Centre County family brings ‘love and passion’ to raising, selling wagyu

Each year, Penn State’s Dairy Science Club hosts a consignment sale, usually with dairy cattle. But in 2020, there was one wagyu offered for sale, and the idea for a new family business was born.

“[Wagyu] was relatively new in central Pennsylvania. We all kind of just looked at each other and were like, ‘This could be fun,’” Rachel Cloninger said of the moment in 2020 that launched Happy Valley Wagyu.

The business, a joint effort between Rachel, her husband Ben and Ben’s parents, just makes sense when you consider the quartet’s backgrounds. All Penn State alumni, Ben’s father, Dr. Bob Cloninger, is a veterinarian. Ben works in animal health. Rachel worked in the animal industry before moving into her current role in Penn State’s Department of Animal Science.

“Ag has been a part of our lives pretty much since day one,” she said.

The family had already been considering raising local beef, as Ben’s parents had 10-plus acres in Penns Valley they were willing to put to use. That initial purchase — the Cloningers lovingly named her Wendy — became the foundation of what is now a 25-30-head herd. However, it’s not as if the family could leave that 2020 Dairy Science Club sale and begin selling to the public immediately.

“Wagyu take a little longer to finish, as far as producing and getting to a point [that they’re] ready to be processed. We knew we were about two years, at least, away from putting our first meat in the freezer,” Rachel said.

That extra time investment, though, as well as the extra feed costs, result in a higher quality product.

“Wagyu is very heavily marbled. It’s easy to eat, very tasty, with a buttery sort of finish. ... It [also] really has some great health benefits when it comes to Omega-3s, Omega-6 fatty acids,” Rachel said.

Keeping the herd going is an all-hands-on-deck effort, made possible in part thanks to Rachel, Ben and their children living just three miles from the farm. Bob oversees the veterinary care, as well as daily herd maintenance. Rachel and Ben are largely focused on sales.

“We’re special in the fact that the cattle are literally grown in Centre County. They never leave Centre County. They are on the same 10-15 acres of ground their whole entire lives. We’re the ones caring for them and then they’re processed in Centre County,” Rachel said. “[Centre County] is a really special place for us — personally, professionally — and we knew that it would be a great place to serve in agriculture.”

Today, Happy Valley Wagyu offers its products direct-to-consumer on the business’s website, www.happyvalleywagyu.com, but customers can also try one of their wares if they head out to the new Parlor ice cream shop and eatery in Bellefonte, which uses the farm’s ground beef in its burgers. Happy Valley Wagyu offers a range of beef products, competitively priced, as Rachel clarified that it’s important to the family to make the high-end, local product accessible to the average consumer. As a result, she said, while some of their customer base may buy just a steak or two here or there for special occasions, others are looking to fill their freezers, so they have beef on hand at all times.

For potential customers perusing the site, wondering what to order for the first time, Rachel recommended starting with a steak, such as a New York strip, ribeye or Denver steak, which she says is exceptionally popular. When you’re ready to cook your preferred cut, she said the steaks don’t require a lot, just a little care on the grill. Otherwise, customers can also opt for larger cuts like a roast, or a four-pack of quarter-pound burgers.

“Wagyu is a common but yet still newer product as far as beef is concerned, that consumers are still learning about, but we’re excited to be offering it here,” Rachel said. “Our goal is always to provide the highest-quality beef for our customers. We put a lot of love and passion and effort into that, and we think that that shows up on the plate.”

Holly Riddle is a freelance food, travel and lifestyle writer. She can be reached at holly.ridd@gmail.com.