Determining Who Sells the BEST BEEF to Consumers
Tyler McCann shares about an event that helps cattle producers who sell directly to consumers compare the quality of their beef to that raised by other ranchers.
How often have you heard the following? “[insert any ranch name] has the best beef!” Whether it is coming from a happy consumer or seen in promotional materials for restaurants and direct-to-consumer businesses, it’s a phrase that floats around. But have you ever stopped to wonder who really does have the best beef? Or, what makes someone’s beef “THE BEST”. Better yet, where do you go to determine how your beef ranks? The McCanns had some of these same questions and took it upon themselves to create an event that educates and serves ranchers, consumers, their local community college and the entire community.
Tyler and Angela ranch near Riverton, Wyoming with their kids and part of their business model includes selling direct-to-consumers. One year, a blizzard resulted in a calf with frozen ears, so they opted to finish out the calf for themselves. “Whenever we had people over for supper, they kept saying that this was the best beef. Yet, there really was no way to prove that and when you look around at other industries such as wine, cheese, or whiskey they all have some type of tasting event,” said Tyler. As they thought about the problem, Angela threw out the idea that they need to find a way to bring ranches together to judge who has the best steak.
The event started with only 10 ranches from around Wyoming as competitors, but quickly grew into much more. The Rendezvous City Beef Roundup also includes an open division for competitors outside of the state, educational speakers for both producers and consumers, demonstrations on how to cook different cuts of beef, beef and wine pairing classes and a VIP dinner. For the competition portion, celebrity judges are brought in to score and rank the beef from the different competitors. These judges include famous podcasters, musicians, doctors, and other public figures.
The event winner receives a buckle and a lot of publicity! Tyler shared that previous winners have had numerous articles and media coverage done on them which resulted in a significant amount of increased sales for their business. It is proving to be a great opportunity to promote their story and gain new customers.
While the event was created for beef producers, it is having a great impact on the community as well. “I didn’t think we were having that great of an impact but as I was presenting and applying for a grant to help make this happen, one of the city council members who also manages a hotel thanked me for hosting this event because it was filling the hotel during what would normally be a slow season,” said Tyler. McCann also noted that he has heard similar remarks from area restaurants. The Riverton community has come to appreciate the event so much that they’ve even had contests to rename the city for the day and the mayor will sign a proclamation to declare Riverton, WY the most carnivore friendly city in the world! The community college is also a beneficiary of this event. The event serves as a fundraiser to provide scholarships for the hands-on ag program that Riverton provides to its students.
The event is truly making a difference in a multitude of ways. Tyler and Angela are a great example of how to take initiative and create an event that puts beef at the center of the community. Whether you want to attend, compete or simply learn more about this event; head to https://beefroundup.com/
