Missouri Legacy Beef offers more than 52 cuts of raw and cooked “USDA-inspected, lean, dry-aged, quick-frozen, free-range and non-GMO beef,” he said. The family also sells convenience items such as all-beef smoked franks, deli-sliced roast beef, sliced or chopped smoked brisket, summer sausage and beef jerky, along with Italian sausage, stew meat, fajita, kabob, and sliced Philly steak beef cuts.
At the heart of Mark’s Missouri cattle operation is family, he said. “Every family member has made a significant contribution to the development, production, marketing, and distribution of our specialty beef.” The Mahnken men are fourth generation cattlemen. “In 1902, my grandfather, William, started the tradition of providing free-range beef to his friends,” Mark said. “My father, Marion, continued the tradition, finishing thousands of his cattle on lush pastures and forages, grown on the family farm,” south of Salisbury.
In 1981, after a brief engineering career in Texas, Mark returned to his family’s 1,000-acre farm “to raise cattle and kids,” with wife Susie. Mark built and operated “one of the largest custom feeding operations in the state, growing it to 5,000 head of cattle, while producing feed for the cattle on the farm.” Twelve years ago, he moved away from the feedlot model to a “free-range program,” choosing to raise cattle the way his grandfather did, on pasture. The family now raises 50 to 200 head on pasture. They also feed them a grain-free, high-protein supplement.
We have passed on this legacy to our sons, who have learned the “art of producing quality crops and beef,” he said. “Fresh and clean water is provided from a farm reservoir and pumped to individual water tanks on each grazing paddock. During the winter months, when grass is not available, we provide shelter, the protein supplement, and hay.”
“All beef carcasses are scored according to the MU Scoring Standards system, to assure they meet our high standards,” Mark said, and Legacy Beef tested at Iowa State University labs indicate “our production process produces lean and tender beef, rich in Omega-3” fatty acids.
Making a living on a family farm comes with significant risk, he said. “With perseverance, sacrifice, hard work and much prayer we have survived, raising a wonderful family, and producing high-quality and healthy beef.”
To learn more about Missouri Legacy Beef, visit MissouriLegacyBeef.com. Find them on Facebook @MissouriLegacyBeef and @theBeefstro.
