Montana Has More Cows Than People. Why Are Locals Eating Beef from Brazil?
In Montana, a small percentage of locally consumed beef is produced in-state. Old Salt Co-op aims to disrupt this by vertically integrating operations, supporting local ranchers, and promoting sustainable practices.
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In Montana, where there are more cows than people, only about 1% of beef consumed locally is raised and processed within the state. Most cattle end up in the hands of major meatpackers like JBS and Tyson Foods, then distributed by companies like Sysco and sold in stores like Walmart. Cole Mannix, co-founder of Old Salt Co-op, aims to disrupt this system by vertically integrating his company, controlling all stages from raising cattle to selling meat in restaurants and online. By prioritizing local ranchers and sustainable practices, Old Salt Co-op seeks to empower ranchers economically and environmentally. Despite facing challenges in changing consumer habits, Mannix and his team are determined to reshape the local meat economy and support regenerative ranching practices. Their innovative approach has garnered attention and support, offering a potential model for a more sustainable and locally-focused food system in Montana and beyond.
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10 commentsOut of curiosity, I checked out the old salt store and they sell Tri tip for $16-20 per lb. I buy tri-tip on sale for $4/lb, and sometimes $3/lb.
The interesting bit is that I was recently in Switzerland, where it is common for farms to sell meat and dairy direct to the public. I noticed that the there the farm meat and cheese was 25-50% less than the super market.
Taken together, this really leaves me wondering what the difference is between these markets.
To directly answer the question in the headline, it seems that almost all locally produced beef in Montana becomes an “anonymous commodity crisscrossing the country”, so the origin of the product you get at the supermarket is a sampling of the overall U.S. market, and Montana beef is only 1% of that. And Brazilian beef is more than 1% of the U.S. market, so Montanans are more likely eating Brazilian beef.
My nearest independent butcher charges $39/lb for same. There's no question that meat prices at small outlets are far above those of the giant international meat packers.
https://nwmpa.com/epa-impact-statement/
We buy 1/2 a carcass worth of beef at a time from a small local place, and the cost is a lot better than costco. But we're worried at the immense pressure small shops like that are now under due to the enormous compliance costs for regulations that make little sense for the scale of work they do.
But then, apparently, the entire point of the company is to ship meat around the country in a copycat fashion, primarily outside of Montana, contributing to CO2 and plastic emissions? The story doesn’t make any sense.
Western canada has a ton of high quality trees. So furniture companies should move to this place, buy cheap input materials, create local economy, add value in a healthy way, and profit properly. Instead locals trying to do anything are killed by global pricing and it destroys businesses. It costs thousands of dollars more than it should just to make a CRATE to ship anything else. Absolute the opposite of proper sustainable economy
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