Freezer Beef

[wtrapp]

Just wondering what you all consider a fair price for your freezer beef and do you include the processing or let the customer pay that when picking up at the slaughter house.?

 

[c farmer]

I sell my freezer beef for $1.00 per pound live weight and the customer pays the butcher and for the hauling.

 

[cypressfarms]

I've just changed my price to $2.50 per pound hanging weight. I pay the butchering fee. The local butcher up'd the price to $50/head plus 50 cents per pound to slaughter, cut and wrap - so I went up as well. Around here I'm the only one paying for the butchering. Most people that sell calves in my area either split the butchering fee or have the buyer pay it all. One note though - be careful how you sell it. Unless your a "approved" butcher, you can't sell meat like a store would. I get around this by having the customers pick the meat up themselves. I only supply the calf to the butcher.

 

[Galloways1]

We charge $2.50/lb hanging weight also. We also sell smaller packages, at higher rates. We don't charge full retail, but enough to justify the extra handling.

 

[wtrapp]

Thanks guys. Right now I'm getting $2.10 per pound hanging weight and the customer pays the kill fee, processing and they pick up. So we're pretty close.

 

[backhoeboogie]

THere are a few very long threads on this discussion. You might try searching if you didn't get all the answers you were looking for.

 

[RICHARDL]

What is the whole process when it comes time for me to bring my calfes to slaughter?? :cowboy:

 

[backhoeboogie]

What is the whole process when it comes time for me to bring my calfes to slaughter?? :cowboy:

Load em in the trailer, haul em to the slaughter house, unload em at the slaughter house. They weigh them and the place I go to gives you a card with the weight on it and what number the calf is. Then they if they are good usually kill it that day. Then you go in and tell em how you want it cut up and you are on your way.

It aint quite that easy at the 9 choices around here. This time of year, you can be put on 6 and 8 week waiting lists.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

What is the whole process when it comes time for me to bring my calfes to slaughter?? :cowboy:

In AZ you need a self inspection (brand) certificate or one from a state brand inspector before you can move livestock, and the rules for selling meat are in flux right now - best to talk to local extension people in your area (or other producers who sell that way). For a while here you had to sell shares of a "live" animal, or create a buying club and charge to join but give away the meat. Mostly rules put in place to shut down competition. Read Joel Salatins books. http://www.polyfacefarms.com/default.aspx

 

[crimsoncrazy]

What is the whole process when it comes time for me to bring my calfes to slaughter?? :cowboy:

We pay someone to come out, shoot the calves, do all the skinning and gutting and hang them in quarters in our big walk in freezer. Then we let them hang for about 10-11 days. Then the whole family gets together and we cut them up. We usually do 2 steers at a time because thats all the freezer will hold. We do 4 steers a year for the whole family.

 

[shorty]

I get $1.80lb hangiing and the customer pays the processing.