Beef Quality News

Community-Fed and Family-Led: The Unique Story of Brey Family Beef

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 13:42:45 GMT

At Brey Cycle Farm in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., beef-on-dairy is just a small piece of the family’s 1,500 registered Holstein operation — but it serves a big purpose. What started as a way to help maintain the farm’s herd size evolved into something more meaningful — an avenue to give back to consumers, connect with the community and promote transparency on their 121-year-old operation.

Located in the scenic countryside of Door County, Brey Cycle Farm has been a family-run operation since 1904. Over five generations, the Brey family has lived by their mantra: “To learn and grow so that all may prosper.”

That sentiment remained strong when Tony and Moriah Brey returned to the farm in 2007 and started milking just 100 cows. By 2016, when Jacob and Lauren Brey joined the team, the herd had grown to 400 cows. With more family involved, the Breys knew staying competitive meant being open to new opportunities.

“Typically, we always focused on growing the herd. But there was a time frame where we were not sure which direction we were going to go,” Moriah Brey recalls. “So, the boys began using beef-on-dairy to help keep numbers steady.”

After using Angus semen on a few of their lower-end Holsteins, the family had a group of crossbred animals ready to go to market in the spring of 2020. Rather than send them to the sale barn, they saw an opportunity to process and sell the beef themselves.

“We had beef available and a desire to give back,” Brey says. “We started processing our own animals and put in a retail store right away. It’s a little red shed that sits near my driveway across the road from the farm.”

Not long after the launch of Brey Family Beef, the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in their plans. However, unlike many businesses during the pandemic, Brey Family Beef prospered.

“During COVID, people would call ahead and we would run the beef out to their car. And it actually worked really well because people didn’t want to come in to touch, see or feel things. They wanted to keep their distance. I’d like to tell you we had this crystal ball and knew things would shut down and everyone would stop in our driveway to buy meat, but we didn’t,” Brey says with a laugh. “It all lined up and worked in our favor.”

(Brey Family Beef)

While the small retail store’s timing was lucky, the product spoke for itself. Demand for Brey Family Beef grew, and the family leaned into the momentum.

“Our Facebook page started to take off, and others heard about us by word of mouth,” Brey notes. “People started reaching out with questions — not just about the meat, but about the farm, how the animals were raised, what they ate and how we handled them. And that opened a door for us to really tell our story and help people understand what modern dairy and beef farming looks like.”

A Local Staple
One of the guiding principles behind Brey Family Beef has been keeping everything local, starting from the calves and extending all the way to the final product.

“All of the meat comes from our farm,” Brey explains. “Nothing comes from outside of Door County.”

Much like their dairy operation, the crossbred calves are born and raised on the farm, often alongside their dairy counterparts.

“We raise the calves and grow all of our own feed. Then, when the calves are old enough, they graze one of our pastures until they are fed a finishing diet. Everything comes from here on the farm,” Brey says. “It’s all connected.”

That local loop extends to their beef finishing program as well. Even the processing is done close to home. By keeping every step of the process local, the Breys maintain full oversight of their product’s quality and consistency.

That local pride shows up in creative ways, too. The Breys recently partnered with a nearby cherry farmer to craft Door County cherry-and-cheddar-flavored beef sticks and summer sausage — a flavorful nod to their region and a testament to what can happen when local producers come together.

“We’re proud to keep it all here,” Brey adds. “It’s not just about raising good beef. It’s about doing it in a way that stays true to who we are and where we come from.”

(Brey Family Beef)

The Devil is in the Details
From the start, building a direct-to-consumer beef business was a family effort. Jacob and Tony focused on the cattle while Moriah and her sister-in-law, Lauren, took charge of customer outreach, marketing and day-to-day operations. With demand for their local products continuing to rise, it became clear that staying successful would require careful planning and collaboration.

“I’d run spreadsheets on what it cost to raise the animals, factor in what we needed to make and create a blend price for the products,” Brey explains. “When you’ve got a different amount of hamburgers, steaks and roasts that come from each cow, you have to do the math to make it all pencil out.”

That attention to detail extended beyond the spreadsheet. While some customers preferred to order quarters or halves in advance, others wanted the flexibility of shopping by the cut. To meet both needs, the Breys introduced more customer-friendly options — including preorders, customized beef bundles and seasonal holiday boxes.

“We wanted people to feel like they had choices,” Brey says. “Whether someone’s looking for a quarter of beef or just a few steaks for the grill, we try to make it easy.”

On the marketing and digital side, Lauren took the reins.

“Lauren works full time for Farmers for Sustainable Food, and she had great contacts and a good sense of how to build a brand,” Brey says. “She got our website off the ground, keeps it updated, manages plugins and hosts the online store. It’s all very user-friendly thanks to her.”

(Brey Family Beef)

Beef That Brings People Together
At Brey Family Beef, success goes beyond the amount of beef sold. From the beginning, the business has been built around people — placing value not only their customers, but also their employees and the broader community.

“All of our employees get beef at half price for their families,” Brey says. “We also give a lot away. It helps us meet people in the community and take care of the people who take care of the cows.”

Beyond taking care of their employees, Brey Family Beef often shares beef sticks during tours and community events and provides samples to local schools — reinforcing their belief that food is a powerful tool for connection and community building.

“People want farm-to-table. They want to know their farmer,” Brey says. “And we can provide that while also educating them on how we farm and why. We always emphasize that all sizes of farms are acceptable. There are lots of different ways to do things well.”

Currently, no major expansion plans are on the horizon. But the Breys remain open to small improvements and evolving needs. Rather than trying to fast-scale their retail beef brand, they have chosen a steady, intentional pace.

“We’re content with where we are at for the moment,” Brey says. “It checks the boxes for us. It gives us a way to give back, meet people and offer a product we’re proud of.”

That balanced mindset also extends to pricing.

“Right now, we’re probably priced lower than the grocery store, but it balances out,” she says. “And when the market dips, our loyal customers stick with us. That means a lot.”

In the end, Brey Family Beef may be just one piece of their broader farm operation — but it reflects the heart of who they are.

“It’s a small part of the big picture,” Brey reflects. “But it’s one that lets us share who we are and why we do what we do. That’s what makes it worth it.”

3 Factors Fueling Americans' Obsession with Protein

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 15:48:10 GMT

Meat is having a moment, and the craze for more protein is benefiting protein across the board. The fact cattle prices continue to crush records is proof of that, as well as the robust demand for pork.

“I am still bullish of dairy. I’m bullish of beef. I’m bullish of pork and poultry,” says Dan Basse, AgResource Company . “I think as you think forward, I see the next two or three years as being the years of protein. It’s that side of the fence in agriculture that’s going to do very well.”

Basse’s optimistic outlook on protein hinges on one major factor: consumers’ ability to pay for it.

“I’m still bullish of protein, until we see the labor force start to shrink in the United States, and I start to see disposable income coming down. Again, there’s not a period looking backward in history that I can find where disposable income on a personal basis has risen this quickly from 2020 to 2025,” he says.

“Meat protein, not just pork or not just beef, but meat is having a moment. I’m an economist, so I have concerns on the macroeconomic front, but it is exciting to be in an era where the public’s desire for meat protein is growing,” says Glynn Tonsor, a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University.

People Are Eating More Protein Than Ever Before

Cargill’s 2025 Protein Profile found people are eating more protein than ever before. The report found 61% of consumers report increasing their protein intake in 2024, which is up from 48% from 2019.

According to Cargill, the shift in shoppers’ preferences toward whole, minimally processed foods, is giving protein a chance to shine.

“It’s really important to remember the U.S. public wants meat protein,” Tonsor says. “There are a lot of signs. We are in a pro protein environment. I don’t think there’s issues. I actually think there is a celebration about the taste and the eating experience and so forth for all the major proteins.”

A Slight Shift in May’s Monthly Meat Demand Monitor

Tonsor also authors what’s called the Monthly Meat Demand Monitor (MDM) , which tracks U.S. consumer preferences, views and demand for meat. The first half of the year, the MDM continued to show consumers’ growing demand for protein, but in the report in May, it did show a slight shift.

“The biggest takeaway from the MDM would be we have two conflicting patterns,” says Tonsor. “One is the public really wants meat protein, but the macroeconomic environment is giving us some pause. So, we continue to see strong signals people want protein. Taste is leading that decision, so that’s good and very supportive, but we also see lots of uncertainty on the macro-economic front. So, trade discussions, elevated unemployment, inflation concerns and so forth. Those are not supportive of meat demand, so those are the two trends that are fighting the way out.”

Tonsor points out the May MDM showed a pullback in consumers eating away from home, like in restaurants, but showed a boost in retail demand, which would be grocery stores.

“But part of that is a substitution away from restaurants,” he says. “And that’s across the board. It’s not just pork or beef or chicken. It’s all of them that we track, so I do think it is a headwind that is growing here in 2025.”

Tonsor says if confidence in the economy rebounds, and tariff discussions ease, the restaurant piece of meat demand could quickly recover, especially considering we’re entering the summer months, where meat demand is typically higher.

3 Major Drivers Behind the Protein Craze

And even with the pause in restaurant demand in May, Tonsor says the push for consumers to eat even more protein doesn’t seem to be going away, and it’s being driven by three major factors.

“More people are having meat as an ingredient rather than center of the plate. So, it’s coming across as more convenient. It’s an input,” Tonsor says. “Also younger folks in particular are quite physically active, and their demand for protein and that broader lifestyle is elevated.”

Those two factors are strong drivers of meat demand, especially in the younger crowd. But another supportive piece of the growing demand for protein is related to weight loss drugs.

“We have a GLP-1 effect, so Ozempic, Mounjar and so forth, in the MDM, we put out a report earlier this year, showing maybe 15% of the U.S. public is using the GLP-1,” Tonsor says. “That’s a higher end, but that’s what we estimate. And if you are on those products, you’re actually consuming beef, pork and chicken more frequently.”

He says all of those things add up to support the growth in meat demand.

“It’s the income and the future status of my finances is mainly the only headwind at the moment, and that’s why I keep reiterating that concern,” Tonsor says.

Demand is What’s Pushing Cattle Prices to New Highs

It’s not just the hog industry that’s benefiting from the strong demand, both domestically and with exports

Cattle prices continue to crush records. But according to one veteran cattle analyst, it’s not historically tight cattle numbers pushing prices higher, it’s the strong demand.

“This price increase that we’re experiencing in the industry is demand-driven,” says Randy Blach, CEO of CattleFax. “Our per capita supplies were flat last year. They’re going to be flat again this year. And yet we’ve had a market that’s gone from a $1.75 to $2.25. That’s all been demand driven with what we’ve seen throughout the industry.”

The incredible demand is pushing beef demand to its highest level in nearly 40 years.

“Beef demands that are a 37-year high,” he says. “And I think when people think about demand, obviously quality has been the key to that. We’ve seen the quality of the animals being produced has increased substantially.”

As record-high cattle prices also push the cost of beef higher, that would push consumers to eat more pork and chicken in the past. But it’s a trend Tonsor is not largely seeing this time around.

“We see some of that, but not nearly as much as you might think. So, there’s less of that adjustment than historically we would have seen,” Tonsor says. “This is 100% Glynn’s opinion, but I think habits are a little stickier. Persistence of an item in your meal is a little sticker than in the past. Meat is an ingredient, not just the center of the plate. Higher beef prices have not elevated chicken demand as people have expected, and I think it’s because the consumer substitution effects, they exist, but they’re not as strong as they were 20 years ago.”

As consumers crave more protein, it’s a bright spot for all of livestock with many hopeful this isn’t just a trend but a permanent fixture on consumers’ plates.

Ground Beef Tests Negative for H5N1, says USDA-APHIS

Thu, 02 May 2024 15:46:16 GMT

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced results from testing 30 samples of ground beef on Thursday, showing that all were negative for H5N1.

The agency made the announcement on its website, available for review here .

USDA-FSIS said it collected the samples from “states with dairy cattle herds that had tested positive for the H5N1 influenza virus at the time of sample collection. The samples were sent to APHIS’ National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) for PCR testing.”

PCR stands for polymerase chain reaction. Such testing is done to identify the presence or absence of human pathogens in food. Common pathogens routinely tested for in food include E. coli and Salmonella, for instance. In the ground beef study, no virus particles were found to be present.

The USDA said it is working on two additional beef safety studies. According to the information posted online, these include:

1. Beef muscle sampling of cull dairy cows condemned at select FSIS-inspected slaughter facilities: FSIS is currently collecting muscle samples at FSIS-inspected slaughter facilities of cull dairy cattle that have been condemned for systemic pathologies. The samples will be analyzed by APHIS using PCR to determine presence of viral particles. The results are forthcoming and will be posted as soon as they become available.

2. Ground beef cooking study: ARS will be conducting a beef cooking study and will be using a virus surrogate in ground beef and cooking it at different temperatures to determine log-reduction of the virus. The results will be posted as soon as they become available.

The agency said the results from both studies will be posted as soon as they become available.

‘Dairy-Based’ Alternative Meats Could Become a Reality

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 21:46:31 GMT

While plant-based alternative meats have earned a spot on grocery store shelves, they haven’t won over consumers’ hearts just yet.

According to Purdue economist Jayson Lusk , high price points and inflation have caused markets to plummet, with sales down 20% from November 2021 to November 2022.

“Some of what drove the growth initially was the variety/novelty factor,” Lusk says. “It was something new.” Now the novelty of plant-based may be wearing off.

Enter in “dairy-based” alternative meats.

A New Kind of Alternative Meat

Top Protein, a startup protein technology company based out of Orlando, Fla., has been developing this new category of alternative meat for the past four years. The company utilizes fermentation-based technology to create an aligned fibrous protein out of…wait for it…milk.

According to Top Protein, this protein structure can mimic both the texture and physical attributes of any meat, including beef, pork, chicken and seafood. The dairy-based meat portfolio includes whole cuts of alternative meats along with shredded red and white meat products.

The company also prides itself as being a zero-waste facility. Currently, all byproduct liquid is upcycled into energy drinks. Those drinks are then served at their Fresh Craft Energy Drink Bar or bottled for retail sales.

With a growing global population, Top Protein is hoping to shake up the alternative meat sector by providing an “economically mindful” protein product when compared to plant-based alternative meats.