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Home Freezer Beef "A Valuable Niche Market" Opinions of Dr. James I. Sprague, Consulting Nutritionist Customer Satisfaction a Must The "home freezer beef" from finished cattle is not a major mover of beef tonnage. Yet, it provides a farm, ranch or feedyard a chance to supply their product to a select group of beef lovers. The beef must be not only flavorful, but must be impeccably wholesome. The beef supplied may be finished "calf fed," "short yearlings," flavorful "aged" beef, and youthful tender "grass fat" beef. These customers may be employees, family, friends, and suppliers. Most customers do not want whole carcasses, but "half of a half" is a popular method of sharing. We have found that a successful method to find customers is to have a "tickler list" of potential customers that can be paired together to share an animal. Another service that can be provided is to supply quality steaks for customers and friends. A feedyard may arrange for the beef to be purchased from a packer or a beef distributor. This is a nice service for a select group of customers. One of the popular services of feedyards is to have a supply of ground beef to provide for their employees and customers of the feedlot. Some local and state regulations may apply including collection of taxes. High Quality "Calf Fed Beef" Feedlots and farms that feed out their own calves often market these steers or heifers after the finishing phase. Most customers probably are more interested in the tenderness and minimum fatness that this program can offer, than the flavor of older animals that are aged in the cooler. Supplying "calf fed beef" will help insure tenderness. The taste of "grain fed beef" can be assured by the finishing period. The specifications vary for each customer and catering to their likes will be a challenge. "Aged Beef" There are other markets that can be supplied by the feedlot. Well fed older animals that are properly aged before cutting and freezing is another niche market. The aging process helps increase the tenderness of the beef. A new customer may not know that "aged beef" has a different flavor than supermarket beef. New customers will need to be educated about the beef they will receive. Selecting A Processor & Following the Rules The selection of the slaughtering and processing of the "home freezer beef" by a reputable local firm near the feedyard may be a challenge. The processor must follow the rules and inspections of state and federal regulations. The local butcher that has training of slaughtering, curing, cutting and wrapping may become a lost art. The success of customer satisfaction may not be the quality of the beef, but in the processing. Customers of "home freezer beef" deserve our best effort for not only tender and tasty beef, but also wholesome beef. The animals from the feedyard must be handled with proper withdrawal times for feed additives. The processor must follow all the regulations. There are some risks by the feedyard if the beef is handled improperly at the feedyard, the processor and even at the kitchen of the customers. "All Natural Beef" We know of some farms that have a closed herd that can supply beef that has had no feed additives, antibiotic injections or implants. This beef may attract certain customers. Some feedyards, farms and ranches that produce "all natural beef" without using antibiotics and implants can also fit this niche market. Customer Complaints The specifications vary for each customer, and catering to their likes will be a challenge. Some customers will complain about the tenderness of the product or the processing. Prompt settlement is suggested as a good way to approach this problem. Most feedyards will guarantee customer satisfaction. A follow-up call after a customer gets their beef is a good idea. Determining Price Sometimes the weight at the feedyard is impractical to attain. The animal may be loaded directly into a small trailer and not weighed at the yard. Then the "hot weight" must be recorded at the meat slaughter facility. A fair live weight can be calculated by dividing the hot carcass weight by 63.6 percent. The alternative is to sell the beef on a carcass price basis. The customer then pays the slaughtering, processing, freezing and wrapping directly to the meat processor rather than the farm or feedyard. Comments or questions on this or other articles by Dr. Sprague can be addressed to Jim Sprague, 625 Grandview Avenue, Newton, Kansas, 67114, or call Dr. Sprague at (620) 283-8692. |
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