View Williams' presentation materials on the web

Next to organic markets, the market for niche beef is the next big growth area, according to livestock consultant and marketer Allen Williams.

Williams spoke to a packed house at the Practical Farmers of Iowa annual conference in January. His workshop, “Tune-up for Grass-Based Production and Marketing,” was sponsored by Leopold Center’s grassland agriculture program.

Williams said “natural” beef sales were $250 million in 2003, and there’s plenty of room for more branded and non-branded products. He said consumers are concerned about the use of feed-grade antibiotics and synthetic hormones in beef production. They’re also demanding better flavor and guaranteed tenderness, which Williams says is driven more by animal genetics than feedstock or finishing.

Williams serves as consultant to 10 different branded beef programs and more than 400 individual producers nationwide. He is founding partner and vice president of the Jacob Alliance LLC, which specializes in the use of beef imaging analysis of animals to determine various qualities including meat tenderness. He also serves as a member of the Leadership Team for the Association of Family Farms, an organization the Leopold Center helped found to assist midsize farmers to develop marketing networks featuring their own brand.