Local business works with Randolph family to sell quality beef
— Madelyn Graham
Laurel Advocate Intern
LAUREL — Scott Taylor wants to stock his store with Nebraska-based products.
Greg and Malinda Villwok, along with their two children, Addison and Caiden, have been raising the cattle Taylor uses to produce the beef cuts for T&H Fine Meats in Laurel.
The Randolph family works hard to make sure the finished product is something their customers will remember.
The business, Loup River Beef, has been in the family for many years. The Villwok families operate a fifth-generation family farm and ranch, in Randolph and Dunning, Nebraska.
Addison and Caiden help on the family farm, too.
Addison just graduated college and plans to work full-time on the farm.
“Addison did the whole website; she does all the photography and invoicing. So she is on our technical side,” said Greg.
Caiden, a 2021 Randolph High School graduate, plans to go to college but still helps on the farm.
“He is the muscle and helps out with all the normal stuff,” said Malinda.
Villwoks raise their cattle from start to finish rather than sending them off to the next farm after the cattle hit a certain weight.
This also helps with their carbon footprint. The Villwoks also just started to use a drone to check in on their cattle instead of taking a small plane or driving out to the farms.
“Our cattle are bred out in western Nebraska and then they’re there during the summer. Six months and sometimes up to eight months of the year, the cattle are out there,” Greg said, “They are then brought back here for about four months to eat off the corn stocks. The cattle are sent back to the pastures then are finally butchered.”
Loup River Beef makes sure to age the meat, which is a critical step for their great-tasting product. Packing plants skip this process to get the meat out faster.
The Villwoks want to make sure they aren’t just pushing out products to get paid the big bucks but try to provide a better quality of meat.
They sell 50 percent of the cattle they raise to packing plants and the rest they sell themselves. The Villwok business packages all the stuff they personally sell.
“The steaks are individually vacuum packed, but it’s with a black bag. It’s just amazing packaging,” said Taylor, “You can see how the marbling on the beef looks and the quality of the steaks.”
T&H is not the only place they sell their products. The website Addison created shows all their products and specials.
The family also supports the idea of having local meat in schools. Villwok and Taylor both mentioned it is a great program the Randolph and Wayne schools operate.
Taylor said he is doing his part to support local farmers.
“They not only feed our nation through livestock and crop raising,” said Taylor, “they keep communities alive through the property taxes.”
T&H has many other Nebraska products in stock, as well.
To learn more about the Loup River Beef and the Villwoks, visit their website at loupriverbeef.com.
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