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Texas Ranchers Set Sights on Organic Beef Since the USDA announced strict new protocols for labeling beef as organic, U.S. organic livestock production has seen rapid growth. Much of the nation's organic herds are being raised in west Texas, where a group of traditional cattle ranchers see big money in organic ranching operations. NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports. See photos of the Davis Mountains ranching area.

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Texas Ranchers Set Sights on Organic Beef

U.S. Love Affair with Elite Food Labels Fuels New Meat Market

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Texas Ranchers Set Sights on Organic Beef

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Cattle raised according to the USDA's "100% Organic" labeling standards on the Davis Mountains 100% Organic Beef ranch in West Texas. Keene Haywood/Courtesy Davis Mountains 100% Organic Beef hide caption

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Keene Haywood/Courtesy Davis Mountains 100% Organic Beef

After years of public input, in October 2001 the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced strict protocols for an entirely new class of American beef -- organic.

The nation's growing awareness about the contents of its food is fueling rapid growth: USDA figures indicate that organic livestock production grew by more than 230 percent between 1997 and 2001. In the Davis Mountains near Big Bend in West Texas, a group of traditional cattle ranchers have concluded that organic ranching operations are going to be big moneymakers. NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports.