Chris Kemnah of Otter Hook Farm, Greenville, N.Y., closely watched the Adirondack Grazers cooperative develop from the sidelines. He was shifting from vegetable production to a Community Supported Agriculture meat enterprise. Then in 2015, he joined.

“In early 2015, the incentive premium Adirondack Grazers was paying producers caught my attention. It approached my direct-sale pricing,” points out Kemnah. “For my first shipment in August 2015, the price was down about 25 cents. But all I did was put the animals on the truck.

“Adirondack Grazers took care of the rest,” he adds.

NO-GRAIN BEEFERS: Pleased with his 2015 success of marketing forage-fed-only beef through Adirondack Grazers, Kemnah plans to continue growing his herd. Photo by J. R. Delia

“It worked out really nicely and profitably. The model fits my interest in meeting the triple-bottom-line objectives of profitability, responsible environmental stewardship and time for family.”

Growing grazer co-op niche
The Adirondack Grazers’ brand represents local beef animals raised antibiotic-free from birth and 100% grass/forage-fed. The cooperative, started by 14 producers in eastern New York’s Washington County, has overcome growing pains. Now, 65 members finish two to 100 animals per year per farm for sale directly or through the co-op.

“We help producers reach wholesale markets they cannot readily access on their own,” explains Adirondack Grazers Executive Director Elizabeth Collins. Due to market pricing fluctuations, the co-op pays a premium based on cost of production in the Northeast. That figure is a fairly steady number that producers can use to make management decisions.

Collins credits a $75,000 New York Farm Viability Institute grant as critical to the organization’s growth. That grant in 2014 helped the co-op hire staff, establish inventory management, conduct producer outreach education, and develop into a sustainable business model. Today, Adirondack Grazer “now supplies 50 to 75% of our single buyer’s monthly demand,” adds Collins.

Co-op sales by 37 members in 2014 exceeded $1 million. Another 18 members, including Chris Kemnah, joined by the end of 2015. Kemnah shipped seven animals through Adirondack Grazers in 2015 and expects to ship as many as 12 in 2016.

“The nature of the beef business requires planning 18 to 24 months ahead,” Collins points out. “We talk with members regularly about herd status, and share clearly-defined production protocols. Measurement values underpin production efficiencies that support the carcass consistency and quality we want buyers to expect from Adirondack Grazers.”

Adirondack Grazers’ Farm Auditor Berni Ortensi provides producers with post-processing feedback on hanging weight, carcass grading and rib eye photos for each animal shipped.

Growing the biz
Kemnah considers it part of his win-win scenario. “Adding this wholesaling option into my business plan has definitely helped me grow the herd. We expect 27 calves in 2016. Networking through the co-op also led me to a producer from whom I have purchased stocker cattle and I hope to sell stockers to other producers in the future.”

 “I’m committed to sticking with the co-op as it grows and works to build carcass consistency and equalize pricing over time to benefit all the members. It handles everything from scheduling and pickup to returning good records on the yield of each animal. And, they provide the efficiency of selling a whole animal.”

The co-op is on track to meet its current buyer’s demand 100% monthly by 2017. Then it’ll look at expanding long-term in a measured way into Western New York, Pennsylvania and New England.

For more Adirondack Grazers details,visit Adkgrazers.com. If interested in joining, contact Collins at 518-695-3162. Or email [email protected]  or Membership Coordinator Seth Guistimbelli at [email protected] .

Dunn writes from Mannsville, N.Y.

Adirondack Grazers to host 2 April meetings
Two upcoming eastern New York meetings hosted by Adirondack Grazers will feature Dr. Allen Williams, president of Livestock Management Consultants, LLC. He’ll be sharing his expertise on financial analysis, reproductive efficiency, genetic selection, forage/grazing management and more.

Williams, is also chairman of the Association of Family Farms, a Washington, D.C., based non-profit. The association specializes in branded food programs that support economic and environmental sustainability of independent family farms.

The April 9 event will be held at the State University of New York–Herkimer, Herkimer, N.Y. On April 10, the event will be at SUNY–Adirondack at Queensbury. For more details, visit Adkgrazers.com.

ADK Grazers production protocols
Here are the protocols for the beef production contract:
• Free access to water, shelter and forage
• No antibiotics from birth, including prophylactic/sub-therapeutic
• No growth hormones
• 100% vegetarian diet to exclude bakery by-products
• Diet of 100% forage and pasture; no grain ever
• At least 50% British-influenced breeds; no bulls or dairy influence
• Less than 28 months of age with a finished carcass weight of 500 to 700 pounds
• Delivered to slaughter plant in good health as determined by plant employees and USDA inspector