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Not sure where to post-direct marketing

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PPRM

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 10, 2005
Messages
1,998
Location
NE Oregon
We really stepped out more selling direct this year. Hit some Farmers markets, a big reason I have been gone from the board....

It has been rewarding....People come back every week and rave about my beef. I sell corn fed, fairly lean....Dry Aged 18-21 days. No Hormones given, no antibiotics....I think the flavor and tendernes surprise them

I don't do the hormone/antibiotic deal because that is what the market says. I am not a promotor of that, just accepted the reality and decided I could get a lot of the gain with genetics anyway....iT ISN'T MY SOAPBOX, BUT i REALIZED THE REALITY OF IT LONG AGO.

I did have one guy buy a 50 pound pack. Says his son has reaction to store bought, but not mine....Why? I have no real idea, but it is a case of someone not buying Beef before who is now.

I feel that is an important contribution to the industry. I have had 3 ladies buy beef for thier family and come back and say, "I bought it because my husband likes Beef, I neve reat it, but I tried yours and I will eat it" I think this shows the importance of feeding right and also of the dry aging....

I think the hard part is overcoming peoples habits. They take our flyers and say they are glad and will call. But what i notice is when we were t the Farmers market, they come shop....It is the habit to go shop. But call us, they don't.......Not many anyhow. It has only been a little while, and some have bought 10-20 pound packs that will last them. Many said they tried ours and now intend on buying a half or quarter of a beef. But I know from my sales background, Being at the Famrers market kept me in front of them and on thier mind. That season is over now.I gotta figure a way to not become, "Oh yeah, w were going to do that but never did"

Anyway, just some ramblings....


PPRM
 
We have a few people that we market to who are much the same as your "non meat eaters".. They went off beef or whatever for various reasons but they have started up again by buying direct from farmers/ranchers. It is great feeling when they call you back after having a bit of that first steak or roasting that first chicken and saying how great it is and asking how much of a deposit tdo they need to send to get the next one... We do the antibiotic and hormone impanted free thign as well but we are getting a lot of pressure from customers to have grass fed... The last thing they push for is us getting certified organic.. It is interesting and fun and nerve racking too..

My wife laughs at me because everytime we sell a beef I am all paranoid.. Is it ging to be good enough, are they going to like it.. Did I charge enough, did I charge too much, did the butcher do a good job... Than the cal generaly comes in and I feel much better :lol: except for the people who wanted it for cheaper... But I will not compete on price with Walmart and we are a heck of a lot cheaper than Whole foods. I have a friend who does it and he likes to say you aren't selling Geo's you are selling Cadillacs so don't fret about the price.


Trying to do farmers markets next year. Just need to get the final paper work done iwth the county/state health departments.
 
Get their phone number when they buy and call them... Maybe a flyer with your number on the bottom so they can tear off the number.. Have you seen these flyers??? We sell some beef by word of mouth.... Drug free is a big thing.....
 
Pat, I think you are right about a service to the entire beef industry when you get folks that never usually eat beef to eat yours.

I have found the same comments about reactions to generic store bought beef but not mine. It makes me wonder about the vaccines, as that is really the only big difference.

I know most people won't call for more beef, they do just shop and buy whats there. A very select few realize they can buy a half and save a fair bit, but the idea of paying for 6 months of beef at a time just baffles most consumers. Too many live from paycheque to paycheque.

It is satisfying to get the true reaction to your end product. Every rancher should sell a few beef in his/her life just to get the idea of what is involved.
 
IL Rancher said:
We have a few people that we market to who are much the same as your "non meat eaters".. They went off beef or whatever for various reasons but they have started up again by buying direct from farmers/ranchers. It is great feeling when they call you back after having a bit of that first steak or roasting that first chicken and saying how great it is and asking how much of a deposit tdo they need to send to get the next one... We do the antibiotic and hormone impanted free thign as well but we are getting a lot of pressure from customers to have grass fed... The last thing they push for is us getting certified organic.. It is interesting and fun and nerve racking too..

My wife laughs at me because everytime we sell a beef I am all paranoid.. Is it ging to be good enough, are they going to like it.. Did I charge enough, did I charge too much, did the butcher do a good job... Than the cal generaly comes in and I feel much better :lol: except for the people who wanted it for cheaper... But I will not compete on price with Walmart and we are a heck of a lot cheaper than Whole foods. I have a friend who does it and he likes to say you aren't selling Geo's you are selling Cadillacs so don't fret about the price.


Trying to do farmers markets next year. Just need to get the final paper work done iwth the county/state health departments.
Click to expand...

LOL, we are peas in a pod.....

Although Chicken? You sell Chicken? That is just Fowl Meat, LOL,

The flyers do have my e-mail and phone number on them. Being inspected and able to sell small packs has been huge. Many times it is just two people, so Quarter is a lot or the budget doesn't allow the to spend that much,

PPRM
 
Strange, isn't it that when we sell someone a quarter or side, that we should worry about it being "right"? We only sell a few head per year direct to the consumer, but I always have a moment's worry about - "is it over-finished too lean. . . "? In over twenty years we have had one complaint - and that was from a scrappy SIL. Forget it.

I guess the reason that I am concerned is because most of our customers buy a big enough quantity to last them 6 mo. to a year at a time.

Lately though, the grown children of our mainstay customers are starting to discover how good the beef tasted when they still lived at home. When they started buying their meat at the store, they noticed a big difference and are starting to come to us for their beef.

That's all good, but the difficulty is in the fact that they want to buy only certain cuts or ground beef. So, we run into a problem of figuring out how to price the cuts they want and how to handle the left overs, if and when we get any.

So, with this experience in mind, I think Jason's post quoted below
is an extremely valid statement. I think that we beef producers walk away from the real profit because it is too much trouble to try to accomodate the market that will pay the premium we want and need for our product.

It's so much easier to just sell them to the packer or dump them at the stockyards. And of course, most of you who finish cattle would need a huge market. (Thousands of customers!?)

Jason said:
Every rancher should sell a few beef in his/her life just to get the idea of what is involved.
Click to expand...
 
PPRM,

The chicken is a hook,we make almost zip off of it after we pay for our labor but we raise some for ourselves and it is good to keep the customers happy. Beef is the bigest ticket item, Pork, of al things, is the highest profit for us and Lamb the easiest.. Yep, we do it all almost, even did Turkeys one year, never again... My wife even bought some goats.. The sheep and goats basicaly are for weed control but we bought meat animals and we have a good ethnic market locally and into Chicago... Beef is the best demand item we have. The problem is you sell a whole beef and than that customer is gone for a while, need that chicken and other stuff to keep them around :wink:

I can't believe it is raining again.. ..Oh well, least I got 30 bales of stalks up while they were dry.
 
Maple Leaf Angus said:
Strange, isn't it that when we sell someone a quarter or side, that we should worry about it being "right"? We only sell a few head per year direct to the consumer, but I always have a moment's worry about - "is it over-finished too lean. . . "? In over twenty years we have had one complaint - and that was from a scrappy SIL. Forget it.

I guess the reason that I am concerned is because most of our customers buy a big enough quantity to last them 6 mo. to a year at a time.

Lately though, the grown children of our mainstay customers are starting to discover how good the beef tasted when they still lived at home. When they started buying their meat at the store, they noticed a big difference and are starting to come to us for their beef.

That's all good, but the difficulty is in the fact that they want to buy only certain cuts or ground beef. So, we run into a problem of figuring out how to price the cuts they want and how to handle the left overs, if and when we get any.

So, with this experience in mind, I think Jason's post quoted below
is an extremely valid statement. I think that we beef producers walk away from the real profit because it is too much trouble to try to accomodate the market that will pay the premium we want and need for our product.

It's so much easier to just sell them to the packer or dump them at the stockyards. And of course, most of you who finish cattle would need a huge market. (Thousands of customers!?)

Jason said:
Every rancher should sell a few beef in his/her life just to get the idea of what is involved.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

I do pretty good for th mot part in finishing them right, but I do always worry. The calves I sell direct aren't as Fat as the ones that I send to Tyson.....

As far as pricing cuts......First it has to be USDA Inspected....Second...Yeild is King. However, I flor everything to get at least $3.00/pound...My burger is lean and doesn't shrink down. I never realized this before, but I had customers tell me my hamburger isn't tough like they get at the store. The first person that told me this I thot was a nutcase...How could ground product be tough...But thinking about it, my burger is from calves, no imported lean, ect.....Plus, the dry aging...I don't know for sure, but that is what I suspect....

But back to price...and all this is frozen product....

50 pound-$175-A popular choice that is convenient and lasts! It is about 1/3 Steaks, 1/3 Roasts and 1/3 Burger.

20 Pound-$75.00-A smaller pack that includes Burger, a Roast and Steaks. A great way to have variety through the week or month

10 Pound-$40.00-A smaller pack that includes Burger, a Roast and Steaks. A great way to have variety through the week or month

Burger-$3.00/Package…..About 1Lb. packages….

Steaks-$4.00-$12.00/lb

Ribeye-$12.00/lb
Tenderloin- $12.00/lb
T-Bone- $9.00/lb
Sirloin-$9.00/lb
Top Round-$4.00/lb
Cubed-$4.00/lb

Roasts-$3.00/Lb
Stew Meat-$3.00/lb


That is my price sheet......I felt bad charging as much for Tenderloin and Rib Steaks, but I am almost always sold out!

I will run specials as something builds up....I will do Round steaks 3 pounds for $10.00, ect......Never have any tbones, burger, Rib steaks or Tenderloin build up though....

PPRM
 
All natural grass fed beef from Wisconsin. No antibotics or hormones. we
are organic. It takes a good butcher and a good cook to make good beef.

A request I have for all of you is please don't forget your local food pantry.

And don't forget the soup bones for the doggie :D
 
Shorthorn,

I will be raising some Grass Fat Beef to. I feed corn fed because it is my personal preferance. The thing I hear about raising Grass Fat is it is hard to get consistency. It sounds like the best comes off a Legume/Grass early Summer Pasture. Is that true?

I am getting the fat content of my corn fed tested. When you fry the Burger, there is no fat left in the pan. I also sometimes wonder anbout the comparisons for Grass vs Corn Fat. Are they Apples to Apples as far as testing similar fat content animals. Or are they comparing an animal that wouldn't even makle select gainst Hamburger that is 20% Fat?

An example that led me to wonder...I saw some ads for Buffalo Burger at Fred Meyer's in Oregon. I went to look.....17% fat content! Sooooo...What is healthier? 17% fat Buffalo Burger or 7% fat Hamburger from Beef......

I am only sayong that to point out a lot of the current ideas come from good sound Bites (Eat Buffalo meat it is healthier because it is leaner for example), but not always apples to apples comparisons......

I will also be raisinbg Grass Fed. I have had enough requests that it will be part of what I raise....But the Corn Fed for me has been a Hit...


PPRM
 
How about getting your customers address that have bought once, say a quarter, and in 3 or 4 months time, send them a lil reminder letter. Dentists and Doctors do it to remind their patients to set up an appointment, why not use that. Print up the flyer/letter on your own computer along with a 39 cent stamp.....
 
Thanks Lilly,

Everytime someone writes a check, we get thier addresses and are going to send out Christmas cards...Maytbe Newsletters with featured recipes......Hmmmm...I have some kinda funny ads I made upI'll share later,

PPRM
 
WEll of course you have to use the bulls their promoting lol. There's alot of cattle will work to grass finish-we carcass tested hereford and angus yearlings off grass 10 or 12 years ago-ultrasounded for backfat and then got them killed and government graded. They all graded and ate very well.
 
Northern Rancher said:
WEll of course you have to use the bulls their promoting lol. There's alot of cattle will work to grass finish-we carcass tested hereford and angus yearlings off grass 10 or 12 years ago-ultrasounded for backfat and then got them killed and government graded. They all graded and ate very well.
Click to expand...


I am amazed how many times I am asjed breed of cattle I raise. Well, Angus and Angus Cross, that seems to be what they are looking for. It does seem some grass fat people extole another brees, kinda a non-mainstream one. Breed promotion by the health food nuts....Well, i am afraid the would push minatures, ect...

As far as eating well....My preference is still Corn Fed. And folks notice mine as way distinctly different from what they buy at the store....I am glad you brought this up FH. Raising calves that work in direct sale....It seems my decisions are more intense.......Rib eye area????? Too Big? What is th right amount of marbling, and back fat....We don't want no stinkin Backfat, LOL......

Yep, direct marketing is maybe a good excersize for us all, LOL...


PPRM
 
When we were at the NILE, we saw a whole new breed of cattle.
They are called Lowliers or something like that. All black and
very, very small. Ever heard of those? There were quite a few
being shown.

The cattle being promoted the Grass Beef boys around here
are straight Angus. They sold some semen to a friend of ours, but I
can't remember the name of the bull. He AI'd a bunch to him.
I'll see if I can't find out who the bull is. Nothing I'd ever heard
of.

Yea, NR. Seems there is always more than meets the eye in
these deals. Someone stands to make some money right out of
the chute.
 
Another thing you could give them are refridgerator magnets my butcher sent me a couple and they are right there in view when I need to call him.They are like a business card.
 
Faster horses said:
When we were at the NILE, we saw a whole new breed of cattle.
They are called Lowliers or something like that. All black and
very, very small. Ever heard of those? There were quite a few
being shown.

The cattle being promoted the Grass Beef boys around here
are straight Angus. They sold some semen to a friend of ours, but I
can't remember the name of the bull. He AI'd a bunch to him.
I'll see if I can't find out who the bull is. Nothing I'd ever heard
of.

Yea, NR. Seems there is always more than meets the eye in
these deals. Someone stands to make some money right out of
the chute.
Click to expand...

That was most likely Lowline. They are not a new breed but rather a throw back to the angus of the 40-50's.
 

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