by Kim Souza (ksouza@talkbusiness.net)

Harrison-based Natural State Beef is the brainchild of Mike Fountain who said in 2020 when he could not find ground beef at the grocery store amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he began to think about the need for local beef supplies in his home state.

“It was very frustrating to see the local cattle supply backing up because commercial slaughter plants and feed lots were barely running because of worker shortages,” said the third-generation farmer and rancher.

Fountain said he has been in the cattle business his entire life, but when he was young his grandad also raised hogs. He said after feeding the pigs, he would sell them for profit. But over the years, family hog farms have died off, except for a few commercial farms for large companies. He said the Arkansas dairy industry also dried up, and he just could not sit back and watch the cow-calf industry also fold because of the lack of commercial markets.

The Supply Side: Natural State Beef seeks to place Arkansas beef in more stores