Cal Poly All-Natural Beef on Sale in June

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cal Poly students are offering a gourmet treat – all-natural, grass-fed beef.

As part of a learn-by-doing project, students in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences have raised a herd of Black Angus cattle and produced all-natural beef cuts that are for sale for a limited time.

For $180 – or $6 per pound – buyers receive a 30-lb., pre-packaged box of all natural beef cuts that include a variety of high-value cuts, as well as ground beef in bulk and roasts.

Buyers can pick up their boxed assortment at Cal Poly on June 10 and 11 from noon to 5:30 p.m. Boxes are also available at Swanton Pacific Ranch in Davenport, Calif., on June 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

All cuts are USDA-inspected, grass-fed, natural beef, meaning the cattle were raised without use of growth hormones or antibiotics.

The cattle are fed only grass and are pastured in the rolling hills between the Pacific Ocean and redwood forests on the university’s Swanton Pacific Ranch in the mountains of Davenport, on Highway 1 just north of Santa Cruz.

“Our learn-by-doing enterprise is one of the many ways Cal Poly prepares students to enter their career field ready to work on Day One,” said Robert Delmore, faculty adviser for the Swanton Pacific Natural Beef Project. The Cal Poly Corporation provides seed money for food and supplies for student-enterprise projects, and students provide time and labor, including marketing and sales.

The Swanton Pacific Natural Beef Project gives students experience in ranch management and the cattle business, as well as hands-on learning in ranching and agribusiness, Delmore noted. “The project provides real-world experience for our students, and that experience is why employers like hiring Cal Poly students. And the beef tastes great!”

Participating students are taking beef orders, and supplies are limited. Orders can be placed by calling Tricia Harlan or Chris Nelson at 805-756-2114. For more information, e-mail calpolymeats@calpoly.edu visit http://www.spranch.org/GrassFedBeef.ldml.

# # #