MCGREGOR, Texas (KXXV — One local cattle company is giving back to our neighbors by providing thousands of pounds of beef to local school districts for our students meals.
- McGregor ISD is sourcing beef for it's school meals from a local cattle ranch with the help of a grant from the Texas Department of Agriculture
- Barnard Beef Cattle Company is already serving several school districts in the Central Texas area including Lampasas and Crawford.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“My first thought that came to mind was ground beef and another thought was that I want to buy as local as possible,” said McGregor ISD Director of Food Services Lisa Mays.
McGregor ISD is now one of several school districts in Central Texas that will serve its students locally sourced beef.
“I feel that the less processed food we can use the healthier the meals that we can provide them and I feel that is really important,” said Mays.
It's a process all made possible by a grant from the Texas Department of Agriculture.
The funds awarded allow districts to purchase food from local ranchers
“I applied for that grant and we received it,” said Mays.
The next step - searching for local vendors and ranchers within 15 miles of the district -that's what McGregor ISD tells 25 News led them to the Barnard Beef Cattle Company.
“I was really excited. I felt that if the employees at the school were going to work so hard to get their kids better and more nutritious meals then that was something our ranch really wanted to jump on and do,” said owner of Barnard Beef Cattle Company Blayr Barnard.
The company is already serving several districts in the Central Texas area including Lampasas and Crawford.
They tell 25 News more than 20 other local school districts have reached out to them including Chilton, Hubbard and Whitney.
They said this is just another way to give back to our neighbors.
“This is a side business for us that we really use to connect with the community and so by doing that we felt like we needed to put it at cost so we are selling it to the schools for about 5 cents more than it cost to make,” said Barnard.
Barnard Beef has already delivered 4,000 pounds of meat in the past week to McGregor ISD and has plans to deliver at least 4,000 more by the end of the year.
“We’re always talking about how teachers and school members are underpaid so the fact that the whole community is coming together and saying ‘wow these guys are doing great. I think that’s really important to see everybody brought together in that way,” said Barnard.
Barnard's processor is Texas Natural Meats out of Lott, Texas.
