The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Laura Wilhite, The Quill
We always sold quarter and half beef…for as long as we have had cattle. We were going to the locker anyway. What’s taking 5, when you already have to take 1? So, we didn’t start without customers.
We already had a list of family and friends that were buying this way. In researching all the things that we didn’t know about the beef market, we learned that pre-Covid, 98% of Americans didn’t own a deep freeze.
We also knew that if you don’t have a deep freeze, you’re not buying a quarter cow. Seems simple to break it down to increase sales by selling in bundles and individual cuts.
We decided that if we didn’t limit our customer base, we would have the option to serve any American that eats beef.
We’ve known since country of Origin Labeling Requirements were removed that this was the optimal way to achieve transparency by selling direct from the farm.
What happened? Well, Mexico and Canada threatened to impose over $1 billion in tariffs against the United States unless labeling was removed.
Due to this pressure, in 2015 President Barack Obama signed an appropriations bill that removed COOL requirements for beef and pork.
Since there was no longer regulatory reasons for labeling requirements, foreign beef companies, like JBS and Tyson, could now import animals from other companies and inspect them under USDA inspected facilities they own and sell it, unbeknownst to consumers, as USDA inspected meat.
It led unsuspecting consumers to assume that this meat was raised in America because of the USDA inspection.
These large processors started fixing the price on meat and bids given to farmers on live animals, increasing their profits, charging consumers more and paying farmers less.
We also lost our age and source verification that payed higher premiums post-mad cow on all animals under 20 months of age. This verification, that individual animal tracking via birth records, cut a lot of foreign markets for high quality beef from US producers.
Our cattle checks from the major packers and local sale barns plummeted. Due to a reduction in price for cattle combined with droughts out west, cattle numbers have continued to decrease drastically in recent years.
This ultimately led to a decrease in overall nationwide herd numbers in the US and the high price of beef today. And then there was Covid, people couldn’t get beef in cities across America.
We got almost daily phone calls of people asking for beef. We couldn’t get a slaughter date at a locker within 500 miles in April 2021. We felt it was time to get a plan together to sell beef direct to consumers instead of cattle direct to the packers.
Fast forward to today, 93% of the top quality beef producers in the US sell their beef direct to consumer.
It has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears and a whole lot of figure it out. USDA was a huge help and their staffers in Washington loved what we were talking about doing. It was encouraging.
The business plan spoke volumes. Marketing is really important for growth. And, it’s really great to work with marketing professionals, but ultimately we know our business best. We have found that our employees love learning how to best help us and don’t mind tackling social media posts and emails.
Finding our flow has been the hardest. We found some processors that were willing to help us custom cut. We always had more of a whole carcass utilization mindset, we try very hard to utilize everything we can and we’re so glad we have been open minded about this process.
It has led to some great things like our beef liver pet treats, liver supplements and smoked dog bones.
All the beef is currently raised on our farm. We order in cases of chicken breasts from a processor. And we’re adding some locally raised pork later this year.
The Beef: ground beef, steaks, roasts, liver, sweetbreads, heart, tongue, tail, and beef sticks in 5 flavors.
Pup Treats: Smoked Bones and Liver Treats Ice
Cream Factory Ice Cream: There’s tons of flavors!
The top selling flavors are brownie blast, chocolate chip cookie dough and Blackberry.
Pie Spice and Tool seasonings, Freeze Dried USA sweet treats and smoothie mixes, Western style accessories, 40 lb cases of chicken breasts, Heat and Eat Meats, and Sweet Corn (the patch is looking good so far)
Chelesa Shinberger lives North of Blandinsville. Ava Beck is from Colchester and a college student at WIU majoring in Elementary Education.
Dalton DeJaynes is a student at West Prairie and is on the Trap team and is active in the FFA.
Raina Flynn is a student at Illini West and is active on the golf team, FFA, trap team, plays softball, is a Hancock County CEO program and also works at Jenni’s in Lomax.
Brysen Cruz is a student at Illini West and is active in baseball, football and boxing. Brodee Cruz is a student at Illini West.
Pa and Dad laid the groundwork for decades. They started with all different colors and breeds of cattle. They formed a herd that has great Angus genetics and a solid breeding, weaning and vaccination program. They knew good quality feed makes good quality meat.
Dad never was interested in selling beef. He wasn’t really on board with being a part of this venture, but Dad never was interested in selling beef. He wasn’t really on board with being a part of this venture, but he’s very supportive and proud of what it has become. Royce and I love talking to customers.
Farmer’s markets were a great start, but a ton of hours and hard work. We started with 4 markets in 2022. Seeing customers at markets adds a connection between the consumer and producer that we have lost over decades of people buying from grocery stores instead of farms and farmer’s markets.
We have great customers! They truly love buying direct from the farm. We did start with a small customer base, but it has grown exponentially over the last few years to include nationwide customers from all states. It’s amazing to hear how much they enjoy the quality of our meat and they come back time and time again.
We appreciate all our customers, no matter where they’re from. We started exporting out of the country and that’s been a huge undertaking.
It’s a choice to shop local and it’s a choice on the quality of goods you purchase.
For some people that’s an easy choice. Most importantly, consumers love having a connection to their food. It adds a lot of peace of mind for them. We get a lot of questions from first time buyers, but for the most part, we put their minds at ease by answering any questions they may have. They enjoy knowing there’s people on the end of that purchase that care about the product, quality and the connection with the farm.
Tallow simply is beef fat, rendered. It has a wide array of uses from frying to face cream. The rendering process is easy but long. You melt down the fat and strain it through cheese cloth a minimum of 3 times, until all tissues and impurities are removed.
It is rich in fatty acids, vitamins (A, D, E, and K), and antioxidants. The fatty acids in tallow, such as oleic and palmitic acid, help to strengthen the skin’s natural barrier, preventing moisture loss and keeping skin hydrated.
Tallow contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has anti-inflammatory properties. All these great properties have great benefits to reduce the signs of aging and is really great for skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
Ice Cream Factory is made by a family owned dairy in Eldon, MO. Shannon and Katie Imler. Katie contacted us about carrying their ice cream. They’re already in quite a few places, and we had tried their blackberry cobbler ice cream and loved it.
We loved the idea of pairing with another family owned farm business to offer more products to our customers and help them reach more customers. This collab has been a good one for us and them. They have so many flavors and they’re all good. If you come in to get ice cream, ask for a free color changing spoon!
How did you get that opportunity and tell me a little bit about that family run business.
The inception of Ice Cream Factory was born from Shannon and Katie’s knack for revitalizing historic properties in their hometown. When they encountered the enchanting 1930s Kraft Foods Factory, they saw an opportunity to preserve its legacy while embarking on a new dairy venture.
This building held sentimental value for Katie, as her grandfather had once delivered milk there.
Yes, Spice and Tool seasoning. They come from a veteran owned business. The owner, Darren “Stew” Stewart, was stationed with Royce in Germany. Stew also hand forges grill tools and other items. The spatula is Royce’s favorite! It has a hook and burger flipper in one and Stew made him a left-handed one!
We’ll be adding a couple great BBQ sauces from Eastern Iowa soon as well! They’re a great addition to burgers, steaks and brisket. We can’t wait for you to love them like we do.
Cass DeJaynes talks about her business, "Rockin' D On The Ridge, a family owned business outside La Harpe.