any
money or time developing it. So now, our program is set up like
a cooperative, at least in spirit. On paper, EGB is simply a marketing
agent that buys cattle from other ranchers who are willing to adhere
to the same set of standards that we do. This way, EGB is a pretty
lean organization, giving most of the value to the producer and
the consumer.
Each rancher with whom we work is certified by EGB to meet the
standards we advertise to the consumer. They are responsible for
the product and retain ownership until the steer is on the rail.
Some producers don’t want the responsibility of finishing
a steer, so our ranch buys them from the producer (similar to a
stocker operation), and sells them to EGB.
EGB offers three prices: hamburger (cull cow), stew beef (tough
steer) and steak (tender steer). We only buy what our demand calls
for. Originally, we started offering only a frozen product but have
since been able to offer fresh as well.
STRENGTH: Starting with frozen product is very forgiving and maximizes
per carcass net
WEAKNESS: Frozen product limits marketability
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