Episode 200: Garl Germann

This week’s featured farmer: Garl Germann, Montana Meat Collaborative, Bozeman, MT. Garl Germann was raised on a small family cattle ranch in the Madison Valley of Montana. Having seen the cattle market decline over the course of four generations of producing calves for public auction, in 2005 Garl and his family decided to stray from the conventional path and entered into the niche market of grassfed beef. Though it has been a rocky road in learning how to market and sell wholesale and retail beef, this path has led Garl to create a new company called the Montana Meat Co. – a grassfed collaborative. Under this company, Garl has banded together many farms and ranches that use sustainable practices and produce grassfed beef, pork, and lamb without any of the nasty stuff (hormones, antibiotics, GMO’s). He networks with local processors in turning these animals into salable product, and procures local markets in distributing these wholesome meats. Though raised in the most conventional means of cattle ranching, Garl has adopted Holistic Management principles in managing grazing lands. Last year he spearheaded The Rodear Initiative – an attempt at creating a new way of managing upland range in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem using a combination of livestock herders and temporary electric fence. This project has continued to make progress and is showing great promise. Garl now lives in Bozeman, MT with his wife Kaelin and son Owen on a small acreage where they enjoy keeping chickens, family dairy cows, and producing their own food. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA