Farmer Spotlight: DX Beef - 1 Year Later
DX Beef is located on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation located on the Great Plains of South Dakota. Kelsey Ducheneaux Scott is a fourth-generation rancher working alongside her family where their mission is to contribute to a healthier ecosystem, focusing on regenerative agriculture practices.
Recently, we caught up with Kelsey to get the scoop on how she communicates the value of regenerative agriculture to her customers and learn how DX Beef doubled its production capacity again.
The Importance of Sustainable Agriculture
Kelsey and her family are stewards of the land, focusing on ranching techniques that mimic nature in a way that she calls “an indigenous production style.” Drawing from their roots, Kelsey discussed the importance of working the land in ways that contribute to the entire ecosystem. “We as native people were land stewards long before the word agriculture was ever spoken. At that time, farm-to-plate was the only way to access food. And, when food was bought, it was only traded directly with the producer.”
With this in mind, DX Beef matches their production practices to meet the needs of their consumers, operating as a direct-to-consumer beef business, like their ancestors practiced before them. “We have to remember the connection between the community and the agriculture system. From a consumer side, knowing the story of where your food comes from is important. For producers, we need to care for our product because, in the end, it will feed a community. So, the ultimate goal at DX Beef is to contribute to a more robust, resilient, and regenerative future for the generations to come.”
Success with Selling Direct
In 2019, DX Beef sold their cows by the quarter, half, and whole and mainly sold to family and friends. With thoughts to expand the business, Kelsey realized that the general consumer cannot pay for a whole cow nor the freezer space to store it. So, with Barn2Door, Kelsey decided to diversify her quantities and cuts of meats, understanding the need to cater to average household sizes - 33% of Americans live alone, 33% of Americans live in a household of two people, and 33% of Americans live in a household of four people or more.
Expanding their product options to cater to household sizes swung the door of DX Beef wide open. “We saw a tremendous spike in the number of Buyers. In one year, we gained an additional 200 Customers, but we didn’t expand our service area at all. Closing out the year, 90% of our sales came from around the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.” Diversifying their product options was a game-changer for DX Beef. This was just the beginning of how Kelsey pivoted her business to cater to Buyers’ expectations and drive sales.
“Recently we doubled our production capacity again. We’re projected to process around 122 animals this year! This has allowed us to have inventory on hand, and now we’re able to expand our service area. We’re currently participating in a Farmer’s Market a few hours away, but we have an established customer base there. Selling online with Barn2door has allowed us to offer our delivery and pick-up schedules on the same day as the market. We know our time is paid for with the income from the deliveries, and we don’t have to worry about whether the market will be worth the trip.” Selling direct with Barn2Door has given Kelsey the efficiencies to save time and grow DX Beef at an exponential rate.
Catering to Customers’ Expectations of Convenience
Prior to Barn2Door, Kelsey manually handled orders through Facebook Messenger, averaging 8 - 9 touches per customer before an order was confirmed. Thereafter, she still had to confirm and receive payment. With Barn2Door, Kelsey now lets software do the work, providing Buyers with the experience they expect. Her Barn2Door web store automatically tracks the orders, customer details, and fulfillment preferences, while also collecting and automatically depositing payments directly into her bank account. Kelsey now has the time and data analyze Buyer trends to help her better manage and grow her Farm business.
“I need to know which products I’ll have available to sell in 9 - 11 months. Understanding what my current Customer purchasing trends look like, where my customers are at, and what they will be buying in the future is essential to planning my inventory and production in advance.”
Connecting with Customers Through Various Channels
Kelsey uses a combination of her website, social media, and email newsletters to drive marketing efforts and get her products in front of Customers. “My social media game has become excessively more linked to sales. For example, I’m no longer posting about having one-fourth of beef for sale. Now I say: DX Beef has one-eighth of beef available. Click the link to order here. So, whoever wants that product, it only takes a few clicks to buy it (at any hour of the day). Previously, I would have spent time messaging them back and forth or calling them to secure the order.”
Kelsey also uses the Barn2Door and Mailchimp integration to provide the ease with which Customers can access her products. “Barn2Door's integration with MailChimp is phenomenal. My customers that are buying on Barn2Door automatically get integrated into my mailing lists, so I don’t need to enter them manually. The amount of time I've saved marketing my products that are now so easy to purchase has been a driving force in my ability to keep the product flowing.”
Putting the Intertribal Agriculture Council’s (IAC) Mission Into Practice
Kelsey has been involved with the Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) for a decade, starting as a volunteer and working her way to the Director of Programs. The IAC was founded in 1987 to pursue and promote the conservation, development, and use of agricultural resources, spreading the importance of regenerative agriculture practices for the benefit of the larger community. “My goal and hope as the Director of Programs is to identify more efficiencies in our programs and inspire more support of the organization's efforts on a wider scale. This is important so that we can increase our resources to help our youth and producers all across the country.”
Barn2Door Farm Advisor Network
Kelsey is a part of Barn2Door’s Farm Advisor Network, where she shares with other Farmers how she’s been able to grow and manage her business with Barn2Door successfully. "Barn2Door isn't just a run-of-the-mill platform. You can see a direct impact on the work they do to heal our food systems between the mentorship network to connect Farmers and Ranchers or the resources they offer to educate Farmers on how to grow and run direct-to-consumer businesses.
The content published by Barn2Door is relevant to my needs as a small business owner and applicable to the work that I do and how I can market my product. The technical assistance on how to use the platform is unmatched, at no additional cost. It is so much fun to work with Barn2Door because you feel like a part of the family.”
Translating her protein cuts into consumable formats has made all the difference in how DX Beef reaches consumers and drives sales. We’re proud to support Kelsey and DX Beef and to partner with the Intertribal Agriculture Council to support Farmers and Ranchers in their efforts to create a more sustainable future for our food system.
At Barn2Door, we’ve helped 1000’s of Farmers across America grow and manage direct sales. If you’re curious how we can support your Farm to increase sales, access more customers, and save time, watch this 5-minute video.
