THANK A FARMER: Jake Calvert raises beef humanely, volunteers his time

Apr. 20—Jake Calvert was born and raised in Norman.

His family first moved to the 80-acre lot where he resides in Northwest Norman in 1935. Calvert raises livestock and grows feed.

"We raise beef and do direct sales to consumers," Calvert said. "In addition to that, we have a band of purebred Broodmare quarter horses. We raise what I call, 'using horses.' I suppose you could put them in an arena, but it's basically a cowboy's horse. It's stout, compact and good for working cattle."

In addition, Calvert's wife Samantha owns 40 hens who produce eggs she can sell.

"We also raise a garden, but it's not big enough to sell to the public," he said. "We just help friends and families get some fresh vegetables."

He grows his own Bermuda grass which he uses for his cattle. In good years, he'll grow enough that he can sell to fellow producers.

Calvert said he grows his own food because he has issues with the production chain of American agriculture.

"Three of the four meatpacking producers have a monopoly," he said.

Calvert said it is hard for homegrown producers to get in and challenge pricing.

"At some point, the American public has started losing trust in agriculture. I started feeding cattle out in 1993. We fed four, five, six heads to people who wanted it," he said.

Instead of selling cattle by the pound, he'll sell an entire butchered cow, half cow, or even quarter pound to those interested. People who buy more meat will get a better discount.

He says his customers freeze the meat and half a calf, which costs $1,750, will last a family of four for an entire year.

Half calfs are around 250 pounds, which averages to a little over $6 a pound.

"It includes roasts and steaks, not just ground beef," Calvert said.

He said buying from local producers costs more money up front, but it is worth it because it is quality beef, and the heads of cattle are treated humanely and raised without steroids or antibiotics.

"You can feed your family for about half the price of what you'd get at a grocery store where you'll have no idea what's going on in any of the steps in the production cycle," Calvert said.

Calvert uses a local processor who lives by Lake Thunderbird and can custom cut the meat into roasts and steaks.

"You get to do it all to your own specs," he said.

When Calvert is not producing, he offers service. Currently, he sits on the Cleveland County Free Fair Board of Directors and is president of the Cleveland County Farm Bureau. He's also a member of the Cleveland County Cattlemen's Association board.

"I grew up at the county fairgrounds. I've watched the changes over the year. I showed livestock as a kid. My youngest showed beef cattle up there," Calvert said. "I want to see the fair continue. It's probably the best source of entertainment and fun for Cleveland County residents."

He said it is important to support students who show livestock, as well as the Oklahoma Home and Community educators.

"It is everything you get at the State Fair in a smaller package but it's free, except for the carnival," Calvert said.

He said he believes in being honest with customers and members of the community, and he encourages other raisers to do so. He said he invites people to his ranch to see how he raises his beef.

"We have no kind of backdoor deals. This is a straight up. I want my consumers as educated as possible, because it makes my life easier," he said.

Brian King covers education and politics for The Transcript. Reach him at bking@normantranscript.com.