NORTH PLATTE — Trey Wasserburger figures he’s got half a decade invested in his cattle before he sells them to a meatpacker.
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Beef from American Wagyu cattle raised on the Raikes farm in Ashland is sold as high-quality steaks and ground beef.
ANNA REED, THE WORLD-HERALD
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The Raikeses have worked with three packing plants since launching Raikes Beef.
ANNA REED, THE WORLD-HERALD
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In a tiny storefront on Ashland’s main street, Justin Raikes and his wife, Lindsey, sell high-quality steaks and ground beef produced by hormone-free, American Wagyu cattle raised on the Raikes farm.
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Lindsey Raikes tapes up a box for an order to be shipped from Raikes Beef Co. Marketers like the Raikeses must deal with labeling requirements and learn details such as which shipping containers work best in keeping product fresh.
ANNA REED, THE WORLD-HERALD
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From launching their own packinghouses to marketing steaks directly to consumers, cattle producers are trying different way to make money amid tough times. Justin and Lindsey Raikes of Raikes Beef Co. in Ashland, Nebraska, are among those who sell their product directly to consumers.
ANNA REED, THE WORLD-HERALD
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From a storefront in Ashland, Justin and Lindsey Raikes sell high-quality steaks and ground beef produced by American Wagyu cattle raised on their farm.
ANNA REED, THE WORLD-HERALD
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A handwritten thank-you note comes in a box for an order to be shipped by the Raikes Beef Co.
ANNA REED, THE WORLD-HERALD
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The meat produced by American Wagyu cattle is more marbled and tender than most, and it sells at prices slightly higher than that of supermarket chains. “This isn’t your everyday beef,” Justin Raikes said. “We aren’t the grocery store.”
ANNA REED, THE WORLD-HERALD
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What does Nebraska sell? The state's biggest exports by value
1 - Beef
Beef Nebraska regularly leads the nation in beef exports. The state's cattle ranchers send more than $1 billion in beef overseas each year.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
2 - Combine harvester-threshers
Combines Exports of combines edged out corn in 2017, with the state sending $431 million worth of combine harvesters overseas that year.
WORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE
3 - Corn
Corn It should be no surprise that the Cornhusker state sells a lot of corn. In 2017, Nebraska exported $430 million worth of corn.
JON LEMONS/THE WORLD-HERALD
4 - Soybeans
Soybeans Along with corn, soybeans are the state's big crop. Altogether, Nebraska exported about half a billion dollars' worth of soybeans and soybean products in 2017.
WORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE
5 - Natural gas
Natural gas Nebraska's natural gas exports fluctuate year to year, but it's consistently among the state's top exports. In 2017, the state exported $211 million worth of gas.
6 - pork
Pork Cattle is king in Nebraska, but producers like this family farm in Osmond, Nebraska, still export more than $350 million of pork products each year.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
7 - Syringes
Syringes They may not seem like a Nebraska product, but the state exports more than $100 million in syringes each year. One reason? Medical technology company Becton Dickinson has multiple plants in Nebraska and employs about 2,500 people in the state.
KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD
4 - nuclear components
Nuclear parts Nebraska's main non-agriculture export is nuclear components, which totaled $920 million in 2019.
CODY WINCHESTER, THE WORLD-HERALD
6 - Miscellaneous chemicals
Miscellaneous chemicals Chemicals are among Nebraska's fastest-growing exports. The state sent $372 million worth overseas in 2019, a 403% increase from 2010.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
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