The natural beef market has developed into a legitimate marketing option with incentives attractive enough to justify consideration. Before a cattle producer participates in a natural beef program, it’s important to have an understanding of the natural beef requirements for the branded program they are interested in. There are numerous natural beef programs, each with it’s own set of production requirements. Natural programs are different from organic programs in several ways. Natural programs are administered and regulated by the company or organization that owns the brand name not the USDA. To use the term natural on a food label the USDA only requires three things: (1) the product must be minimally processed (2) the product cannot contain any artificial ingredients and (3) the product cannot contain any preservatives. The USDA has no specific restrictions on management practices during the life of the animal.