[Lilith]

Pigs: what an adventure - let's just say I am hooked! Especially after butchering the first (smallest) pig.
My Uncle wants to buy one of our pigs, but he keeps complaining about the price. I am forever hearing how he can buy pork at the store for $1.99 a lb. Well that would be true if the entire pig was made of shoulder roast. So, I went to the store, and price checked as many cuts of pork as I could - I am shocked at the value of my pigs - No way is he getting off cheap now! The recent price hikes in pork and beef have really worked out to my advantage! And just to be clear, not only does he want me to butcher this pig, I will also be curing and smoking all the meat for him too, so supermarket value for homegrown family recipe product is more than fair!

Here is what pork prices in my area looked like yesterday:
Chops - $2.49lb
Ribs - $3.48lb
Sausage - $3.69lb
Bacon - 6.69lb
Steak - $1.73lb
Bone In Ham - $4.29lb
Shoulder Roast - $1.99lb
Fresh Ground - $4.99lb
Tenderloin - $3.99lb
Rump Roast - $5.28lb

When we butchered our smallest pig, we got:
18lb Pork Chops - $44.82
4 lb Spare Ribs - $13.92
19lb fresh ground - $94.81
24lb bacon - $160.56
20lb Ham - $65.80
12lb shoulder Roast - $23.88
14lb Rump Roasts - $73.92

Total Value: $477.71

aprox 46lbs of bone, fat, skin, and trim that I would keep for personal use and can't charge him for.
Hanging weight of the pig was 157lbs live weight was close to 225lbs

What are pork prices like in your areas?

 

[Davstep]

Chain grocery stores have lowest prices where I am. $4.99 lb ground breakfast sausage minimum. Commercial bacon $6.99 lb minimum. All pork is high when I look. Local produced pork prices are understandably higher, but not high enough for the producer that is selling. It takes a lot of sales to show green instead of red.

Feed prices are high as well. If you feed grain, even the absolute cheapest per bag at 14% is $11.95. Cracked corn if that is your choice is the same. If you choose organic it's more around $24 per 50 lb bag.

Butcher prices start at $120 for up to 200 lb hang weight plus $45 dispatch fee. This is the lowest reputable price I found. Other locations are much higher.

 

[Dixie Bee Acres]

I haven't priced meat lately, last time I did, Bacon was over $6 pound, loin chops over $4.50 pound, sausage about $2.25 pound.
My feed cost varies a little month to month based on commodities markets, but average about:

20% starter $16, I use that for a month
18% about $11.00 or so I use that 2-3 months
15.5% $10 I keep them on that until butcher

I also offer cracked corn, $6.50 - $7.25

All prices for 50# bags.

 

[gerold]

Food locker here is the freshest and best price in town.
Value pack , Chops,steaks,bacon,pork sausage for 20 lbs. 4 bucks a lb.
Other markets are a bit higher.

I have the best freshest natural raised pork in the area. $2 lb. live weigh.
3-4 mos. waiting list for my whole hogs. I do not charge a deposit.
I sell roasters, butcher hogs and breeding stock.

 

[cooper101]

I'd make sure he knows he's getting the family discount (this last time.) I've had people (not family) tell me they can get meat cheaper at the store. I tell them they're 100% correct.

 

[Lilith]

I am doing good on feed prices vs end value. I'm not worried about that part. I was just surprised at the value I created in the pigs.
As far as the "family discount" whenever he gripes about what I am going to charge him, I ask him "Just how much of a family discount do I get on mechanic work?" That usually shuts him up - else he goes off on a rant about how his mechanics skills are worth something. At that point, I roll my eyes and ask him if he wants to fix his own roof and raise his own pigs, sew his own buttons back on his work shirts, and clean his own toilet (all things he has me do, or hire out for him). He is a divorced grumpy ole know it all turd, but he is my grumpy ole turd - and we take care of each other. It's just to bad he doesn't work very well on the IOU barter system lol.
My sister on the other hand is getting a far better "family discount" - My sister is "helping" butcher aka - shooting the pigs, packing tubs back and forth to the cooler, and sharpening knives (we don't let her touch much meat yet - it ends badly) and giving me wild game. She gets the best deal as she is a single mother, and I'll "bless her heart" for trying to help and for taking good care of my nephews. She even makes the boys (age 3 and 5) help with butchering. If nothing else, the youngest was good for a great belly laugh when he found the heart and took a big ole bite out of it raw. They do a great job spraying down the cutting areas with the garden hose and keeping everything clean while we cut.

 

[gerold]

Most that want a cheap hog want it right now. I have a waiting list put them on it. Most times i forget about them and they do to.

 

[fixitguy]

We have paid $1.99 per pound, hanging weight the past two springs.
Our local meat locker has a big sale before Easter.
They smoke the ham, cut in to ham steaks.
I keep the small 3~4 pound hams, chops, loins etc., bacon sliced thicker, then 1/2 brats, 1/2 pork sausage.

Normally I buy a 1/2 hog, last spring I ordered a whole hog. I was unsure what was going on with the pig virus, and was afraid the prices could get crazy.

I see bacon at the store was $6.99 per pound, chops are $3.49, and ham is quite spendy this time of year.

 

[highlands]

1. Don't compete on price - sell on quality.

2. Be aware that the prices he can get at the supermarket may be "Manager's Specials" which are about to go out of date and not a valid comparison to fresh quality pork.

3. Supermarkets routinely underprice a few products in their fliers to draw customers in. These are called loss leaders. They hope you'll come in, buy the limited two pork chops and then spend $100 on other higher priced stuff.

Don't sell low by the cut a whole pig, sell it hanging weight plus processing. This is fair and standard. The whole pig has to be sold. Don't dis-include the oddments and trim. Sell by the whole hanging carcass's weight. If someone is just buying a few cuts then they can pay the retail price which is about two to three times the hanging weight prices but varies greatly by the cut. High on the hog cuts cost a LOT more than medium and low cuts.

Prices in general will vary regionally with your local economy. I live and farm in a cheaper land area and sell into the higher priced urban areas. That's how farming typically has worked over the millennia.

Here are our prices, don't use them as an absolute but the relative pricing between cuts will give you a good idea of relative pricing, adjust for your area and what you are selling:

http://SugarMtnFarm.com/lit

Short answer:
Whole pigs: $3.50/lb + $55 slaughter + $150 cut & wrap + $2.50/lb for sausage & smoking

Frankly, family is not a good reason for a discount. I have to like someone too and I have to feel they're not just taking advantage of me. The demand is high and like them I have a mortgage to pay too.

-Walter

 

[Lilith]

Thanks for the suggestions Highlands. I told him $500 for the whole pig signed sealed and delivered 6 months ago when the idea of a 250lb pig didn't seem like it would ever happen. I did the price breakdown as a replaicement cost wake up call to his complaints.

Pretty much everyone in my circles here either haul animals well over 100 miles for butcher or butchers themselves due to unethical butchering practices and prices locally. The local guy charges $35 kill fee, and .60 a lb hanging weight for cut and wrap plus $.75 per lb extra for any smoking, cure and sausage making. Then you are lucky to get back 120lbs of meat out of a 200lb hanging animal. The last yorkshire pig my parents had done was 321lb live weight / 227 hanging weight, and they got back 8lbs of fresh side pork, and 118lbs of meat total - and no lard. Not something I am willing to pay for when I can get so much more out of it myself. We have to figure in the time and materials of butchering ourselves to recover thoes expenses, and can't sell to the public that way. Good thing I really enjoy cutting meat.

 

[krackin]

A whole hog from me runs $600 plus or minus $50. That is hanging weight which averages 300#. I do not sell cuts, maybe sometime I will from my own farmstand. I'm lower than most in my area except a few in the Western Maine Foothills. They are about the same, some include processing but it runs about the same for hanging weight.

The processing prices you mention are about the same here at any place 'near' me. Kill is about $50. I don't process my own anymore. I can but I don't. I have other places that need attention more. So, with that, off I go to do ground work to move greenhouse.