Murray Grey beef--price inquiry

[OKJeanne]

Hello to all!
As some of you may know, we have "officially" retired from the cattle business here at Beaver Creek Farms. However we will always have one Murray Grey steer to take to the butcher each year. This year our appointment is October 18. I have
been making up an email notice to send out to previous customers and inquiries about buying our beef. Here is my first
draft(and I will attach a cutting chart photo)
--------------------------

Greetings from Beaver Creek Farms

We have "officially" retired from the cattle business here at Beaver Creek Farms! However, we do plan to have ONE steer each year to take to the butcher shop.....and he will be taken in approx mid October,


He was raised on grass and hay. You get all the health benefits of true GRASS-FED beef. (see http://www.eatwild.com) No antibiotics, steroids, etc etc. The carcass will hang in the cooler for approx 14-21 days for increased tenderness. The meat will be vacuum packaged. There's no 'pink slime' added; no dyes; and there's no water added to the 90% lean ground beef to add to the weight.

The price for a half is 6.49 per pound of retail, packaged weight. In the past we have charged by "hanging weight"; but found that it was confusing to our customers so we switched to the way retailers charge. As before, we pay all the butcher fees. If a half is sold in two quarters, the butcher evenly divides up the cuts into two orders as they process the beef. There's no sales tax on food sold directly off our farm. The beef will be cut up & packaged according to your specification(see chart). You will be able to pick it up at Fifth Avenue processing, Sterling, OK, which is a little Northeast of Lawton, OK.


This email will be sent out to approx 25 people that have inquired in the past. An advance deposit of $100.00 is required to reserve this beef supply--which would normally last an average family for a year(i.e. estimate of finished packaged weight is around 200+/- pounds).

If you would like to reserve a supply of beef for your family, please first
call the cell number below; then mail the deposit to the address below

Best Wishes,
Carole Brown & Tommy Gunn
Beaver Creek Farms
17209 SE Lee Blvd
Lawton, OK 73501

580-591-6116 (cell)
P.S. I checked prices at Country Mart yesterday: 6.49+tax for lean ground beef and 9.99+tax for ribeyes and
t-bones!!
----------------------------------------

So here is my question: What is the 'going' price for a half of grass-fed beef these days? We have not been selling any beef for the past few years and instead focused on breeding stock, except for our own freezer---so I have not kept
up with current pricing info.

Thanks for any advice!
Regards,
Carole

 

[Katpau]

I would leave out the pink slime comment. I find it offensive and some of your buyers may share my view. What you are referring to is lean finely textured beef. It is a product made when food processing equipment is used to separate lean meat from fat. There are no indications the product is unhealthy. Tests have shown the opposite actually, and to me it seems like a good idea. Most of us don't want to eat all that fat, but why waste all of the meat that is in it? The whole thing was started by people who don't believe anyone should ever eat meat. Lots of people lost their jobs over this.

I am not sure of the rules in Oklahoma, but you may want to check out whether or not you can legally sell meat without the proper permits and whether or not your butcher meets state requirement for selling to the public. In Oregon you can legally sell the animal and have the buyer pay processing costs, but selling beef is an expensive and complicated process that requires inspections and licenses.

 

[WalnutCrest]

USDA inspected beef had different sales rules than state indicted beef.

 

[Son of Butch]

There's no 'pink slime' added; no dyes; and there's no water added to the 90% lean ground beef to add to the weight.
I agree the pink slime comment is unproductive and possibly offensive to some.

The price for a half is 6.49 per pound of retail, packaged weight.
There's no sales tax on food sold directly off our farm.
Has the beef you are selling been USDA inspected?
IF not...
It is illegal to sell packaged beef directly off a farm unless it has been USDA inspected and is marked as such.
People do it and I know of one that was caught. He advertised it similar to you and that is what got him in trouble.

P.S. I checked prices at Country Mart yesterday: 6.49+tax for lean ground beef and 9.99+tax for ribeyes and
t-bones!!
Everyone goes to the grocery store and knows the prices, so I wouldn't bother with it.
No need to point out the obvious and in addition perhaps open yourself to criticism.
ie my grocery store charges 5.99 making you a liar by saying 6.49

Thanks for any advice!

 

[OKJeanne]

Thanks for the advice. Selling beef direct to the public certainly is not to everyone's liking.....at times it is a chore to deal with the public. I guess if it was simple, everyone would be doing it to gain that retail dollar of income. It is correct that each state has its own set of rules regarding direct-marketing. If we could raise a steer that was all steak, we could make a fortune!!

 

[Son of Butch]

Thanks for the advice. Selling beef direct to the public certainly is not to everyone's liking.....at times it is a chore
to deal with the public. I guess if it was simple, everyone would be doing it to gain that retail dollar of income.
It is correct that each state has its own set of rules regarding direct-marketing.
If we could raise a steer that was all steak, we could make a fortune!!

State sales tax and other rules, yes.
But USDA requirement is a Federal Law and applies in each and every state.

 

[WalnutCrest]

Thanks for the advice. Selling beef direct to the public certainly is not to everyone's liking.....at times it is a chore
to deal with the public. I guess if it was simple, everyone would be doing it to gain that retail dollar of income.
It is correct that each state has its own set of rules regarding direct-marketing.
If we could raise a steer that was all steak, we could make a fortune!!

State sales tax and other rules, yes.
But USDA requirement is a Federal Law and applies in each and every state.

This.

+1

...etc.

 

[M.Magis]

Yes, get the pink slime comment out. Not a big fan of selling out the industry with known lies for personal profit.

 

[BrandX]

we sell $7 a pound packaged meat

 

[OKJeanne]

we sell $7 a pound packaged meat

Thanks Brandx....that was the subject of my inquiry.

 

[elkwc]

I personally don't see anything wrong with the pink slime comment. I have quit buying anywhere that ever did it. I have been raised on ranches and been around feedlots and have butchered several head and had many butchered. I do see a problem with it. Again we are each entitled to our opinion based upon our experience.

 

[Son of Butch]

Your Mother Serves Grilled Vegetables...

 

[HDRider]

Thanks for the advice. Selling beef direct to the public certainly is not to everyone's liking.....at times it is a chore
to deal with the public. I guess if it was simple, everyone would be doing it to gain that retail dollar of income.
It is correct that each state has its own set of rules regarding direct-marketing.
If we could raise a steer that was all steak, we could make a fortune!!

State sales tax and other rules, yes.
But USDA requirement is a Federal Law and applies in each and every state.

Some states have state inspection and a farmer can sell retail packages in that state.

Arkansas does not.

South Carolina does.

 

[Backbone Ranch]

Carole, I am glad to hear that you are still finishing some Murray Grey steers. Currently, our prices for a half, once it is all boxed up, is $6.75 a lb. For a quarter, it is $7.00 per lb.

 

[Cada22]

My question is why send it out to 25 customers if you only have one steer for sale as you stated?

 

[boondocks]

I personally don't see anything wrong with the pink slime comment. I have quit buying anywhere that ever did it. I have been raised on ranches and been around feedlots and have butchered several head and had many butchered. I do see a problem with it. Again we are each entitled to our opinion based upon our experience.

Maybe she could say "no meat by-products" instead. A bit less inflammatory.

 

[OKJeanne]

I sent to 25 of my previously filed email addresses of people that had bought meat in past years. Many messages bounced back to my inbox because people had changed email addresses....always get "undeliverable" notices with such an
announcement about beef availability.

The beef has been sold. Producers who have never attempted to direct-market beef probably have never made a
concerted effort to inquire about what is most important to potential customers. Since 1995 we have always tried
to ask why people wanted beef direct from the farm instead of from the grocery store. For many years people said they
wanted antibiotic-free and steroid-free beef. Then after BSE and the pink slime documentary were in the news; then
people added that. And, as usual, they wanted "tender" steaks....no one ever asked if the steaks were marbled---it
was always a question about tenderness. At any rate, there was lots of marketing advice in the above comments, but just a
few price disclosures!! Thanks for all comments!

 

[boondocks]

I sent to 25 of my previously filed email addresses of people that had bought meat in past years. Many messages bounced back to my inbox because people had changed email addresses....always get "undeliverable" notices with such an
announcement about beef availability.

The beef has been sold. Producers who have never attempted to direct-market beef probably have never made a
concerted effort to inquire about what is most important to potential customers. Since 1995 we have always tried
to ask why people wanted beef direct from the farm instead of from the grocery store. For many years people said they
wanted antibiotic-free and steroid-free beef. Then after BSE and the pink slime documentary were in the news; then
people added that. And, as usual, they wanted "tender" steaks....no one ever asked if the steaks were marbled---it
was always a question about tenderness. At any rate, there was lots of marketing advice in the above comments, but just a
few price disclosures!! Thanks for all comments!

glad you sold it!

 

[callmefence]

I would leave out the pink slime comment. I find it offensive and some of your buyers may share my view. What you are referring to is lean finely textured beef. It is a product made when food processing equipment is used to separate lean meat from fat. There are no indications the product is unhealthy. Tests have shown the opposite actually, and to me it seems like a good idea. Most of us don't want to eat all that fat, but why waste all of the meat that is in it? The whole thing was started by people who don't believe anyone should ever eat meat. Lots of people lost their jobs over this.

I am not sure of the rules in Oklahoma, but you may want to check out whether or not you can legally sell meat without the proper permits and whether or not your butcher meets state requirement for selling to the public. In Oregon you can legally sell the animal and have the buyer pay processing costs, but selling beef is an expensive and complicated process that requires inspections and licenses.

Nobody in Oklahoma is delicate enough to be offended by pink slime
.no matter what your referring to.