Homestead mailing list

["Lynn Wigglesworth" <lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com>]

I run an ad, and I have a lot of repeat customers. I hire a livestock 
'hauler' to take them to the butcher. I'm required to have the whole process 
done by a USDA butcher if I want to sell individual cuts of meat. My butcher 
does a great job; he  wanted to get into selling pasture-raised beef 
himself, so he learned about hanging times and temperatures on my meat 
(pasture-raised doesn't have as much fat, so is best hung at a slightly 
higher temperature for 2 weeks).

Lynn Wigglesworth

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "bob ford" <bobford79 AT yahoo.com>
To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 10:07 AM
Subject: Re: [Homestead] You think they won't 
taxyourhomestead...............


> Dom you run an ad in the paper to sell the quarters, halves, etc or is it 
> just word of mouth?  Does the butcher have the trailer, etc. to pick them 
> up to take to be slaughtered and butchered and to you have to rent 
> trailer, etc?  Large animals require some kind of equipment?
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> --- On Fri, 12/5/08, Lynn Wigglesworth <lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > From: Lynn Wigglesworth <lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [Homestead] You think they won't 
> > taxyourhomestead...............
> > To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > Date: Friday, December 5, 2008, 7:55 AM
> > > When you have nine or so (you've told me how you
> > get the steer calves from
> > > dairy farms), do they all become ready for butchering
> > about the same time.
> > > Do you sell them through a 'sale pen'
> > (livestock auction) , OR, do you
> > > sale them live and have them delivered live to the
> > butcher, you gives the
> > > meat to >the customer?  I'm conffused about the
> > logistics
> > >
> > I sell directly to customers as halves, quarters, and
> > individual cuts. I try
> > to wait until I have at least a quarter cow sold before I
> > have one
> > butchered, because I don't have a lot of freezer space
> > (one cow takes 2
> > full-sized freezers). Any that isn't sold as
> > halves/quarters I sell through
> > my farm stand as individual cuts.
> >
> >  I can't get the high prices here that some people can
> > for pasture-raised
> > meat, but even at supermarket prices, there's a lot of
> > profit in
> > pasture-raised. I have about $100 in hay cost (if I've
> > held them over the
> > winter) plus about $300 for hauling/butchering per cow...if
> > I sell it in
> > individual cuts, I can gross over $1200, less if I sell
> > bulk. I haven't been
> > to a livestock auction in years, but 1,000 pound beef cows
> > used to go for
> > $250-300.
> >
> > So far I can only do 2 or 3 per year, but as I increase the
> > number of cattle
> > and customers, I can do more (up to maybe 15-20 if my
> > business ever grows
> > that much). I don't do steers; I do bulls...I think
> > they stay leaner. I also
> > want them for breeding, and I try to get rid of them before
> > they get too
> > 'bullish'. One good thing about keeping them
> > 'on the hoof' is that I can
> > hold them up to 2 years until I'm ready to have them
> > butchered.
> >
> > Lynn Wigglesworth
> > Tioga Co. PA
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Homestead list and subscription:
> > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead
> > Change your homestead list member options:
> > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/homestead/bobford79%40yahoo.com
> > View the archives at:
> > https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/homestead
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Homestead list and subscription:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead
> Change your homestead list member options:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/homestead/lynnw1366%40hotmail.com
> View the archives at:
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/homestead