# Locker Beef?



## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Ok my cattle raising friends. I'm back to pick your brains and ask more greenhorn questions. This time I'm wondering about locker beef sales.

One of the answers I got on raising Highlands (besides don't do it...LOL) was they sell poorly at auction and it might be better to sell locker beef. So my question is thus, is it worth the extra effort to have a beef slaughtered and sell it as halves and quarters? I see a few folks doing it on CL but I'm not about to ask them if it's a good business. 

I actually have access to a big walk in freezer (might take a beer and beef bribe though) so I'm curious about this method. Also would like to know what it is I don't know or am likely ignorant of here.

TIA!


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Regulations vary from state to state. In Michigan, most of the slaughter houses aren&#8217;t licensed so you can sell your beef to the public. The way around that is to sell the cow BEFORE it gets slaughtered. 
Let&#8217;s say you get four people that want some of your beef. You sell them a Â¼ share and you take the steer to the slaughter house. The butcher will divide the beef into 4 fairly equal size boxes. Then the buyers pay their share of the butchering costs.
Harder in Michigan to haul to a USDA inspected facility that would then allow you open sales to the public. I think if you got your own cooler, you&#8217;d be up against a bunch of regulations and inspections.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

The best bet is to sell the beef in advance. Sell your halves and quarters in advance and you will not have to worry about storing it. Your customers will be able to have the beef cut to their specifications. Price your beef at hanging weight by the pound.

Learn your cuts, because people will ask a lot of questions about cutting instructions.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I can't find a non-USDA approved butcher/locker for beef. Not sure I want to find one. I can find non-USDA folks to do the smaller animals but not beef.

I'd sell them ahead of time - haul to the butcher and let the buyers pay the butcher fees. They can then have it cut and packaged as they would like.


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## Gabriel (Dec 2, 2008)

InvalidID said:


> So my question is thus, is it worth the extra effort to have a beef slaughtered and sell it as halves and quarters?


Yes, it is. However, that statement must be qualified; I sell to a health conscious crowd that expects to pay more for quality. It requires more work to produce, it's not a free ride to profit. They don't want grain finished, so coming up with quality beef on just grass requires management that most people don't have to bother with. They don't pay significantly more than the grocery store, the big difference is that they have to buy in bulk, so the price feels higher. 



InvalidID said:


> I see a few folks doing it on CL but I'm not about to ask them if it's a good business.


Yeah, I'd never trust a CL producer. You'll want to tap into farmers markets, health food stores, local co-ops and the like. Selling direct to the consumer is not just about the product, it's about a relationship. Take your time, be friendly and open, give small samples of product.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

As some on here have said pre-sell the halves or quarters ahead of time. Here in order to sell cuts of meat you have to have a brokers license in order to do that, which means you need to have your butcher process differantly, and freezer for each type of meat and inspection by the health Dept. once a year. Oh, and I forgot the fee they charge you for this honor. But this is in our county, so yours may vary. > Thanks Marc


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## trbizwiz (Mar 26, 2010)

Selling the finished beef will always be the most profitable. You are capturing the proffit of a bunch of middle men. It also requires a greater degree of skill and patience than most are willing to deal with. Most cattlemen know cattle adn dont really care to deal with the silly questions from the general public. they are some of the friendliest folks you know, but dealing with sales is not really their cup of tea. that is why slae barns and the like are such big business. 
All that said, your product will also need to stand on its own merrit. IF your beef isnt great, your customers may not complain to you, but they wont come back and they will tell everyone they know. So you will need ot raise a few and test quality for your self. When you are confident in your product the selling will be easy. Use quotes from Schatzkers book beef. He has a whole chapter dedicated to the scottish hiland, and raved about the quality of its beef. 
take your product to local fairs, or grocery parking lots or fund raisers. Get people eating your beef in th eform of burgers that of course you will sell cheap. Then while you are selling them a burger sell them on th eidea of how much better your beef is and at proices close to grocery store beef, they have a better meal and you have better proffits. Eventually. 
Youll likely have up front costs to overcome which may be difficult at first on small scale. but when clientellle is estabilished costs will decrease.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Thanks guys, I know there's a going to be a learning curve for sure. I aslso figured there would be more cost as there is more work to be done. The main reason I am considering this is because there is nearly a built in market for me here.
The land around me used to be cattle land. Some time in the last 20 years or so developers bought up and built up the area. Being this is logging country as well, a lot of the folks around here remember good old grass fed beef and miss it. Not only that, but the cost of beef in my area is insane. $4lb for burger. A good steak is over $10lb... Still, it may not be worth the effort if I can't get in on that market at a decent price right?

BTW, how long do you guys age your beef? I was looking at www.lockerbeef.com and this guy says 14 days should be the minimum.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

14 days is good. Premium beef that goes to high end restaurants usually ages for 21 days, but cooler space is expensive and most butchers don't have the space to hang it that long, and of course they would have to charge more.

Aging is most important for young fat beef. Older stock really doesn't benefit that much from extended aging and can dry out since it doesn't have the fat covering the meat.


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