Tucked off a gravel road from Highway 163 near Otley, sits Wanders Farms Meat Locker. A perfect country escape to pick up farm fresh beef, Wanders Farms Locker is owned and operated by 22-year-old Julie Wanders.
Steve and Annette Wanders, now alongside Julie, own and operate an Angus cow-calf operation outside of Oskaloosa. Prior to purchasing the locker, the Wanders raised the cattle until they were sold to a larger feedlot to finish them out.
When Julie decided she wanted to stay on the farm long-term, she wanted to create her own path and income flow to maintain her stay. She started selling hamburger at $4 per pound with the few cows they finished out. Soon, customers were requesting steaks or higher quality cuts, so she started selling quarters and halves of beef processed at another locker location.
To ensure premium quality, Julie decided she needed to put the workmanship into each cut of meat herself. "I figured if I'm going to run a direct-to-consumer beef business, I need to do it from start to finish to moderate the price and quality."
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Julie purchased the Otley Meat Locker to take her family farm to the next level.
"It took me some time, but I finally convinced my dad to start feeding out all our cattle rather than just a few. It worked out well for us as just around that time, the prices of cattle tanked. So, we marketed every single head through our locker rather than taking a huge price hit at the packers."
Julie put two ads in the local newspapers, started a website and Facebook page but says the majority of her sales come from word of mouth.
"I make nearly $300 more a head than if I sold the cattle to the packer," says Julie. "Which can make a huge difference if you have 100 cattle and at the end of the day, consumers pay less for more meat and get a higher quality as well."
Julie says most of her customers come from the Des Moines metro. She believes her location in the country 40 minutes outside of the city, is a perfect place for customers to experience the countryside where they pick up their products.
"About 99% of customers who purchase farm-fresh beef for the first time will never go back to a grocery store," explains Julie. "They say it ruined their taste!"
The Wanders Farms Locker primarily focuses on beef; however, they do process hogs, sheep, goats, and deer at certain times of the year.
Since 2020, Wanders Farms has supplied the meat for the Pella Cooperative Electric Annual Member Appreciation Day Drive-Thru BBQ. She has even bigger dreams and plans ahead!
"I've applied for a grant through the State of Iowa, so I'm hoping to add on to the locker in the spring," she says. "Eventually, I'd love to build a new locker. It's been a lot of hard work as most days are 16 plus hour days, but it's been quite a journey and I'm incredibly thankful for my customers."
To learn more about Wanders Farms or to place an order, visit wandersfarms.com or visit their Facebook page.