A lifetime in cattle. A commitment to Alaska.
Scott Mugrage didn’t just decide one day to become a cattle rancher. He grew up in the cattle business.
Scott started working with livestock when he was just 11 years old, beginning a lifetime in the cattle industry that would take him across the Midwest and eventually to Alaska. Before coming north, Scott and his family were involved in large-scale cattle operations, livestock markets, ranching, and feedlot operations in the Midwest.
After years in the industry, Scott and his son Justin began looking for an opportunity of their own. In 2013, they found it in an unlikely place:
Delta Junction, Alaska.
What they found was a run-down farm with enormous potential. Scott saw something others didn’t.
“I could see so much potential here that wasn’t being tapped.” Rather than simply raising cattle, Scott and his family began rebuilding the operation and looking at what could be possible for agriculture in Alaska.
Today, Mugrage Hay & Cattle is a diversified agricultural operation in Delta Junction with beef cattle at its core. The operation also produces hay and grain, including barley and oats. Alaska’s agriculture directory lists Mugrage Hay & Cattle as a producer of beef, elk, grains, hay, and meat. Scott’s operation has worked to develop a more integrated approach to raising cattle — growing feed, raising livestock, and finishing cattle in Alaska. That matters because producing beef in Alaska isn’t as simple as bringing cattle north.
The infrastructure has to exist too.
Scott has experienced that challenge firsthand. His operation grew to approximately 1,500 head on feed, but limited slaughter capacity became a major bottleneck. Rather than seeing that as a reason to stop, Scott has continued working toward solutions.
Scott believes Alaska has tremendous potential to produce more of its own food. But building a stronger agricultural system requires more than farmers and ranchers. It requires:
Farmers.
Ranchers.
Processing facilities.
Transportation.
Markets.
And consumers willing to support Alaska producers.
Scott has spent years advocating for those pieces to come together.
As President of the Alaska Farm Bureau, he has worked to represent Alaska’s agricultural community and advocate for opportunities for farmers and ranchers across the state. Alaska legislative records identify Scott as president of the Alaska Farm Bureau and owner of Mugrage Hay & Cattle.
He has also testified before Alaska lawmakers about the potential for Alaska’s livestock industry and the infrastructure needed to support it.
Scott’s involvement in Alaska agriculture goes beyond his own ranch.
He has become an advocate for the farmers and ranchers who are trying to build something here.
That includes traveling and working on behalf of Alaska agriculture at the national level, including advocating for Alaska producers in Washington, D.C.
His message is simple:
Alaska has the land, the people, and the potential.
Now we need the infrastructure and the support to make it work.
One of the biggest challenges facing Alaska’s livestock producers is processing capacity.
Scott has experienced that challenge firsthand through his own cattle operation and has spent years advocating for better agricultural infrastructure in Alaska. Public reporting has documented his concerns about slaughter capacity and the limitations it places on the state’s livestock industry.
Scott has recently taken another step toward solving that problem by acquiring the slaughter operation in Delta Junction.
For Alaska ranchers, having more processing capacity available locally can be an important piece of building a stronger local meat system.
And for consumers, it means another step toward being able to buy beef that was:
Raised in Alaska.
Processed in Alaska.
And purchased directly from an Alaska rancher.
At Local Butcher, we don’t want to simply sell you a box of meat.
We want you to know who raised it.
We want you to understand where your animal came from, how it was raised, and who you’re supporting when you put that beef in your freezer.
Scott represents many of the things we believe in:
A lifetime spent working with cattle and livestock.
More than a decade building an agricultural operation in Delta Junction.
Growing hay and grain and building an integrated cattle operation.
Working to strengthen opportunities for Alaska farmers and ranchers.
Investing in the processing side of Alaska’s food system.
Helping build a stronger future for agriculture in Alaska.
When you purchase beef through Local Butcher, you’re not just choosing a cut of meat.
You’re choosing a rancher.
You can choose your share, work through the processing options, and build a freezer full of beef around the way your family actually eats.
We handle the process of connecting you with the producer and helping you navigate your choices.
You choose the rancher.
You choose your share.
You choose your cuts.
We help you get it home.
Delta Junction, Alaska
Choose the share that’s right for your family and begin building your freezer with locally raised Alaska beef.
