10/29/2008
By Ron Wilson, director, Huck Boyd National Institute Development at Kansas State University for Rural
By Ron Wilson, director, Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural
Development at Kansas State University.
    

"From pasture to plate, from feedyard to fork." Those phrases remind us that food goes through several steps from its origin to the consumer. Today we´ll meet an innovative family that is helping bring the consumer closer to the producer by directly marketing home-grown beef.  
    
David Munson is the son of Charles and Deanna Munson of rural Junction City. David and his wife Laura are leading this innovative marketing effort.
    
The Munson family has deep roots in Kansas agriculture. David is the fifth generation of his family to be farming in Geary County. His great-great-grandfather came from Sweden to Kansas in 1869. He was a stonemason who helped build the statehouse and other historic buildings.
    
The family also had a wonderful tradition of wedding gifts. Upon their marriage, the man would get 160 acres and a team of horses and the woman would get a feather bed and a sewing machine. It´s not exactly romantic, but certainly a good way for a young family to get started in those days.
    
In the 1870s, the Munsons bought their first land in Geary County. Over time they expanded the farming operation. In the 1920s, David´s grandfather bought their first Angus cattle from Andy Schuler, one of the pioneer Angus breeders. Charles would go on to expand the operation to include some 200 cows and 2,000 acres of pasture, plus
3,000 acres of crop ground.  About a hundred Angus steers are produced and sold annually. Angus cattle are famed for their high quality beef.
    
The farming and cattle operation is in a rural location west of Junction City. Smoky Hill township has a population of 4,666 people. Now, that´s rural.
    
By the way, the Munsons organized a special gift for Charles, who reminisced one time that the family had their last team of horses when he was seven. Charles said, "I´d like to see a team like that again."
    
For Charles´ 60th birthday, his family gave him a beautiful matched team of Percheron draft horses. Now their Black Horse Hitch pulls carriages at parades and special events, and is available for  occasions such as weddings and proms.
    
Through the years, Munson beef was sold at the legendary Kansas City Stock Yards and more recently to the packing plant at Emporia. Local people wanted Munson beef also. For several years, beef from the Munson herd was featured at the Junction City Country Club. Others became interested, and the Munsons started selling some from home as
a hobby. People would come out to the farm on Mondays to pick up some cuts of beef.
    
David graduated from K-State and returned to join the family operation. When the packing plant at Emporia closed, the Munsons seized the opportunity to expand their direct marketing of beef. They opened a retail market in Junction City and began a website, www.munsonangusbeef.com. They also have a large billboard overlooking
Interstate 70.
    
David says, "Over 95 percent of Munson Beef grades as choice or prime and a large percentage of Munson Beef has earned the elite Certified Angus Beef label."
    
He says, "We hand select our finest ranch raised, purebred Black Angus steers from our own Geary County cow/calf herd, which are "corn fed" on our own grain until their processing date at the Clay Center Locker Plant. Our beef is then carefully "slow natural aged" for a full two weeks, cut, and trimmed to create gourmet meat products with
a robust flavor."
    
The Munsons offer premium steaks and specialty cuts, plus ground beef, roasts, classic steaks, gift packs, sampler packages, quarters, and sides. David says, "Our beef is home-raised and antibiotic- and hormone-free." He says, "Our ending goal is that all one hundred steers on feed would be marketed through our retail store or a restaurant."
    
"From pasture to plate, from feedyard to fork." We salute the Munson family for making a difference by bridging the gap from producer to consumer and marketing their beef directly to the customer. It helps to close the distance "from steer to steak."
    
And there´s more. Remember Andy Schuler, the pioneer Angus breeder? We´ll learn about him next week.