Post by robynsa on Apr 11, 2016 7:45:07 GMT -5
I took the two young bulls in for processing on Monday.
Stew'It, a short leg Dexter, at 11 months old
Socks, a Hereford x, at 8 months old
Socks was a real problem animal and only getting worse in terms of his need to destroy everything and anything in sight simply because he COULD. Knocking down every.single wheelie bin as they went down the road to grazing was the final straw.
When we dropped them off, Socks broke down the holding pen (proper round bar auction pen sections) and took off through the electric fence onto the neighbours property, then broke down 4 sections of his field fence - snapping poles right in half - to get to their cows. We had to get two of the butchers cows to walk them off the farm and to the neighbours gate, to lure him back out, then they served as Lazarus cows to get him into the kill chute. He then stood there for a while calming down and they whacked him on the head a couple of hours later.
No more non-Dexters for us thanks!!
Hanging, we got 130kg (286#) off Socks and 90kg (198#) off Stew'It.
Given that we had a lot of meat and not enough freezer space I sent a message out to our neighbours on processing day (Friday) and sold up the packs in half an hour. 9 x 15kg (33#) packs. I marketed them as:
"Home-raised grass fed beef packs. Some steaks, some stewing meat, burger patties and sausage. Processed and vacuum packed by a licenced butchery. Animals raised by me".
I charged stewing beef price, being my first go-round I didn't want to out-market myself and I needed the meat to go as I didn't have any storage space at all. We still made almost twice what we would have selling them on the hoof and kept loads of meat for ourselves including all the cuts we really like.
They were snapped up. The next morning I got a message from one of the purchasers (I don't know her personally):
"Hi, there's not much of the meat I can use. There's no fillet, sirloin or rump".
Firstly I stared at the message and felt myself getting very warm in the face. I never said anything about those cuts and I'd posted a picture of T-bones and a roast (which were included in the packs). Secondly, at the price of stewing beef did she REALLY expect to get those cuts (which are priced at 3-4 times the price at the shops for plain old bulk feedlot beef)?? I phoned one of my friendly neighbours ranting (I was so cross) and she said that I should collect the meat and bring it straight to her and she'd buy it because they LOVE theirs. So I told the buyer that I would take it back if it had been refrigerated since dropping off and that the parcel was intact and none had been consumed. She said yes and yes, so I collected it and took it straight to the other neighbour.
So I sold all 9 packages of meat and have received very positive feedback from everyone and we have a freezer filled with our favourite cuts All the folks who have bought have asked that we include them next time as well and I have said we will but at a higher price, which they are happy with. The meat is absolutely delicious as usual.
A couple of pics of the pair taken last month. That baldy was the most ill-mannered calf we have ever had. Thankfully not in our genes on the property so not something I need to worry about again.
Stew'It, a short leg Dexter, at 11 months old
Socks, a Hereford x, at 8 months old
Socks was a real problem animal and only getting worse in terms of his need to destroy everything and anything in sight simply because he COULD. Knocking down every.single wheelie bin as they went down the road to grazing was the final straw.
When we dropped them off, Socks broke down the holding pen (proper round bar auction pen sections) and took off through the electric fence onto the neighbours property, then broke down 4 sections of his field fence - snapping poles right in half - to get to their cows. We had to get two of the butchers cows to walk them off the farm and to the neighbours gate, to lure him back out, then they served as Lazarus cows to get him into the kill chute. He then stood there for a while calming down and they whacked him on the head a couple of hours later.
No more non-Dexters for us thanks!!
Hanging, we got 130kg (286#) off Socks and 90kg (198#) off Stew'It.
Given that we had a lot of meat and not enough freezer space I sent a message out to our neighbours on processing day (Friday) and sold up the packs in half an hour. 9 x 15kg (33#) packs. I marketed them as:
"Home-raised grass fed beef packs. Some steaks, some stewing meat, burger patties and sausage. Processed and vacuum packed by a licenced butchery. Animals raised by me".
I charged stewing beef price, being my first go-round I didn't want to out-market myself and I needed the meat to go as I didn't have any storage space at all. We still made almost twice what we would have selling them on the hoof and kept loads of meat for ourselves including all the cuts we really like.
They were snapped up. The next morning I got a message from one of the purchasers (I don't know her personally):
"Hi, there's not much of the meat I can use. There's no fillet, sirloin or rump".
Firstly I stared at the message and felt myself getting very warm in the face. I never said anything about those cuts and I'd posted a picture of T-bones and a roast (which were included in the packs). Secondly, at the price of stewing beef did she REALLY expect to get those cuts (which are priced at 3-4 times the price at the shops for plain old bulk feedlot beef)?? I phoned one of my friendly neighbours ranting (I was so cross) and she said that I should collect the meat and bring it straight to her and she'd buy it because they LOVE theirs. So I told the buyer that I would take it back if it had been refrigerated since dropping off and that the parcel was intact and none had been consumed. She said yes and yes, so I collected it and took it straight to the other neighbour.
So I sold all 9 packages of meat and have received very positive feedback from everyone and we have a freezer filled with our favourite cuts All the folks who have bought have asked that we include them next time as well and I have said we will but at a higher price, which they are happy with. The meat is absolutely delicious as usual.
A couple of pics of the pair taken last month. That baldy was the most ill-mannered calf we have ever had. Thankfully not in our genes on the property so not something I need to worry about again.