Our Story
Crafting the 90 West Beef Difference
A Cut Above the Rest
Our name derives from the iconic, I-90 West freeway, which is one of the most well-known and traveled roads in South Dakota, and where our roots were established. Our ranches are owned and operated by families, not corporations, giving the cattle the lowest stress environment possible. After generations of raising cattle, we’ve learned how to make exceptional beef. Our beef’s superior quality, flavor, and marbling can be attributed to three fundamental factors: genetics, environment, and care. We know you will be able to taste the difference when choosing 90 West Beef!
The Genetics
Our cattle come from the famed Japanese Emperor’s
proprietary herd that was specifically raised over hundreds of years to provide the best flavor and marbling. Akaushi cattle is more than four times as likely to hit prime grade than Angus beef because of its breading specifically to develop intramuscular fat. The high oleic acid content and greater proportion of monounsaturated fats compared to other beef, means our Akaushi cross beef not only tastes better, it is also healthier.
The Place
Over one hundred years ago when the buffalo roamed across America, they chose the great plains in and around South Dakota as their primary feeding grounds because the grasses are superior to anywhere else. The virgin prairie grasses our cattle feeds on is native to South Dakota and has a lower water content than other grasses helping cattle build mass while also improving the flavor profile of the meat. Additionally, the deep cold winters in South Dakota encourage the development of a thicker hide making the cattle more resistant infection. Our cattle are never given any anti-biotics, hormones, or MRNA vaccines.
Old World Feeding Techniques
The cattle never set foot on concrete and are free to roam providing the lowest stress environment possible. After weening, all our cattle are backgrounded on the unique virgin prairie grasses in the great plains of South Dakota. To ensure the highest quality product and further develop the rich beef flavor and tender marbling, all our beef are corn finished for a minimum of 300 days. We use real corn that you and I would eat, absolutely no corn stalks, haylage, silage or any other filler feed. This guarantees that we deliver the incredible quality, flavor, and marbling for which 90 West Beef is known.
This time honored technique from our founder's ancestors truly is the great, great, grandpa's method of finishing cattle.