www.sare.org publications how-to-direct-market-your-beef finding-a-niche forage Forage All forage is not created equal. You can work to improve both the amount and quality of your feed. Each season, we work to improve our pasture, and a large part of that is managing how the forage is harvested. You’ll want to put your brood cows on your poorest forage. Granted, they will do […]
www.sare.org publications how-to-direct-market-your-beef finding-a-niche genetics Genetics There are a ton of different breeds of cattle out there. If you read the breeds marketing literature, they all seem to “calve well, gain fast, and do great under range conditions.” Of course, if this were true, we’d only need one breed of cow. In reality, we all live in different climates, and we […]
www.sare.org publications how-to-direct-market-your-beef finding-a-niche organic-vs-natural Organic vs. Natural Until the summer of 1999, the USDA would not recognize, nor issue labels, that made any kind of claim to being organic (at least as far as beef was concerned). That’s how natural beef got started. Legally, the USDA use of natural only meant that your beef had no artificial additives and was minimally processed. […]
www.sare.org publications how-to-direct-market-your-beef finding-a-niche how-to-cut-up-a-carcass How to Cut Up a Carcass No doubt if you’re looking into direct marketing your own beef you’ve talked to a butcher about how a carcass is cut up, and how much of what cut you can expect from a carcass. If you have and walked away feeling totally mystified, join the club. There are a million ways to cut up […]
www.sare.org publications how-to-direct-market-your-beef introduction Introduction INTRODUCTION When my husband and I took over the management of the family ranch in 1992, we thought that it was going to be an idyllic life. We were going to whip the ranch into shape in a few months and then spend the next 20 years canning vegetables and writing the great American novel. […]
www.sare.org publications how-to-direct-market-your-beef How to Direct Market Your Beef How to Direct Market Your Beef portrays how one couple used their family’s ranch to launch a profitable, grass-based beef operation focused on direct market sales. Jan and Will Holders’ compelling real-life experiences, with numerous instructional guideposts along the way, provide valuable tips for direct marketing beef from slaughtering to sales. A special Entrepreneurs section […]