Local Impact: Family Farmers Serve Community through PA Beef to PA Schools Program

Community has always driven Brian and Courtney Gray. The family farmers and cattle producers who own Blue Hill Farms in Selinsgrove are now giving back to their community in new ways through the PA Beef to PA Schools (PBPS) program which aims to provide Pennsylvania school students with more beef, more often. 

Ten years ago, Brian and Courtney returned to the family farm. The couple met in college at Penn State where they shared a love for agriculture and earned degrees in agriculture systems management and agriculture science respectively. The Grays have deep roots in ag and grew up in 4-H and FFA. “We always wanted to find a way to farm full time,” says Courtney. 

In 2014, the Grays began to slowly build a cow herd on Brian’s family farm in Selinsgrove. “The property had been rented for some time and not farmed,” shares Courtney. Bringing back Brian’s family farm was a labor of love for the Grays who worked hard on and off the farm to make their dreams reality.  “Cattle are a long game,” says Courtney, “you don’t get quick returns.” After ten years doing double duty on their own farm and serving as a service tech in the poultry industry, Brian recently transitioned to working full time on their cattle operation where they direct sell and offer custom beef in a small retail business. 

A surplus of ground beef led the Grays to their participation in PBPS. “The PA Beef Council facilitated moving that ground beef through the program,” says Courtney. Now, Blue Hill Farms is delivering approximately 250 pounds of beef monthly to the Southern Columbia School District. One pound of beef delivered through the PBPS program will feed 5.5 students. “We’re happy to support our local schools and the community and so far, the district has been pleased as well,” Courtney shares. 

The Southern Columbia School District is utilizing the beef across all their elementary and high schools and have used the Gray’s beef to make sloppy joe’s and walking tacos. “It’s nice to know that the product is being used in recipes that are kid pleasers,” says Courtney. “Those are two of my kids’ favorite foods, so I’m sure the students are enjoying the meals.”  

For the Grays, participation in the program is about more than moving product, it’s about fostering connections in their community. “This program is amazing in terms of connecting students to local food. As producers, it gives us a unique option to reach a different market than what we might normally serve. Plus, we’re able to connect the dots for the students about where their food comes from,” says Courtney.