VALENTINE, Neb. — A ranching family from the Valentine area is launching a beef stick brand built around American-raised, clean-ingredient meat snacks.

Marshall and Shayna Simmons created Freedom Beef after struggling to find a sugar-free, nitrate-free beef stick made with exclusively U.S.-sourced meat—something their children love.

“Freedom Beef was born to provide a healthy snack that’s American from birth to beef,” Shayna said.

The sticks will contain no added sugar, no nitrates or nitrites, be gluten-free, and individually packaged. The beef will initially come from the Simmons' own ranch, but they hope to partner with other like-minded family ranchers and farmers as the brand grows.

“We chose the name Freedom Beef because our cattle are free to graze,” Shayna said. “And because we wanted to highlight that we’re using only American-raised beef in the product.”

The Simmons plan to launch with two flavors—original and jalapeño—and are currently taking preorders on their website, freedom-beef.com. They expect the product to hit the market soon, pending USDA approval. Initial sales will be through their website and select local retailers, with plans to expand into larger markets over time.

Their timing coincides with growing national interest in farm-to-fork products. According to market research firm Future Data Stats, the global farm-to-fork market was valued at $11.5 trillion in 2024 and is projected to grow annually by about 7%.