The growing demand for "local" food creates a unique market for beef, especially small, niche producers who sell their products at Farmers Markets. Therefore, to establish a baseline for tenderness of beef sold by these vendors, beef steaks (n = 39 ribeyes, n = 39 top loins, and n = 38 top sirloins) were procured from 25 vendors at Farmers Markets across Texas. To compare a consumer acceptability of Farmers Market beef and retail beef, steaks (n = 20 ribeyes, n = 20 top loins, and n = 20 top sirloins) were procured from 3 major retail stores in the Bryan/College Station area. Farmers Market steaks were evaluated using Warner-Bratzler shear (WBS) force and consumer sensory panels; retail steaks were evaluated using consumer sensory panels. No significant differences were identified among cuts for mean WBS values. There were also no significant differences between cuts for sensory panel ratings for products from Farmers Markets or retail. However, when comparing consumer sensory panel ratings within source, retail steaks received higher ratings (P < 0.05) than Farmers Market steaks for overall liking and tenderness liking. Farmers Market ribeye and top loin steaks were thicker (P < 0.05) than top sirloins. However, top sirloins were heavier (P < 0.05) than top loins and ribeyes. When possible, information was collected at the Farmers Markets on breed, feeding regimen, and other production practices as well as a variety of marketing claims. This study created a benchmark for beef sold at Texas Farmers Markets and will help these producers better understand how their products compare to retail beef from traditional supermarket
