But they won't be a part of the new "Utah's Own" label, and neither will other in-state ranchers raising homegrown beef.
Instead, the Utah's Own campaign will promote other state-bred goods when the marketing push kicks off next month in Salt Lake, Utah and Davis counties, explained Jed Christensen, director of marketing and development for Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.
“Right now, these products in the stores have to already be in the distribution channel,” he said. “We would absolutely love to get behind that program and promote it. We can't make any guarantees as far as contributing financially, but we could promote it.”
Dee Von Bailey, a member of the Cache County Agriculture Board, said at least two groups of cattle ranchers are investigating how to develop a Utah beef product line.
"Two USDA grants used to examine the economic feasibility of developing locally labeled products have yielded results that suggest consumers would prefer locally grown beef and pay more for it than beef produced in other locations," he said. "These studies suggest that locally produced beef products might be economically viable."
Bailey said findings from Kagel Research Associates indicate that the Utah's Own label would have market support.
“Utah's Own does signify quality to people and 37 percent said they would pay more for Utah's Own products,” Bailey said. “A restaurant survey indicated that many would like to have a locally produced product on their menus.”
Agriculture educator Al Dustin told the Cache County Agriculture Advisory Board this week that a study of Utah's cattle market shows a weekly truckload of 89 head of cattle - generating 15,000 pounds of prime meat and 33,000 pounds of hamburger - could be sold to restaurants and stores along the Wasatch Front.
“We really have a source that wants all of our hamburger meat. It's really not a problem getting rid of our meat,” Dustin said. “The real problem that we come to . . . is that in order to deliver that truckload of beef, we would have to have almost $10 million in inventory for a backup supply for a year and a half. We're talking about a huge commitment.”
John Allen, a Utah State University professor and director of the Western Rural Development Center, said now is the time for farmers to launch initiatives, especially as grower returns continue to fall and pressures to sell their land to developers continue to rise.
Allen recommends establishing a “new generation cooperative,” featuring a marketing agreement between several growers and consumers who would pay upfront equity for products.
