Selling Beef on the whole of half

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ky colonel

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Ones out there doing it, what kind of prices are you getting for pasture raised angus? do you go by live weight or hanging weight?
 
I sell mine live weight, finished at least 90 days on grain, and delivered to the processor for 2.25 lb.
 
I sell by hanging weight. Pretty much the same as Ol' 243 describes. They pay processing and fill out the cut sheet to their liking. Some know exactly what they want and what to do. Others don't but it is not my problem.
 
Just remember, you are selling a whole or half of an ANIMAL. Not a carcass. The price can be based on the carcass weight or live weight, but you are not allowed to sell meat - unless you have approval/license??
 
thats a good point. i do have everything to sale the meat and have been selling burger i had made from a cow. been trying it at farmer markets, been ok so far. i know people have asked if i would sale them a half or a whole beef. and i really didnt know how to approach that. i had thought just to get one cut up and sale the steaks like i have the burger.
 
I am rusty on USDA rules. If animal is processed at a licensed USDA slaughter house, can you legally sell by the pound of meat out of your home or farmer's market? I deal with a licensed and non-licensed places, so if needed, I have options.
 
Jeanne - Simme Valley":5i6kvzjl said:
I am rusty on USDA rules. If animal is processed at a licensed USDA slaughter house, can you legally sell by the pound of meat out of your home or farmer's market? I deal with a licensed and non-licensed places, so if needed, I have options.

Here you do need a license for that too. Goes back to traceability or maybe its really just taxes. But you need one. Its $150/year here. I can sell anywhere in the state and if I paid another fee and jumped through a few more hurdles and paid a few more fees I could sell nationwide.
 
Ol' 243":32vp3rar said:
I sell mine live weight,.... for 2.25 lb.
WOW $3,000 hd for 1335 lb steer plus processing and you get to weigh the steer!
How many do you sell a month?
.... maybe there's one born every 30 seconds these days, rather than every minute

1.39 lb live weight = 2.25 lb hanging weight
1.42 lb live weight = 2.30 lb hanging weight
1.50 lb live weight = 2.43 hanging weight
1.85 lb live weight = 2.99 lb hanging
2.00 lb live weight = 3.25 lb h.w.

Highest price I know of is an Organic Grassfed operation that sells beef 1/4s to restaurants 3.99 lb hanging weight plus processing.
 
i had to do usda, get health inspected $150, and that was it as long as i stay small one or two animals at a time is what the health inspector said. then if i got bigger or sold to a grocery store they would be more permits....
 
ky colonel":ohvr0rgw said:
i had to do usda, get health inspected $150, and that was it as long as i stay small one or two animals at a time is what the health inspector said. then if i got bigger or sold to a grocery store they would be more permits....
You can get around all that by selling the animal delivered to the butcher of their/your choice and they pay the butcher for processing the meat however they prefer.
 
I knew selling 1/2's or even 1/4's, you could get away with selling pretty easy. As I stated, your selling a live animal based on carcass or live wt. But, when you get into selling meat by the pound, I thought there were different rules. You might check with your state ag & mkt.
 
Son of Butch":3lb6zwri said:
Ol' 243":3lb6zwri said:
I sell mine live weight,.... for 2.25 lb.
WOW $3,000 hd for 1335 lb steer plus processing and you get to weigh the steer!
How many do you sell a month?
.... maybe there's one born every 30 seconds these days, rather than every minute

1.39 lb live weight = 2.25 lb hanging weight
1.42 lb live weight = 2.30 lb hanging weight
1.50 lb live weight = 2.43 hanging weight
1.85 lb live weight = 2.99 lb hanging
2.00 lb live weight = 3.25 lb h.w.

Highest price I know of is an Organic Grassfed operation that sells beef 1/4s to restaurants 3.99 lb hanging weight plus processing.

Well Sonabutch, never sold one that weighed 1335, most I weighed one was 1125, but yes, I sell every one I can produce privately. And yes, I weigh every one I haul at my neighbors digital scale that he let's me use. Sorry if you don't like how I do business, but I really don't give a shyt one way or the other.
 
Our steers this year likely will be $3.85 to $4.00 per pound hanging weight for quarters or halves. That includes ALL costs, including the processing (cut & wrap) fees. These are mostly grass-fed Black Angus steers that get a little grain.
 
Ol' 243":33fupbeg said:
Son of Butch":33fupbeg said:
Ol' 243":33fupbeg said:
I sell mine live weight,.... for 2.25 lb.
WOW $3,000 hd for 1335 lb steer plus processing and you get to weigh the steer!
How many do you sell a month?
.... maybe there's one born every 30 seconds these days, rather than every minute

1.39 lb live weight = 2.25 lb hanging weight
1.42 lb live weight = 2.30 lb hanging weight
1.50 lb live weight = 2.43 hanging weight
1.85 lb live weight = 2.99 lb hanging
2.00 lb live weight = 3.25 lb h.w.

Highest price I know of is an Organic Grassfed operation that sells beef 1/4s to restaurants 3.99 lb hanging weight plus processing.

Well Sonabutch, never sold one that weighed 1335, most I weighed one was 1125, but yes, I sell every one I can produce privately. And yes, I weigh every one I haul at my neighbors digital scale that he let's me use. Sorry if you don't like how I do business, but I really don't give a shyt one way or the other.
You got me wrong. I Love How You Do Business... I'm jealous! Sounds like Easy Money and selling out 100% of inventory
begs for expansion.
 
We get 2.00/lb hanging weight for a half and 2.25 for a quarter. Could probably get another 25 cents but most customers are loyal and that's worth something to me. They pay processing of course. I think a person would have to at least double that price if selling by the package. There are way more headaches that way with marketing, storage etc.
 
Do you honestly want to evaluate what your steers are worth?

Check out Fire Sweep's June 30, 2017 Steer Carcass Contest posting of data, before and after photos and carcass values
It's an excellent posting and very educational.
How do your steers compare with the 7 steers pictured these kids raised?

viewtopic.php?p=1429835


spoiler alert
5 graded choice .... with 1 steer earning premiums for the top hanging weight value 2.11 lb
1 Select + .... (1.98 lb hanging weight)
1 Select ..... (1.82 lb hanging weight) 1400 lw 870# hw = $1579

Actual Values ranged from high of 1.29 lb live weight to low of 1.13 lb lw and 2.11 lb h.w. (High) to (Low) 1.82 lb

2nd high price for hanging weight value was 2.02 lb for the largest steer grading choice and hanging 997 lbs = $1974
 
This came across my facebook feed yesterday, might be of interest in this thread...

e6ws5e.jpg
 
Firesweep,
We dont get that amount of wrapped meat from the hanging wt. (~78%). Ours are hung for about 10 days before cutting. we get more like 60-65% of wrapped meat off the hanging wt. Steaks are mostly deboned if that helps. I saw that same type of thing of facebook and thought they were alittle optimistic on some of the prices on things like round steak, chuck roast, etc.

We feed out steers/heifers (bottom end heifers) average 751# on both (693# on heifers 783# on steers) got $2.80/lb hanging wt on them. average age 14-16 months. 15 to 20 calves per year.
 
Either way you look at it, no matter what you are charging if you have visited the meat counter at your local grocery store the price and quality they are selling pales in comparison to what someone can buy freezer beef from a local breeder. My in-laws feed out a few steers a year and sell them at live weight and buyer pays the processing. The total cost usually comes out under $3 a pound which now days it's hard to buy 85% ground beef at that price at the grocery store let alone some good steaks and roasts. Plus you know where your meat comes from too. Needless to say they usually have no problems finding someone willing to buy their beef every year.
 
SPH":10pzzte1 said:
Either way you look at it, no matter what you are charging if you have visited the meat counter at your local grocery
store the price and quality they are selling pales in comparison to what someone can buy freezer beef ....

B.S.
Not always... 15 yrs ago my brother bought an over priced beef steer 1/2 from a hobby farmer at his work place.
He and his wife were so pxzzxd off with the quality, they ended up feeding 1/2 of it to their dogs... and then went
and bought a half dozen cows, just to raise a few good beef each year for their family and friends because he grew up
on a farm and loves doing it.
 

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