The last 48 hours have been disruptive for small family farmers like us! The COVID-19 global pandemic is now causing difficulties for local beef producers. We have been overwhelmed by interest in purchasing beef, both by our regular customers and new customers.
Here are the ways we are being affected. First, we have a limited number of animals available each year to harvest for sale. Some of our animals are used for custom processing. This is how you buy a quarter or half of a live animal. We also reserve some of our animals to supply our retail beef sales. Our retail beef is USDA-inspected and privately labeled, so we can sell individual cuts and packages directly to the customer. Demand for custom processing this year is rapidly depleting our supply of beeves.
Second, the local butcher shops have been overwhelmed by farmers looking for an alternative way to sell their beef animals. Meat processing plants have been shut down due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, which is the way most beef is produced for market in the United States. This has led to reduced supplies of beef in the store, along with rising prices. Unstable supplies and prices also lead consumers to alternative choices, such as purchasing direct from farmers like us! The lead time for scheduling a butcher date has mushroomed in the past week!
Last week, we scheduled 2 steers for butcher on May 29, 2020. Yesterday, we inquired about a butcher date with our regular processor. We were given a date of August 7, 2020. We grabbed that date, but we were surprised how far out the scheduled date has leaped! We have talked to other local butchers and their next-available dates are in September 2020. In addition, processing costs are beginning to rise as well.
Third, because of the lead time now required for scheduling a butcher date, we can't refill our freezers as often. In addition, new customers seeking high-quality alternatives to grocery store supplies are increasing our sales. We are concerned that we may not be able to continue to supply all of our retail customers.
What are we doing based on these disruptions in the local beef markets? We have discontinued sale prices for most of our beef products, reverting to our regular prices. (We still have a good supply of beef sticks and summer sausage, so this sale continues!) Our prices on retail sales are still comparable to grocery store prices, but we believe our beef products are a higher quality.
We have also discontinued the sale price on custom processed quarters and halves. Our supply of steers for 2020 is limited to those who were born two years ago! The time between supply (the birth of bull calves) and demand (24-30 months of natural growth on healthy grass) makes it difficult for small producers like us to predict the market realities.
We will continue to supply our customers with high quality local beef as long as possible. Please contact us to identify the current availability. And remember, we also sell honey, blackberry jam, and apple butter grown and produced on our farm!
Here are the ways we are being affected. First, we have a limited number of animals available each year to harvest for sale. Some of our animals are used for custom processing. This is how you buy a quarter or half of a live animal. We also reserve some of our animals to supply our retail beef sales. Our retail beef is USDA-inspected and privately labeled, so we can sell individual cuts and packages directly to the customer. Demand for custom processing this year is rapidly depleting our supply of beeves.
Second, the local butcher shops have been overwhelmed by farmers looking for an alternative way to sell their beef animals. Meat processing plants have been shut down due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, which is the way most beef is produced for market in the United States. This has led to reduced supplies of beef in the store, along with rising prices. Unstable supplies and prices also lead consumers to alternative choices, such as purchasing direct from farmers like us! The lead time for scheduling a butcher date has mushroomed in the past week!
Last week, we scheduled 2 steers for butcher on May 29, 2020. Yesterday, we inquired about a butcher date with our regular processor. We were given a date of August 7, 2020. We grabbed that date, but we were surprised how far out the scheduled date has leaped! We have talked to other local butchers and their next-available dates are in September 2020. In addition, processing costs are beginning to rise as well.
Third, because of the lead time now required for scheduling a butcher date, we can't refill our freezers as often. In addition, new customers seeking high-quality alternatives to grocery store supplies are increasing our sales. We are concerned that we may not be able to continue to supply all of our retail customers.
What are we doing based on these disruptions in the local beef markets? We have discontinued sale prices for most of our beef products, reverting to our regular prices. (We still have a good supply of beef sticks and summer sausage, so this sale continues!) Our prices on retail sales are still comparable to grocery store prices, but we believe our beef products are a higher quality.
We have also discontinued the sale price on custom processed quarters and halves. Our supply of steers for 2020 is limited to those who were born two years ago! The time between supply (the birth of bull calves) and demand (24-30 months of natural growth on healthy grass) makes it difficult for small producers like us to predict the market realities.
We will continue to supply our customers with high quality local beef as long as possible. Please contact us to identify the current availability. And remember, we also sell honey, blackberry jam, and apple butter grown and produced on our farm!
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