Justin Reikowsky’s agriculture roots run deep. His grandparents were farmers and ranchers, and he also worked on several ranches throughout his teenage years, which is where he developed his passion for the beef industry.
It’s no secret there is a huge disconnect that lies between the public, and the farmers and ranchers. Because of this, Justin takes pride in educating the consumer.
Justin, and his wife, own their own cow-calf operation located in Wayne, Oklahoma. Here, he and his wife also started a grow yard where they feed not only their own cattle, but also customer cattle from across the country.
Recently, Justin noticed the high demand of consumers wanting to know where their meat comes from. In recent years, Justin saw the consumer realized how fragile the system actually is. This is what led him to open his own retail store.
Located just a few miles down the road in Goldsby, Oklahoma, you’ll find A & R Beef and Provisions, which is owned and operated by the Reikowskys. Here, consumers can purchase meat directly from the local producer.
This store gives Justin the opportunity to effectively tell the story of his operation. When consumers come into the store to purchase a product, Justin has the opportunity to speak face-to-face with his customers, and they get to know the face behind the product.
Justin’s favorite part of the cattle industry is being in the store and hearing consumer’s share how good the products are. The pasture to plate concept is the main focus. Justin takes pride in producing a high-end, safe product that consumers can purchase and then enjoy.
Before developing his own operation and opening a store, Justin was aware of National Livestock. His former boss utilized the Grazing Program, and he had also heard about it at Texas Christian University, while studying ranch management.
Justin’s relationship with National revolves solely around trust. He described Grazing Program and the team at National as a bank that owns the cattle, and finances them, all while allowing him to manage them as he knows best. He loves doing business with National because they truly understand the cattle business and are there to help him grow his operation.
Justin explained how finding a bank who understands the cattle business is hard, actually, almost impossible. However, National understands the ins and outs of the cattle business.
“If you don’t have someone like National that understands the business, then you won’t be in business,” said Justin.
Together with his wife and National Livestock, Justin hopes to continue to build the family operation. He also hopes that more producers are able to market direct to consumers.
Justin truly touches all aspects of the cattle industry, operating a true pasture to plate operation. From a cow-calf operation, to raising stockers, all the way to their own storefront, Justin and his family truly are leaders in the industry.
Learn more about the Grazing Program offered by National Livestock.
The National Livestock Grazing Agreement provides an alternative structure for the source of grazing cattle. The flexibility of the program allows producers to maximize the use of their land and facility.
National pays for the original purchase of the cattle delivered to the grazer. Interest will accrue from the date of purchase. A processing and inspection fee of $6.72 per head will be charged by National at the time of purchase and added to the cost of the livestock.
While the cattle are in the care of the grazer, he is responsible for the pasture, feed, health, and all other aspects concerning the care of the cattle.
National will inspect cattle on 60-90 day intervals and will require the grazer to submit a monthly inventory of all National cattle on hand. National requires all cattle to be branded with National’s brand and will provide an ear tag with National Livestock’s contact information as well as the name and phone number of the grazer.
When the cattle are sold, the proceeds of the sale are remitted to National. After the original purchase price of the cattle, the accrued interest, the processing and inspection fee have been deducted, the grazer receives the balance of the proceeds.
For more information, call 1-800-999-8998 or contact Scott McCornack at scottm@nationallivestock.com