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Durham’s Grocery meat cutter Mike Estes is ebullient; the usually upbeat guy is thrilled that today the store will be selling locally produced beef custom cut in his store. “All the beef in this program was bred, born and raised in Kentucky,” Estes said. The Certified Angus beef now in the case at Durham’s is the result of a partnership between Nicholasville based Alltech Biotechnology, Critchfield Meats and independent grocery stores across Kentucky.

Alltech, the company behind the program and one of the fastest growing animal health companies in the world, uses research and technology to develop natural feed products that complement animals’ growth while keeping animals healthier and happier. Alltech is responsible for selecting the family farms that produce the beef and supplying them with natural food supplements.

The focus of the program is relying on independent, family-owned operations with a reputation for high quality and customer service from ‘farm to fork’. Bill Frey of Alltech said that their beef is completely traceable from its place of origin through finishing. “When our animals go to feedlots in Iowa, they are transported separately, penned separately and fed separately.”

Dale Lane, of Lexington-based Critchfield Meats, said that while Critchfield is selling the Alltech Angus beef in its retail stores, it is also distributing the meat to independent grocers in eastern Kentucky. Critchfield will be delivering primal cuts of Alltech Angus beef to Durham’s where Estes will be cutting and wrapping a full line of choice cuts. Durham’s is the only dealer in the area. Outside of Lexington, “The closest other outlet for the Alltech Angus beef is Richmond and London,” Estes said, adding, “This is a case of a Kentucky company saying, ‘Let’s take care of Kentucky people.’”

Dan Grigson, County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources, thinks this is a good deal all around. “Kentucky is the largest beef producing state east of the Mississipi and Alltech has been a great Kentucky company.” Grigson also praised Durham’s calling the Alltech/Critchfield partnership a good addition. “Our cattlemen have worked with them for years,” he said.

For the time being all of the Alltech Kentucky Angus is being finished at feedlots in Iowa because of economics. “Kentucky cattlemen can’t compete with Midwest farmers because we don’t produce enough grain. The Midwest folks are the closest to the grain and the mills for byproduct feed.” Grigson said that when the Alltech byproduct program gets more developed there might be a greater opportunity for finishing cattle in Kentucky.

James Coffey of Branch View Angus in Hustonville agreed with Grigson about the economics of finishing cattle in the Midwest adding that weather in Kentucky is a factor. “We have too much rain in the winter to finish cattle here. Cattle won’t put on weight in the mud and it causes heath problems,’ he said.

The results of Alltech’s selection, care and feeding program was recently affirmed when a group of chefs taste-tested the Alltech Angus and said they would select it for their restaurants based on its taste and texture. Judge for yourself, you can find it at Durham’s.

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