For ranchers
Raise good cattle the way we do? Work with us. We're building a beef brand out of Broadwater, and we want neighbors in it: ranchers who supply cattle, ranchers we help promote, and ranchers who process through us.
Supply cattle
Your steers, finished to our standards, sold as Cunningham Cattle Co. beef. Every customer is told which ranch raised their animal, and you're paid for every animal we accept.
Get promoted
Sell your own beef under your own name? We'll feature your ranch on this site and our social media, with your story and how to buy from you.
Process through us
Use our booked days at the USDA-inspected plant, ride along on our hauling, and pick up your beef from the ranch freezer any time.
We're setting up the program now. Terms, pricing and how many partners we can take will be set by the family, and we'll talk them through with every rancher before anything is signed.
What we ask of partner cattle
The same things we ask of our own. Proposed: the family will confirm this list before we accept partners.
The law already requires
- Brand inspection when cattle are sold or leave the Nebraska brand inspection area, which includes Morrill County.
- A veterinarian's oversight for medicated feed and medically important antibiotics. Veterinary Feed Directive orders kept at least 2 years.
- Drug withdrawal times observed before any animal goes to harvest.
- Official ear tags when federal traceability rules apply to a move across state lines.
- Origin claims backed by records. "Product of USA" means born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the U.S.
Our standards on top of that
- Born and raised on your ranch, with a known birth date and birthplace for every animal.
- Raised on grass, finished on grain, with the ration and days on feed written down, aiming for USDA Choice or better.
- Beef Quality Assurance certified, renewed every 3 years, and BQA Transportation for anyone hauling.
- Treatment records for each animal: date, animal ID, product and lot, dose, route, withdrawal time, and who gave it.
- A signed affidavit for each animal we accept, covering birth, raising and treatments.
- Humane handling every day, from calving to the trailer.
- No "no antibiotics" or "no hormones" claims unless there's a written protocol and documentation to back them, as USDA's 2024 guideline expects.
What we tell customers: partner beef is always labeled with the ranch it came from. We'll never say an animal was raised on our ranch when it wasn't.
Apply to work with us
Tell us about your place. A family member will call you. Nothing here commits you to anything.
We use this only to talk with you about working together. Privacy notice
Longer term: a plant near Broadwater
For now we use an outside USDA-inspected plant. Finding processing slots in the Panhandle is hard, so we're also looking at building a USDA-inspected plant at the ranch. It only works if neighbors send cattle through it. If you'd use one, add your ranch to the list below.
Add your ranch to the plant list
We'll contact you as plans for the plant firm up. No commitment.
Want your place in line and progress updates? Create your account
Broadwater, Nebraska
Where these standards come from
- Nebraska Brand Committee, FAQ
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 54-1,109 (brand inspection area, includes Morrill County)
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 54-1,111 (inspection on sale)
- FDA, Veterinary Feed Directive: producer requirements
- FDA, GFI #263 FAQ for farmers and ranchers
- 21 CFR 530.3, veterinarian-client-patient relationship
- FARAD, withdrawal intervals
- USDA APHIS, Animal disease traceability rule (Federal Register, May 9, 2024)
- USDA FSIS, Voluntary U.S.-origin labeling rule (Federal Register, Mar 18, 2024)
- Beef Quality Assurance certification
- Nebraska BQA (Nebraska Extension)
- Virginia BQA manual, treatment records chapter
- USDA AMS, Carcass beef grades and standards
- USDA, Updated guideline on animal-raising claims (Aug 2024)