Aaron and Debbie Gress showed off their cattle herd to Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.
“How many head of do you have?” Naig asked the couple.
“My brother and I have 330," Aaron replied. "They are Limousin-cross and Angus. We handpick the ones we use for our business."
The Gress family runs a small business called Vintage Beef on their farm outside of Ricketts in Crawford County. They sell homegrown beef and other goods.
“It seems like more and more people are trying to get closer to the farm with what they put in their bodies and feed their families," Aaron said. "I think it can grow exponentially if it continues."
Naig dropped by the family to highlight the state's Choose Iowa program. Vintage Beef is one of more than 330 members who have signed up for the program that markets farm-based products. Their names are included in an online directory.
“You think about buying more in bulk when you buy a half or a quarter of beef. There may be some sticker shock initially, but when you buy directly from a farmer, you can often get it for significantly less than you would if you bought the same group of cuts at the grocery store,” Naig said. "What you're getting here is high-quality meat processed just like you wanted."
Choose Iowa helps ag-related businesses
Each year, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship awards $1.5 million in grants to help local farmers and businesses.
“The majority of Iowans say that they will go out of their way to buy Iowa-grown, made and raised products. And so, we know the demand's there,” Naig said. “We know there's interest on the part of the producers."
The grants fall into three categories:
- Value-Added grants focus on diversification, market expansion and shortening the supply chain
- Dairy Innovation grants support on-farm dairy processing and invest in dairy labor-reducing technology
- Butchery Innovation grants target the equipment needed for meat processing
“It’s a really robust grant offering for the Choose Iowa membership, and we want to continue to strengthen that,” Naig said.
Vintage Beef received a $20,000 Value-Added Agricultural Grant to renovate an old train depot that a previous owner moved onto the property in the 1980s. Part of the money also helped buy a new walk-in freezer.
“We ran out of space for all of our meat. At one time, this room was filled with several smaller freezers.” Debbie said. “This really helps our operation.”
“It's nice to have a storefront in a town, but it seems like you can get your clientele trained, and they actually kind of like coming out to the farm and seeing how their meat is being made,” Aaron said.
Planning for future growth
Naig expressed optimism about the Choose Iowa program. He even asked the Legislature for an extra $300,000 to help increase staffing.
“There are several members who are ready to get into the retail space or to sell wholesale, meaning that they would like to work with maybe a grocery chain, distributor or something like that,” Naig said. “That’s something we would like to expand on."
Aaron said other farmers in the area are also taking advantage of the Choose Iowa program. His business also sells pork and lamb from a neighbor.
“We also have a friend who opened a clothing boutique in a small town where they don't have a grocery store at all, and they carry our beef also,” Debbie said.
As Choose Iowa continues to gain traction across the state, the Gress family said the next generation plans to grow the beef business.
“Every one of our three boys seems to enjoy cattle. It’s something hopefully that we can expand, and Vintage Beef is another avenue that hopefully will allow that for them and maybe even their families,” Aaron added.
