In “How Pineywoods Cattle Bucks Big Beef,” Gravy producer Stephanie Burt takes listeners out to the rolling pastures of the South to meet Pineywoods cattle, a breed that’s been grazing in the Southern region of the United States since the 1500s. The cow that some see as old-fashioned is being considered in new ways when it comes to farming in the twenty-first century.
Beef is big business in the U.S. In 2022, the country’s beef consumption was the highest it’s been since 2010, and the industry prizes big cows for efficient processing and big bottom lines. And this is despite the rise in what overall is termed “plant-based meat alternatives,” a response to the argument that raising cattle the way most American ranchers do, with mass production methods that don’t take into account the health of the land, is a contributor to climate change.
But not all cows are built the same, and one rare breed is gaining attention for its adaptability to the Southern environment. Pineywoods is well suited to the growing use of regenerative farming methods that are aiming to address beef-raising climate questions. It can positively impact a farm’s ecosystem instead of harming it. Plus, it can withstand hot summers. And it tastes delicious.
In this episode, Burt talks to D. Phillip Sponenberg, professor of Pathology and Genetics in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, to find out what makes Pineywoods perfectly suited to the American South. She also introduces listeners to three cattle ranchers experienced with the breed: Cristiaan Steenkamp of BDA Farms in Uniontown, Alabama; Will Harris of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia; and Mike Hansen of Ozark Akerz, a small farm in Coleridge, North Carolina. Together, they explain how Pineywoods contributes to the larger ecosystem of the South and how industry norms present barriers to its growth. Finally, chef Scott Peacock of Marion, Alabama, describes the distinctive flavor of Pineywoods beef on the plate.
Stephanie Burt produced this episode. Burt is the host and executive producer of The Southern Fork and a writer based in South Carolina. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Saveur, The Washington Post, CNN’s Parts Unknown, Conde Nast Traveler, and The Bitter Southerner. She shares the magic hiding just around the corner through stories of makers and growers, and when she’s off the road, she works on perfecting her roast chicken recipe.
Stephanie Burt offers special thanks to the great resources of The Livestock Conservancy who share knowledge, education, and documentation free on the internet; writer Chris Dixon who researched and wrote a piece about Pineywoods Cattle for Garden & Gun in 2013 (which introduced me to the breed); Scott Peacock for the gift of Cattle in the Cotton Fields by Brooks Blevins; rancher Will Harris for sharing what he’s learned about cattle and regenerative agriculture with so many of us online and in person; and the inspiration of Slow Food USA and the Ark of Taste that first stirred my creative imagination more than a decade ago.
