Local Farmer Brings High-Quality Beef to Laurel School District Through PA Beef to PA Schools Program

E. Arnold | May 22, 2025

Bryan Dean, a lifelong cattle farmer and educator, is bringing locally raised, high-quality beef to students in the Laurel School District through the Pennsylvania Beef to Pennsylvania Schools (PBPS) program. Dean, who owns and operates Dean Bros. Livestock in New Castle together with his wife Jean Ann and their three sons, has been involved with the PBPS initiative for the past year.

Dean Bros. Livestock raises registered Angus, registered Aberdeen, and a small number of crossbred cows. The family-run farm also direct markets beef through their on-farm store, selling freezer beef to local consumers. With approximately 50 brood cows and a strong family tradition in the beef industry, Dean and his wife—both of whom are teachers—are passionate about quality livestock, community engagement, and agriculture education.

Bryan, who teaches agriculture at Moniteau School District in Butler County, got his start in beef farming in 1987 when he acquired his first Angus cow. Since then, the Dean family has exhibited cattle at shows across the country. Their twin 16-year-old sons Aberdeen and Angus, have had great success at national shows, including the Big E, North American, and National Western Stock Show. The twins and Dean’s 25-year-old son Wyatt are active in the family operation.

Thanks to a connection facilitated by Bill and Bobbi Dunn with the Pennsylvania Beef Council, Dean began supplying 50 pounds of beef per month to the Laurel School District, where his sons attend school. The high-quality beef is used in meals such as walking tacos and smash burgers at both the elementary and high school levels. In April and May, the school featured Dean’s beef in burgers served to students.

“It’s a great opportunity to stay local and get good, locally sourced beef into our schools,” Dean says. “The feedback from students and cafeteria staff has been overwhelmingly positive.”

He credits the school’s food service staff, particularly Carrie Bonyak, for enthusiastically promoting the program and incorporating the beef into creative school meals that students love.

“It’s a great opportunity to stay local and get good, locally sourced beef into our schools,” Dean says. “The feedback from students and cafeteria staff has been overwhelmingly positive.”

The PA Beef to PA Schools program, administered by the Pennsylvania Beef Council, connects local beef producers with schools to supply fresh, nutritious beef while educating students and families about the benefits of local agriculture. The aim of the program is more beef, more often. Now in its third year, the PBPS program serves 120 school districts and covers more than 70% of the state, providing more than 212,000 students across the Commonwealth with lean, nutrient-dense beef.

Dean sees it as a valuable way to engage a new audience. “It’s a tremendous program that allows us to educate consumers and reach people we normally wouldn’t be in front of,” he says. “When students learn about where their food comes from, they take that excitement home to their families.”

Dean and his family are proud to be part of a program that supports both local agriculture and student wellness, and that fosters connections between farms and classrooms—one meal at a time.

“It’s a tremendous program that allows us to educate consumers and reach people we normally wouldn’t be in front of. When students learn about where their food comes from, they take that excitement home to their families.”

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The Pennsylvania Beef Council is a producer-controlled and funded organization, which administers the Beef Checkoff Program in Pennsylvania. The Beef Checkoff Program assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. Checkoff revenues may be used for promotion, education and research programs to improve the marketing climate for beef.