What Can Be Sold and How Much Space Will It Take?

Marketing Freezer Meat Two broad options – Selling live animal – Selling by the piece

Live Animal Option “Easiest” Option Market the live animal – Whole animal – Half animal – Quarter animal

Live Animal Option Marketing Options – Word of mouth – Flyers (e.g. workplace, specialty food stores) – Newspaper ads, especially in urban areas – Website

Live Animal Option Custom Slaughter – No state or federal inspection – Meat can not enter commerce Why sell animal and not carcass – No crossing of state lines

Live Animal Option Custom Slaughter – Questions to ask How long can they age carcasses? – 14 d for steers – 21 d for heifers Cost of slaughter Cost of processing – Cut and Wrap Specialty cuts? bs/agecon/ae44directory.pdf

Live Animal Option In general: – Sell animal to customers – You arrange for slaughter and transport animal to slaughter house – You either provide cut sheet to customer to fill out or telephone number for slaughter house to contact customer – You pick up meat and deliver to customer or have customer pick up meat Customer responsible for paying slaughter and processing costs

Live Animal Options Rule of Thumb: 30 to 40 lbs of meat per cubic foot in freezer

Live Animal Options

Individual Pieces Require either – AL State Meat Inspection – Federal Meat Inspection Currently: – Cox Butcher Shop in Florence – D&W Meat Processors in Newton – Auburn University Lambert Powell Meats Laboratory – Headland Oil Processing Co in Headland

Individual Pieces What is your marketing/business plan? – Must have outlets for the hamburger Local restaurants looking for local products? Local stores? Also means you need a year round supply – Can also put box packages together – Farmers Markets – Farmers cooperatives – Own Farm Store

Individual Pieces All require a label Selling at farmers markets ( or out of home/farm store: – May involve County health department regulations – May have to have business license – Must have a growers permit to sell at farmers markets (local extension office)

Remember, if you build it, they may not show up