Natural-beef market expanding fast – Demand rises amid mad cow concerns

In 1986, when ”red meat" was becoming a dirty phrase in a more health-conscious United States, cattle ranchers gathered in Doc and Connie Hatfield’s barn to talk about finding a new market for their beef.

After hearing from a health-club trainer, they chose what has come to be known as natural beef — produced without growth hormones or antibiotics and fed exclusively vegetable feeds — and marketed it directly to natural food stores, where they could get a premium price.

”We were going broke. We were whining about how tough things were," said Connie Hatfield, a founder of the co-op Country Natural Beef, widely sold as Oregon Country Beef. Then, ”We found out about the market for antibiotic- and hormone-free beef."

Full Story: http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2005/10/13/natural_beef_market_expanding_fast/