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The Boyd Family has decided to pivot its traditional cattle operation and is now selling its beef directly to consumers in a new farm-to-table venture called Boyd Farms Fresh. The Boyds have been farming the same land near the Florida-Georgia line for 7 generations. They grow corn, cotton, soybeans, sod, peanuts and raise cattle. In the commercial cattle business - when a calf is sold, it goes through multiple steps and states to get to your dinner table, but Allen Boyd recently approached his wife and children about doing things differently post-pandemic.
“The pandemic was a real eye-opener for us.” said Boyd With packing plants and harvesting facilities shutting down during COVID, we had a supply chain issue. I had been talking with other area cattle ranchers about how to shorten that supply chain, so that we can get our beef directly to the consumer and Boyd Farms Fresh was born.”
Boyd Farms Fresh, in partnership with Quincey Cattle Company in Chiefland, Fla. and Florida Cattle Ranchers, are breeding, raising and grain-finishing the cattle in pastures, then harvesting and processing them locally. That produces better-quality, better-tasting beef, happier cows and less of a strain on our environment.
“This is a more sustainable model. And to be honest - it’s what the consumer wants. People want to know where their food is coming from. They want to know that the animal was treated humanely throughout its life. They want a more nutrient-dense product. And those are all things we can promise by controlling the process from pasture to plate,” said Suzanne Boyd, Allen’s daughter.
Boyd Farms Fresh is bringing its beef directly to its neighbors every week by hosting MEATUps in local towns, where customers can come to a central location and pick up their farm-fresh beef. MEATUps are held in Quitman, Thomasville, Valdosta, Tifton, Tallahassee, Monticello and Madison. They will also be bringing the MEATUps truck to South Florida once a month. Boyd Farms Fresh launched its South Florida MEATUps in Wellington at the Twilight Green Market on Friday, Nov. 13, where they grilled up their delicious burgers and sold their beef. For more information and to pre-order Boyd Farms Fresh beef, visit www.boydfarmsfresh.com.
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