Providence Cattle Company: Grassfed, Grass Finished, Florida Beef
Over 10 years ago the Planz Family started Providence Cattle Company, which is a cow/calf operation in Hillsborough County, to supply whole and half steers to families in the Tampa Bay area. When they started their ranch, Joe Planz said, “if we were going to do this, the beef we raise and process would have to be the best and healthiest available.” That includes having all of the beef be “never, ever.” The “never, ever” program means that all of the beef has never been subjected to any anti-biotics or growth hormones EVER. In addition, the cows and steers would ALWAYS be treated humanely, as God would expect of us.
Growing up dairying in NE Pennsylvania, and then spending 35 years in the hotel and restaurant business, Joe learned over the years what consumers wanted from the products that they put on the supper table. “People want to know where their food comes from,” Joe learned. So, when the Planz Family started Providence Cattle, there was an emphasis on traceability, along with the finest Angus genetics for marbling which produced the exceptional beef offered by Providence Cattle.
As the popularity of Grassfed/Grassfinished beef increased, the Planz Family decided to drift away from the traditional grain finished steers that they were producing and venture into this new market that was demanded for a heathier lifestyle.
While studying the Grassfed/Grassfinishing process of raising steers, Joe realized the immense amount of land needed and the complexity of producing the exceptional beef that Providence had become known for. That is when Joe reached out to Clifton Chapman with the Double C Bar Ranch in Kenansville, FL, who was also thinking of developing a Grassfed/Grassfinished beef product. Clifton, a 4th generation Florida cattleman, had studied agriculture and animal science at the University of Georgia, and his knowledge of grasses and animal genetics would be essential to bringing the finest quality of Grassfed/Grassfinished beef to consumers.
Over ten years, the partnership that Joe and Clifton formed has led to Providence Cattle Company being recognized as the premier Grassfed/Grassfinished cattle company in Florida. The beef that they produce is used in some of the finest steakhouses, specialty restaurants, hotels and butcher shops from Tallahassee south.