# Hanging Weight Price?



## strawberrygirl (Feb 11, 2009)

I was just curious as to what the price (per pound) is for hanging weight. We just bought a pig, and I was wondering how much it was going for in other areas.


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## cooper101 (Sep 13, 2010)

Depends on a lot of factors:

Growing conditions, confinement, pasture, etc.
Feed used
Breed of the pig
Local market conditions
Market price vs direct to consumer
How good of a salesman you are
Time of year

Lots of different variables

We sell ours at $2.25 per pound hanging weight (no head, no skin, no feet, no guts), processing is additional.

And somtimes I think that's too cheap.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

As Cooper101 says, it varies with location and product. Where you are makes a big difference. What you buy makes an even bigger difference. CAFO factory pigs go the cheapest generally. Quality costs more because it is in demand.

For whole pigs we get $3.50/lb based on hanging weight (~180 to 220 lbs)

The customer also pays:
$45 for slaughter
$135 for cut & wrap vacuum pack
$2.50/lb smoking bacon, hams, trotters, hocks, etc
$2.50/lb linked sausage a mix of any of the types we do
$10 delivery on our route

We also offer our hot dogs at a discount for people buying whole pigs.

We raise pastured dairy fed pigs breeding to finishing and sell weekly, delivering to local stores, restaurants and individuals. You can see how we price things here:

Literature | Sugar Mountain Farm

See the brochure and the order form. Note those are retail prices. We sell about 88% wholesale. Wholesale buyers buy in quantity and have standing weekly orders so they get a discount off the retail prices. This saves us from having to man a store front. We're rather out of the way up a dirt road in the mountains so not too handy for people to come here which is why we do a weekly delivery route.


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## strawberrygirl (Feb 11, 2009)

Thanks for the replies. It's been avout 2 years since we purchased a whole pig. It was locally raised. Fed feed and organic vegetables. 

We paid:

$2.00 lb hang weight (193 pounds)
$65 butcher fee
.60 lb to cut and wrap
$113 for the smoking (he takes it to a local shop)


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

strawberrygirl said:


> Thanks for the replies. It's been avout 2 years since we purchased a whole pig. It was locally raised. Fed feed and organic vegetables.
> 
> We paid:
> 
> ...


For butcher hogs i get $ 2.50 lb. Natural pasture raised hog. ( Blue Butts.)and Yorkshires.
Plus processors fee. The processing here is about half your cost there.


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## bruceki (Nov 16, 2009)

Feed is up to $580 a ton here in washington state. I was charging $2.25/lb hanging, but I'm going to have to raise it; probably going to $2.80/lb hanging. Feed surcharge. 

Farm kill is $60
Cut-and-wrap is $0.57/lb
cure is $0.57/lb
smoke is $0.57/lb
Sausage is included in the cut and wrap, but it's one kind. So you choose sweet italian or breakfast or whatever, and get all of that kind and only that kind. 

It works out to be $3.10/lb hanging weight, including everything.


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## strawberrygirl (Feb 11, 2009)

Thanks Bruce. Ours averaged out to $3.52 lb. Not bad at all. IMO


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## Tall Grille (May 4, 2011)

This thread intrigues me. Last year I raised 5 pigs for friends and family. We split all the costs 5 ways. Costs of fencing, cost of feed, cost of hay, cost of wood for constructing shelters and troths, everything but the labor was split 5 ways. It ended up being $425 per pig and they were 180-210 lbs hanging. This year I quoted a flat rate of $300 to raise a pig for those involved last year as a way to buy the fencing back from them, I quoted $350 for those who didn't have one last year. Grain has gone up $7 per hundred since I quoted this price, so I am loosing my shirt. I have three unsold pigs and will try to get $3.00 per Lb. on those to make up some of my money. They seem to be going for $2-$4 per Lb on Craigslist around here.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Add to that the cost of labor, mortgage, real estate taxes, fuel for transport, retirement, education (mistakes) and the other expenses of farming and you come up with the real cost. Then add on what you would like to profit.

I come out at about $3.50/lb for whole pigs plus processing. I see up to $5.25/lb hanging but that is closer to NY City where prices and costs are both higher.

Every year I see people who try to start 'pig farming' as well as other endeavors and underprice themselves right out of the market. It doesn't do customers a favor by lowballing since if you can't afford to keep sustainably farming you'll be out of the business very quickly. 

Our customers want the dependable, week after week delivery. That's how they make their money (stores & restaurants), by reselling. They need to know the product will be consistently available and of consistent high quality. On occasion I've had one stop buying because they found a cheaper source but then they always return either because the quality is lower with the cheaper source or because the cheaper source vanishes.

Figure out your true costs of everything and don't sell below that. Never, ever compare to the manager's special (about to go out of date) at the supermarket. Sell quality. You really need to make a profit above that to be sustainable so you can keep doing it year after year.

Better to put a pig in the freezer than sell at a loss.


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## Viking (May 1, 2012)

I've got feeders "contracted" at $4.00 a pound, after processing


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Is that $4/lb hanging or live or delivered cuts?

Wholesale or retail?

Does processing include slaughter, butchering, vac or paper, sausage, smoking?

Ours comes out out to $4.50/lb hanging for pig+slaughter+butcher vacuum packed.

Always interesting to see how others arrange the sale. Years ago we did it as a package price but found that didn't work because the pigs aren't always the same weight so we always got the short end of that stick. Not everyone wants the same processing. Some want lots of sausage or smoking, others not. That is why we've gone with the a-la-carte pricing. We also have boxed packages of various sizes for people who want it simple and we have by the cut for those who just want a particular cut. Then there's roasters and live pigs for spring weaners.

Cheers,

-Walter


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

3$ a pound plus all processing fees.


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## Jean in Virginia (Oct 5, 2008)

I just sold a half for 2.50 a lb hanging, she paid .50 per lb processing, I did my own butchering.


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## Viking (May 1, 2012)

highlands said:


> Is that $4/lb hanging or live or delivered cuts?
> 
> Wholesale or retail?
> 
> ...



Yeah, I was pretty vague, wasn't I?.....

$4.00/lb is what I have quoted my friends for what the cost is _likely_ going to run them (hanging weight) for the halves they have committed to. This includes processing and vacuum sealing. Of course, I caveat this and let them know that the final cost will depend on their curing and sausage preferences. I leave the curing and sausage to the processor. The final $/lb of the cuts will of course come out to a little more since they don't all want the lard, hocks, etc. I've calculated my costs, and at $4.00/lb I can cover them and basic processing fees and come out nicely ahead.

I haven't expanded into the a-la-carte sales yet, but that might be down the road. I'm not doing this for a living yet.


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