Crossing the Chasm from Producer to Processor

What logical sense does it make for a group of cattle producers to start processing their own beef? Well, to be honest, I thought it made a lot of sense, and three years into that journey, I'm here to break down some of the challenges of things that we face in the agricultural industry that most people may not realize.

In 2023 we had finally had enough. Our family had spent generations subjected to the fluctuations of the commodities markets without respect to our own efforts. If you had a drought, tough. Wall Street decides to tank feeder futures the week you send your calves to market, tough. Inputs rise across the board and cattle prices remain steady, tough. There were many times where the heart and soul we poured into our herd and land equated to a minimum wage endeavor (or worse) at the end of the year.

In 2023 we took a leap of faith and started the Parker County Beef Company. We never expected to turn it into even a portion of what it is today. Start of 2026, we currently have three retail locations and a nationwide shipping operation that did not even seem possible just 3 short years ago.

In 2024, it made sense for us to purchase and renovate our own USDA processing plant where now we process our own cattle, plus cattle for local farmers and ranchers wanting to sell their beef. We continue to sell and expand, but we've learned a lot of hard lessons along the way.

My goal for producers and processors is that it can become the online resource that I wish I had when we were learning all of these lessons. I speak to hundreds of people across the country every single week who find us on social media, asking questions, not realizing that there are people all around them asking the same things.

All I ask is that if this site or newsletter helps you, please share it with your friends, local ranchers, or people you might think would find it interesting.

To be honest, I do not have time to do this. But I am making time in hopes that it provides awareness for our business and also serves as a resource for the nationwide farm-to-table community.

Thanks for stopping in.

Bryson Burtnett

Founder, Parker County Beef Company