Your interest is appreciated!
Becoming an Ozark Prime Beef network producer requires submission of an application for review by our founder. Our goal is to build a strong network of local producers dedicated to bringing their high-quality beef to market. Before submitting your application, please review the criteria for joining.
Ozark Prime Beef network opens the door for farmers and ranchers to sell their high-quality beef to new markets. It is important to us that consumers may order with confidence, knowing our producers practice humane, sustainable, responsible raising of their animals. For this reason, every network producer is fully vetted to meet the standards required to deliver peace-of-mind to our buyers.
We harness the power of the Internet to engage new customers and offer easy, online ordering of beef in bulk quantities. Each producer in the network provides local area consumers a trusted source to buy 100% all natural beef.
Here is a list of what Ozark Prime Beef buyers are looking for:
- Farmers who let their cows eat only organic grass.
- Farmers who finish their cows on grass; or a short period of grain to enhance flavor and tenderness.
- Farmers who avoid growth hormones, antibiotics, or animal by-products.
- Farmers who harvest their cows humanely.
- Farmers who sell directly, with local pickup from the processor.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of the network?
Ozark Prime Beef is a new service and the goal is to work with smaller producers across the country to build a strong brand with a reputation for value and quality.
Millennials are making the jump from buying hard goods online to buying groceries without a second thought. Surveys show some do not feel qualified to select their own meats, have little confidence in supermarket quality, and find it difficult to source local providers. While Baby Boomers wouldn’t dream of buying a steak or roast without seeing it, Millennials are happy to opt for convenient online ordering and skip the grocery cart mayhem entirely. Ordering fresh food and ingredients online is a growing trend, and small producers of high-quality, all-natural meats should not be left out of this revolutionary movement due to a lack of technical savvy.
There is a growing pool of customers that want an ultra-high-quality beef product, and the Internet can be harnessed to reach and provide them with the best money can buy. The ability to serve their needs without changing your raising practices is the result of helping us build a solid network of producers. Be part of a group of ranchers creating their own branded beef chapters that allow consumers to buy shares of beef cattle. It’s called “cow-sharing” or “crowd-cows” and it’s catching on fast!
Ozark Prime Beef empowers each individual rancher to make it easy for consumers in their local vicinity to find and order beef – without any additional logistics.
What are the benefits of joining the network?
- Reach the growing Millennials market that increasingly buys food online
- Provide local consumers easy access to a trusted, high-quality source of local beef
- Sell beef without the need to handle payment, accounting or scheduling
- Obtain marketplace value for high-quality beef vs. selling to commercial feedlots
- Set your beef chapter harvest dates based on your herd and advance sell to loyal customers
- Use the meat processor(s) you already know and trust
- Encourage repeat business and referrals with a direct line to your customers
- Benefit from online marketing efforts, newsletters, and email campaigns to offer your customers the best deals
- Get free professional marketing materials to help your local efforts to keep customers informed
- Obligation-free participation can be canceled at the end of the selected plan expiration
Channel sales through Ozark Prime Beef is an opportunity to get your beef chapters in front of more prospective appreciative buyers. It can be a cost-effective way to enter new markets to reach new consumers while sparing you the costs of building and maintaining your own operation.
In as few as 5 to 7 years, it is estimated that 70% of USA consumers will shop for groceries online. As changes in where consumers buy meats occurs, when they buy and what they buy will force changes throughout the food supply chain. The day may come when online customers get the top cut, while in-store shoppers get the seconds or thirds when it comes to quality. We’d like to help you bring that top cut to your customers now and stay ahead of the trend.
What are the requirements to become a network producer?
In order to qualify for network participation, a producer must be committed to providing high-quality beef, not mass-quantity beef. All producer applicants must be approved to join the network. Approval is based in large part on the following criteria and is given at the sole discretion of Ozark Prime Beef.
- Must have an existing beef business – startup operations would need to have prior experience in the industry.
- Must be an aggressive breeder attempting to improve the genetics and quality of their product
- Must conduct personal farm/ranch walk-thru with Ozark Prime Beef representative
- Must present an outline of their breeding, raising and beef improvement practices.
- Must outline routine health care procedures, deworming and vaccination.
- Cattle must be grass-fed pasture raised, and either grass finished; or grain-finished for a short period.
- Cattle cannot be injected with growth hormones and must be antibiotic free.
- Cattle must be harvested younger than 30 months of age.
- Cattle must be humanely handled during all phases of the operation.
What is the cost to join the network?
The goal of Ozark Prime Beef it to help local farms and ranches reach a larger market and retain more money for their beef raising efforts. There is a $150 annual fee to join and list your beef chapter offers. Fees help cover the cost of initial setup plus ongoing administrative services to manage orders, payment, and ongoing promotional efforts.
The average eCommerce website development ranges from $5,000 to $20,000 depending on the level of customization and requires the services of a webmaster to maintain. Promotional costs can be substantial, as well. The Ozark Prime Beef network offers smaller farms and ranchers an opportunity to reach a larger consumer market ordering online, for far less. It’s a win-win combination for those raising beef cattle, and those looking to enjoy healthy, all-natural beef.
Will I have a direct line of contact with my customers?
Yes, absolutely! We encourage our network producers to get to know their customers and provide the same high-quality beef you feed your own family. Switching from commercial to locally produced meat can sometimes be a strain on the budget, but not when buying in bulk. Your customers will soon come to appreciate the superior taste and quality you offer, forging a relationship that will help sustain your cattle raising efforts into the future.
How does the review process work and what is a Beef Chapter?
Upon registration, you will have access to an application form. Complete the simple form and our founder or associate will contact you for a chat to discuss your cattle operation.
As a network producer, you are not selling meat through the website. You are selling animals — just as you would to any other buyer through traditional marketing channels. The sale that goes through the website is for the animal for which you (the producer) exercise the option to send that animal to a processor of your choice for final delivery for the new owners. We call your selling offer a “Beef Chapter” and you may open as many chapters as desired. Each chapter details the harvest date, expiration date of the offer, cost of a particular animal or group of animals being sold by quarters, half or whole, and the processing options. There are no requirements for the number of beef chapters you elect to offer. You may elect to sell “extra” inventory, sell during certain times of the year only, or build a growing customer base by offering ongoing beef chapters year-round.
There are rules for selling dependent on your processor’s requisite certifications from their governing regulatory authorities to process meat for Re-Sale or Private Use. Your processor must be able to process for Re-Sale and/or Private Use. Either option can be used in your online beef chapter. Producers can use their current processor as long as they’re willing to package according to the orders (most are), and they meet the rules for resale and/or private use.
Once approved for participation, you submit a quick online form for each beef chapter you are ready to showcase and make available to your local customers. Your “producer profile” will contain a description and photos of your operation, as well as details of your farming practices for review by customers. Customer will be able to email you directly to ask any additional questions. All customers receive loyalty rewards points for purchases from our producers that may be redeemed for discounts extended by the network. The system handles the ordering process, customer notifications, payment, and scheduling of pickup at the processor when the order is ready. A convenient, interest-free payment plan is offered for the length of time between posting a beef chapter and expiration prior to harvest date. Your producer share of income is remitted automatically upon delivery to the processor.