Where’s the beef? I’ll tell you where; Ulrich Farm, and now, local schools!
Located near Allenwood, Ulrich Farm will be providing beef each month to Montgomery Area, South Williamsport Area, Muncy, East Lycoming, and Montoursville school districts. The arrangement is supported by the PA Beef in Our Schools Grant, while Nutrition Inc. continues to source the local beef for participating food-service programs. Together, the partners are creating a practical link between the Pennsylvania cattle producer and school cafeterias across the region.
The partnership is part of the Pennsylvania Beef Council’s PA Beef to PA Schools initiative, which connects cattle producers with school food-service professionals. Its goal is to make locally raised beef more affordable for districts without requiring farmers to reduce their price. Students gain access to high-quality protein, schools strengthen their local purchasing, and producers gain a dependable market.
Ulrich Farm was established in 1952 by Charlie and Pat Ulrich at the foot of Nippenose Mountain outside Elimsport. The operation was a dairy until 1995, when it shifted toward beef cattle. Today, Chris and Jill Ulrich and their daughters, Abby, Laura and Clara, raise Angus cattle while continuing a family tradition that has lasted more than seven decades.
The farm’s ties to education are especially close. Chris and Jill have each spent more than 30 years teaching in the Montgomery Area School District. Their roles as educators and producers give the project a personal feel, as they understand both the work involved in raising cattle and the responsibility schools carry when feeding students every day.
PA Beef to PA Schools is intended to help districts serve beef more often and source it from Pennsylvania farms. Making that happen requires more than an introduction between a farmer and a cafeteria. A dependable farm-to-school system also needs processors, distributors, purchasing procedures, menu planning, kitchen capacity and predictable order volumes.
The program’s central cost-share is straightforward. Participating producers set the price of their beef. A school pays 50 percent, while state funding or grant dollars cover the remaining 50 percent. If an eligible order is priced at $1,000, for example, the district pays $500 and the grant-supported program pays the other $500. The producer still receives the full established price, but the subsidy closes the gap between that price and what a school meal budget can absorb.
The cost-share model grew from Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture support through the Agricultural Promotion Matching Grant Program. In March 2026, the department reported a $49,000 investment in PA Beef to PA Schools. The Pennsylvania Beef Council later announced a USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant to expand local-beef access, strengthen relationships among schools, producers, processors and distributors, and support nutrition and agricultural education. The Council’s announcement did not state the amount of its award.
These investments address challenges that do not arise in ordinary direct-to-consumer sales. Schools need products delivered on schedule, processed in practical forms, priced within meal-program budgets, and handled under applicable food-safety requirements. Farmers need lead time, reliable purchasing commitments and access to processing. Grant-supported coordination helps the participants solve those logistical problems together.
Ulrich Farm’s verified commitment is monthly service to Montgomery Area, South Williamsport Area, Muncy, East Lycoming and Montoursville. Nutrition Inc.’s continued sourcing helps make the arrangement possible. Public announcements do not provide a pound figure, number of cases, or number of cattle for each delivery, so quantities will depend on menus, enrollment, purchasing schedules and food-service needs.
The partnership will also put agricultural education into real-world terms. Students may know that farms surround their communities, but eating a meal sourced from a nearby operation creates a clearer connection between land, livestock, food preparation, and nutrition. Because the Ulrichs are teachers as well as farmers, the relationship will help students understand how management decisions affect animal care, soil, water, and product quality.
For districts, the local beef provides a protein option while demonstrating support for the regional economy. For Ulrich Farm, school purchasing broadens the customer base beyond retail sales and community events. For families and residents, the arrangement offers greater transparency because the producer, production practices, and local impact are easier to identify than they are in a long, anonymous supply chain.
Ulrich Farm’s expanded partnership shows why farm-to-school programs work best when procurement support, producer opportunity, and education move together. The 50-50 subsidy lowers the cost barrier for districts without shifting that burden to the farmer. Monthly deliveries give cafeteria teams a predictable planning rhythm.
With five districts participating, the agreement is a strong, local example of the Pennsylvania Beef Council’s statewide approach. Farms establish a fair price, schools pay half, grant funding pays half, and Nutrition Inc. helps locally raised beef reach students on a recurring schedule. The result connects school nutrition, agricultural education and regional economic support in one practical program.
