Just to be clear those are their prices, not ours. They have worked for twenty years to establish a local grass fed brand that extends today well beyond beef. We never targeted direct to consumer for a variety of reasons.Thanks, interesting to get some direct feedback from the current realities
Ok interesting so you're selling direct to consumer then. The processing costs for that seem to continue getting more usurious unless you're real lucky with a local processor.
How happy your customers are with well north of $10/lb much less $20+/lb beef is another interesting note, seems wild to me.. but I've been out of touch on that for a while I guess. I would assume that's fairly regional as well.
Animals being fed in that manner are going to be strong flavored and tougher to chew.
Most Florida animals are moved to Ok/Texas to feed out before slaughter, and not that many finished here.
They have to survive and that's what is most important, most of these momma cows ain't headed to a slaughterhouse. I'm feeding these 2 out right now, 1 is a steer the other is a registered Brangus heifer that is sterile, but I will guarantee you that they will taste good on anybody's plate.
If you need to feed animals that poorly you shouldn't have them.
I didn't say that I needed to ,I try to keep pasture , hay, Rye during the winter etc, but we are in the middle of a drought since last September and trying to hold on, Florida is full of wood's cows, a little different than where you are, most cattlemen aren't trying to feed them poorly as you say, we are just trying to survive a rough patch ( drought ).
We got the Dexter's for just that purpose, small. Both for better land utilization and for selling whole/halves. Takes a lot more feed for larger framed animals and each breed grazes a bit differently. It can be hard to sell beef in the first place and not every family needs large amounts of beef, has the freezer space, or the income to buy it. I think only one of our customers is a 4 member family. All our others are elderly, husband/wife, single. Smaller size allows better freezer turn over than beef just sitting because you just don't eat it fast.
Wife sells our ground for $6. This is our 3rd year selling ground. I cannot convince her it needs to be at least $9. 1st year was $5/lb just to see how it went. My idea was a $2 increase. Skip a year and then another $2 increase. We want to run 5 animals through the store a year. This year is 2.5 animals. I foresee us being sold out in July if not earlier. Store opens May 1st until sold out.
leachman.com
As a buyer, if your product is quality, and its not a hassle to arrange pick, ect; you need to be within $0.50/lbs of market going rate on ground; maybe a $1. Thats assuming good product. Ive seen some direct sales places that the quality is just really varied on fat content, or flavor. Other direct sales operations, the pick up/order/payment is just plain a turn off...
It is pushing $1.20 processing. Your not kidding about the overhead. The daily work just taking care of the animals. Making the feed. Pisses me off trying to get her to realize the costs. What I would like to do is break off the ground section of the herd and tell her there they are, you buy the feed from me and take care of them and see what price you should sell it at. Grass fed or any specific label ground beef in the store is currently running $8+- and has been for a while. I tell her we should never be cheaper than the stores. Who cares what the customer says. If they want cheap beef go to the store. As well as what is in the store is what is left after taking out the good cuts where ours is the whole cow. Also at the correct price is would help move customers to wanting whole/halves which was the reason for the ground in the first place and to have an outlet for animals that do not fit our live animal sales.
