Rancher’s Survival Model

Four corporations - JBS, Tyson, Cargill, and National Beef - control nearly 80% of America’s beef processing. Smithfield, owned overseas, controls about one-quarter of U.S. pork. Independent ranchers wait months for slaughter slots while the big packers rake in record profits.

You raise the cattle, but they take the margin. You do the work, but they own the market. If this continues, independent ranching in the United States will not survive.

But here’s the truth the packers don’t want you to know: federal law already gives you a way out.

Hidden in USDA regulations is the 'Retail Exemption'. It allows you to:

• Take USDA-inspected carcasses or sub-primals back to your ranch.
   
• Cut them into steaks, roasts, and ground beef.
   
• Package, freeze, and sell them directly to consumers in your own market.
   

This is the exact same process supermarkets use behind the butcher counter. The difference? 

You can do it on your ranch, under your name, keeping your profit.

Pair this with SNAP/EBT retailer approval, and suddenly you aren’t just another rancher trying to compete - you’re a federally recognized market serving every family in your community.

1. Slaughter at USDA Facility – Your cattle are processed at a USDA plant, and carcasses or sub-primals are returned to you inspected and approved.
    
2. On-Farm Butcher Shop – You legally cut, grind, and package under the Retail Exemption. This is where you reclaim the value normally lost to packers.
    
3. Farm Market + EBT – Open your own store. Apply for SNAP/EBT approval. With one step, you gain federal legitimacy and open your doors to all households.
    
4. Local Distribution – Deliver to families, schools, and (restaurants - within USDA’s 25% cap). Build routes, partner with co-ops, and keep food dollars local.

Higher Margins for Ranchers
For decades, the packers have cut you out. This model puts you back in. You keep the cut, the package, the profit - and you build your own brand.

Fresh, Local Food for Families
Consumers want affordable, transparent, traceable beef. They want to know where it came from. You give them exactly that - and at a better price than the corporate supply chain.

Stronger Communities
Every farm store creates local jobs, strengthens the rural economy, and keeps money circulating at home. This isn’t just about saving your ranch - it’s about saving your town.

At Montana Ranch and Cattle Company, we didn’t just talk about it — we did it.

We used the Retail Exemption to process our own beef. Then we opened Fresh Harvest Market, secured SNAP/EBT approval, and started selling directly to families. Today, we are one of the first in the nation to pioneer this model - and it works.

If we can do it, so can you.

The Retail Exemption is powerful, but you must follow the rules:

• At least 75% of sales must be to households.
   
• No more than 25% to restaurants or schools, capped at FSIS dollar limits.
   
• Labels must be clear, but cannot use the USDA inspection legend.
   
• Sanitation, temperature control, and recordkeeping are non-negotiable.
   

Do this right, and you’re fully legal, fully protected.

Getting SNAP approval is straightforward. Apply online, submit documents, and once approved, install an EBT terminal.

Why it matters:

• It gives you federal recognition.
   
• It expands your customer base.
   
• It ensures that every family, no matter their income, can buy from you.
   

This step makes your market bulletproof.

Ranchers, this is not a loophole. This is not a theory. This is federal law.

The packers want you to believe you’re trapped in their system - but you’re not. You can build your own butcher shop. You can open your own store. You can keep your profit and secure your future.

This is the Rancher’s Survival Model.

Keep the cut. Keep the profit. Keep ranching alive.