Why Buy Local Beef?

  • Serving local food in school cafeterias supports our local economy, contributes to vibrant agricultural communities, and is an equitable way to make sure Vermont kids have access to nutritious meals. 
  • Unlike other seasonal products, you can buy beef locally throughout the year.
  • It’s a product that you can prepare in a variety of ways. Students, teachers and parents love it, and staff like to prepare it too! 
  • It’s a big-ticket item that SFAs exceeding 15% local are ensuring to order for the Vermont Local Foods Incentive.

  • This information is also available to as a PDF to print or save.

    Download the resource

    first page of handout about using local beef in school meals
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  • Where to Buy Local Beef

    Buy Direct

    Buying direct from a producer has many benefits. Not only is the farmer getting the full value of their products directly, you can also develop a personal relationship with them, and they may even be willing to drop by for classroom visits, or host field trips at the farm. 

    Get in touch with farms in the spring when you’re planning your menu for next year. You might be able to make a bulk deal with a farm if you let them know how much product you’re looking to source ahead of time. 

    Find a farm near you:

     

    Buy Through Your Local Food Hub

    Food hubs are regional distributors focusing on local products. Serving K–12 schools and early childhood programs is central to their mission. Food hubs provide sustainable markets for small farms, and all products are 100% source identified. They can be a one-stop shop for other local products for your menu, too.

    All SFAs in Vermont can now be served by a local food hub. Get in touch with the hub in your region:

  • Farmer Mark Boyden cares deeply about serving public schools:

    “The big thing is getting kids to expect local food, and they keep that when they grow up. That’s more important than sales.”

    Read more about Boyden Farms and Vermont Schools

    Lauri and Mark Boyden
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  • Tips for Leveraging Other Funding Opportunities

    Local Foods Incentive

    The Local Foods Incentive Grant provides reimbursements to SFAs reaching certain local purchasing targets (15%, 20%, 25%). Most SFAs that have reached 15% local or higher are buying local beef as beef is a large percentage of a food budget. You may be paying a bit more for your product, but if you reach local targets you will be reimbursed 15¢, 20¢, or 25¢ per lunch served. 

     

    State & Federal Equipment Grants

    Consider equipment grants equipment that will make storing, cooking and serving local beef easier: 

    • Tilt skillet: for cooking larger quantities of ground beef. 
    • Freezer storage: perfect for buying bulk!
    • Patty press: if you aren’t buying pre-made local patties.

     

    USDA Foods

    USDA Foods plays a vital role in school food purchases (~30%), but there aren’t many local options. Vermont food service directors reaching higher percentages of local foods are using their USDA Foods entitlement on items that are harder to source locally, such as canned and dry goods. 

    Other food service directors are putting their USDA Foods entitlement into DoD Fresh. They strategize by loading up on local produce early in the year, then shifting to rely more on DoD Fresh in the winter to buy fruits you can’t find locally (like citrus).

  • “Our customers, from the students to the school board, really appreciate that we are committed to offering local beef consistently. It is obvious to us that the product is superior every time we cook it.”

    –Bob Hilderband: Food Service Director, The Abbey Group

    A person holding a tray of freshly baked meatballs.
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  • How Much Does Local Beef Cost?

    Price Overview

    “Conventional” ground beef typically costs $3.00 or $4.00 per pound. Vermont local beef ranges from $4.25–$7.00 per pound for ground beef, and up to $8.00 per pound for pre-made patties. 

     

    Per Serving

    One way to think about price differences is per serving. Assuming a 75% yield, 1 lb of ground beef will yield 12 oz of usable product, or eight 1.5 oz servings. Therefore, local beef may about 32¢ more per serving (43¢ for conventional beef versus 75¢ for local).

     

    Consider Weekly Menu Costs

    When considering the cost of a local ingredient or dish, menu context and weekly average cost is important. A local cheeseburger may cost $2.00 ($1.55 for the beef, 20¢ for the bun, 25¢ for the cheese), whereas a slice of cheese pizza may cost 45¢—that’s a 4x difference! 

    However, the other dishes served in the same week may be less expensive. The menu below shows one such combination, with a weekly average cost per center plate item of only $1.00. If the local beef in the cheeseburger costs $1.55, and all of the other ingredients for the week total $3.45, you’re averaging 31% local.

    An example weekly menu showing how a combination of foods, some local and some not, can still keep to a tight budget.

    Breaking down the math into weekly blocks is a good way to wrap your head around the menu and find a path to increasing your local purchasing percentage. Once you’ve figured out a few of those weekly menus, you can start stringing them together.

  • “We use local ​​beef from Roma’s Butchery in lasagna, goulash, and pasta sauces. The high schoolers, particularly, are noticing, okay, this isn't a freezer meal. This is actually home cooked.”

    –Amanda Cross, Nutrition Assistant, South Royalton Elementary & High School 

    A school nutrition professional cooking ground meat on a stove in a school cafeteria kitchen, smiling at the camera.
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  • New School Cuisine

    Menu Ideas

    Local beef burgers are popular, but they’re an expensive item since people expect a 4 oz patty, which is more beef than most recipes use. Other menu ideas include shepherd’s pie, tacos, and sloppy joes. It’s easier to fine tune the portion size of these dishes to meet the component requirements without using as much beef.

    Recipe Resources