chief, the best way for me to answer your gracious question is to say it depends on which marketing scenario we are using for each sale. We have marketed directly to individuals who paid for the processing and the beef they received. Our accessibility to such customers is extremely limited given the time we have available, population density within a hundred miles of our ranch, etc.

However, 113 years of tradition on this ranch has been that we sell beef, beginning with Grandpa Tom Jones riding the train with the 4-5 year old "beeves" from Midland, SD to Chicago, IL or Sioux City, IA. Unlike some ranchers, there has never been a disconnect in our minds over the fact that we are raising CATTLE to produce BEEF!

We continue that tradition of being mindful that the CATTLE we RAISE will become BEEF for CONSUMERS, our ultimate CUSTOMER, no matter where or how we market those CATTLE. That marketing may take place in the country with the yearlings going to a local feedlot, or out of our backgrounding lot with the heavy calves going to a more distant feedlot, or after carrying them through the feedlot, and processing plant with the BEEF going into a program product, or selling yearlings through an auction, whether local or video. No matter where or how the CATTLE we RAISE are MARKETED, our management practices are to create the best BEEF we can afford to raise given what is possible on the land and climatic conditions we have. Does that answer your question adequately?

MRJ