Beef Marketing

Jena,

If you do the farmers market you should look into whether you could sell cooked hamburgers there. I know a woman that does that at the local one in Carrollton. She makes more money selling the cooked hamburgers than the packages of meat (sales that day). She figures it gets her name out and product in front of people by being there and the money from the cooked hamburger sales brings in enough money to justify sitting there all day (actually from 8am till 1 pm).

Mike

Jena if you like I could Email you a copy of our "rules" if you want to help the vendors at your square organize into a bona fide market. Most are common sence, like no alcohol on site, vendors are responcible for following local health regs, pets must be kept on leash and away from food, etc. etc. Our rules can't be used to keep people out if they are selling self produced items, provided they don't break some pretty basic etiqutte rules. I mean you can't litterally drag a potential customer away from another vendors booth and chasing them into the parking lot to get a phone number is a no-no too. You would think its obvious but we have to make these rules to solve a problem, a truely rude person was doing exactly these sorts of things and had to be stopped.

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Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup........

a farmer near me has set up a 'farm share' program. he got folks to put down a deposit, and then pay monthly (every 3 weeks actually) for shipments or pickup of beef. i'm assuming, he will slaughter a cow and divide it up between the folks. so, you pay for smaller amounts at a time. that way, you don't NEED a freezer. you get a certain amount of steaks, ground etc. and it's divided up among the multiple shipments.
works for him, they are out of cow shares for this year!

Jena,

I think you're about 110 miles from indy but it has a growing hispanic population. According to the 2000 census, the hispanic population is now larger than the black population. the same is true of my county now (I'm in an adjacent county). Don't know if that is too far for you to consider or not. For a half or a quarter side of beef I would drive that far for someone I trusted especially and would just consider it a pretty drive (I'd go through park county on the way since it is so beautiful).

Just saying the hispanic market here is really growing,

Mel-

hey I had alot of the same Questions........The trick to marketing beef is to sell the beef on what it is.......we are on the inside looking out.....Also we are selling something people want not that they need.......so it is easier to sell.....I would suggest you join our "Beef direct marketing" group at Yahoo. I sell in grocery stores and health food stores and even a hardware store and have not tried farmers markets.......I haven't sold many halves or quarters....mainly just retail cuts.........vacuum packed in clear plastic....so you can see what your getting.......It is a little nerve racking to price ground beef at 3.99 a pound to start with.......but I have found that lots of people are not making much if any when they sell the animals if they do some figuring......most of the time half or close will be ground beef.........

Scott
www.realbeef.com

I was in Successful farming June addition it had some great articles dealing with this............

Scott

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Scott...

I am a member of mnay yahoo groups and have never found that one! I just joined (if I get approved).

Thanks.

Jena

you should I am the moderator!

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