Dakota Beef in USA Today!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Americans craving a juicy organic burger this July 4th weekend could leave their local food store wondering, "Where's the beef?" Organic beef producers, once distant outsiders in the $175 billion a year U.S. beef industry, are poised to grab a larger bite of the market this year.

Sales of the specialty meat, from cattle that are not fed antibiotics, hormones or animal bi-products, are soaring, thanks to diet trends, the discovery of mad cow disease in Washington state last December and word of mouth.

The surge has prompted many in the fledgling industry to boost production to meet growing demand from major grocers, such as Whole Foods Market, which have been unable to obtain an adequate supply of organic beef to keep their shelves stocked.

"A year and a half ago, organic producers were going, 'Geez, are we wasting our time and money doing this?' These guys were ready to throw their hats in," said Scott Lively, chief executive of Chicago-based Dakota Beef LLC, the country's largest producer of organic beef.

"Now, demand is overwhelming beyond belief. It will be another 18 months before I'm able to even think about keeping up with demand," he said.

Full story online at usatoday.com.

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