The USDA Ag Census of 2018 says that there are more than 300 livestock farms in Wayne County, growing beef, sheep, swine and goats. As you drive around the county, you can see all of these animals in the pastures. In a time with national supply of meats cuts getting thin, the actual supply of meat is still there. As a consumer, you have the ability to buy local meat directly from the grower if they are following procedures and if they are ready. Especially if you have cattle, now is the opportunity to learn more info about selling local beef, rather than sending cattle to auction. It is those cattle that go to the larger auction houses and then go to meat processing plants. Cornell Cooperative extension’s NWNY Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Team is providing information to connect the consumer and the livestock producer to benefit everyone. Several factors have increased demand, and as a producer, are you ready to sell meat to your neighbor, locally? A lot depends on species. The holiday lamb and kid markets have taken a big hit. Easter, Passover, Ramadan have passed. Fewer buyers were at auctions to purchase. Have you found other options? Pooled with others to sell or ship elsewhere?
Poultry. Get your orders in quickly for meat birds or egg layers. Anecdotal reports are the local feed stores are selling out quickly of birds. Many backyarders are looking to raise their own.
Cuts vs. custom. This depends on where you get your meat processed. Custom sales sell shares of live animals as USDA inspected allows you to sell retail cuts. Spring is usually a slow time of year for many small processors. As of April 7, these spring slots for harvest are filling up. Call as soon as you can if you have animals ready. Depending on your processing date, you may need to change the diet to meet your goal for market readiness. Also, we are transitioning to grilling season and cut preferences shift. Think steaks vs. roasts. Make sure your animal is reached the correct degree of finish. There are lots of videos online to assist with this decision. One is, Determining the Market Readiness of Beef Cattle, by beef cattle extension specialist Mike Baker. You can search for the title to find or let me know and I can send you the link to it and others. There is a spreadsheet to estimate the finished weight of cattle. I can send that along as well.
Local CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture) are looking for additional meat items to add to their weekly shares. There is a list of CSAs on the Cornell Cooperative website under “Agriculture/Farmers’ Market and Buying Local”. The CSA normally would pre-ordered boxes or bundles that are available on a regular schedule. If your production practices are similar, you may be able to sell to them. Consider working with a vegetable CSA or, check with produce farms and farm markets. Many farms have an online presence through websites, Facebook, and others. One option is MeatSuite (meatsuite.com) and has been around for several years. Local Harvest (localharvest.org) is another site to list your farm has meat (or other products). The key is to keep track where you are listed and keep your listings up to date.
Direct online sales have increased dramatically. A means for orders with payment options needs to be in place – website, Facebook, etc. There are procedures to follow to ensure proper shipment. There are many resources out there with the Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network recently held a well-attended webinar on the subject, Farm to Freezer: The Logistics of Online Sales & Shipping Meat. The recording is on their website.
Free Online Workshop will be held on May 13, 2020 at 7pm. To Register for the May 13 workshop visit: https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUsf-qtrjwuHNXU8PKHStn0I6XF8XkdTPdf . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the meeting. Funding for this program is provided by Beef Extension, Cornell Department of Animal Science.
