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

http://www.aaes.auburn.edu/comm/pubs/agecon/ae44directory.pdf

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?

http://www.aaes.auburn.edu/comm/pubs/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

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/MPI_Directory_Establishment_Name.pdf

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 (

http://www.fma.alabama.gov/) 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