Swanstrom Family Farms
Ottumwa, Iowa
We are a family who operates a multi generational farm in south east Iowa. Robert Swanstrom started farming in 1952, his son Ron took over after college, and Alex came back after college and a financial services career.
In spring you can find us planting crops and calving cows. During the summer we stay baling hay and manage the cows on pasture. In fall we harvest crops and prepare for winter in Iowa. Winter brings a number of challenges with frozen waterers, snow and ice storms and cold temperatures.
Our focus is providing high quality beef direct to consumers. We have been selecting genetics for high marbling for several years resulting in USDA choice and prime grade beef.
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Local Beef for Sale
directly from farmers and butcher shops near you
ChopLocal has local beef for sale ready for you to order online. You can purchase online and pick-up at a local beef farm, or have the beef shipped to your door!
Local beef for sale includes beef brisket, ground beef, beef jerky, prime rib, beef roast, beef short ribs, beef sticks, filet mignon, New York Strip Steak, beef summer sausage and beef tri-tip directly from farmers.
Why buy Local Beef?
Local beef has many benefits! One of the benefits of the local beef for sale here is that most of it is dry aged.
"One of the advantages of buying local meats is that small processors dry age the beef on site for 10 days to 14 days. This allows the enzymes in the meat to break down the connective tissue resulting in more tender and flavorful beef. Dry aged meats also contain less water so you aren't paying for added water when purchasing from a local farmer making it a better investment." - Ty Gustafson - Owner/Operator of Story City Locker.
ChopLocal has beef for sale from farms in Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Georgia, Wisconsin, New York, Vermont, Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Or browse our best-selling local beef. You can also purchase half a cow from many of our farms.
Why buy from local beef farms?
1. The US imported approximately 2.5 billion pounds of beef in 2021, all while US beef farmers struggle to make ends meet.
2. Much of the imported beef is used for ground beef for fast food restaurants.
3. Imported beef comes from countries like Brazil, which are home to dangerous animal diseases and corrupt meat inspection systems.
Read more about why purchasing from local beef farms is so important here.
Order Local Beef Online: How it Works
1. Check out the local beef farms and butcher shops above.
2. Can't find one near you? Many farmers and butcher shops in the ChopLocal network will ship beef right to your door!
3. Looking for something specific? Use the search bar or filters to find the meat that's right for you.
4. Order local beef online and the farmer or butcher shop will fulfill your order!
Interesting Fact: Why is cow meat called beef?
Long story short, it's because of the French invasion of Britain in 1066.
To go into a bit more detail, here's the history:
The Anglo-Saxons (British in the 11th century) spoke Old English, a language with Germanic roots. This language used the word "cu" to describe cattle.
When the French-speaking Normans invaded and conquered Britain, they continued to speak French and using the French term "boeuf" instead of "cu."
As time went-on, the fancier French term became "beef" and was used to describe meat from cattle.
Spoiler Alert: The "cow meat" you're looking for isn't from cows.
Technically, the beef at ChopLocal isn't actually cow meat.
Cows are female cattle who have given birth to a calf (baby bovine.) And beef from cows is not the highest quality. It is generally less tender and less flavorful, but makes great ground beef, hamburger and things like that.
The best beef comes from steers - younger, full-grown male cattle. This beef is tender, flavorful, and makes delicious steak and other high-end cuts.
