Gabe Clark ’02 tells Bangor Daily News that grass-fed beef is where it’s at
Gabe Clark ’02 is front and center in a Bangor Daily News story about Maine’s chance to expand sales of grass-fed beef.
Gabe Clark ’02 owns Cold Spring Ranch and is president of the Maine Grass Farmers Network. (Phyllis Graber Jensen)
Reporter Seth Koenig suggests that “climbing grain prices, drought in some of America’s biggest agricultural states and a growing consumer demand for healthier food” could give Maine a “foothold in the country’s lucrative specialty beef market.”
Clark, who owns Cold Spring Ranch in New Portland and is president of the Maine Grass Farmers Network, tells the BDN that Maine farmers can’t make a profit the way Big Agra can, through huge volumes that deliver cheap beef at tiny profit margins.
Instead, the Maine way to profitability is by marketing specialty beef — grass fed, organic and/or locally grown — that consumers will buy despite higher prices.
“We don’t have the land in Maine to replicate that [Big Agra] model if we wanted to, so this is one of the best ways for Maine farmers to generate the kind of profit margin necessary to stay in business,” Clark said.
Clark sells his beef year-round in Maine at Whole Foods Market and Rosemont Market and Bakery, among other locations. The beef is served seasonally at critically acclaimed Maine restaurants and by Dining Services at Bates.
