The marketing of the Dexter Cattle breed is one of the the most successful tools to promote the breed and the attributes of such. Beef is the fastest growing meat in the UK at present, and I find it really sad that the main society is not out there promoting this on the memberships behalf. We all know that this breed can not challenge the mainstream beef breeds, but services a highly profitable niche market, such as Farm shops/markets and Traditional Butchers etc. The RBST Meat Marketing Scheme can be very effective, however to get the best out of 'finished' steers, the most lucrative way of making money from Dexter beef is to put on your salesman hat and sell to friends and family. It is amazing how word of mouth travels and soon people will be ringing you up for more!! A co-operative is a very complicated way of marketing and does not allow flexability in some cases. The Dexter steer carcase in general (short vs long) is never uniform, and continuty is vital if you are to sell to one outlet. My job deals with supplying cattle to Waitrose and these animals must fit into a carcase/grading range, producers are penalised if they do not. All sires must be registered and transport ia a huge headache as all cattle are killed in two abattoirs in Yorks/Lancs.
About ten years ago there was a scheme tried in Herefordshire for Dexter steers, with a finishing unit and steers sold dead to local butchers, however I think continuty and uniformity killed this scheme off, sadly
The only way to improve the Dexter beef market is meat marketing, which some individuals within are breed are very good at, but sadly lacking in the main breed society.
Forgot to add a very good website: www.effp.com (English Farming & Food Partnerships), which includes a very good case study on the 'Structure of Cooperatives- The New Generation'.
Maybe we don't want a co-op maybe we need a group of (2,3,or more) owners that are prepared to work together and do a farmers market. Work (and start up costs) on the project are shared and no market is missed because of holidays and illness etc. I'm sure this would be easier to organise and be more acceptable to those amongst us that would not like to relinquish too much control. If the market is monthly and a carcass a month is required it becomes easier as 12 animals are needed per year and three people with four each sounds quite good to me.
Definitely an excellent response on this subject. Dexter beef is without doubt a superb product filling a niche market. We are slaughtering two / three each month, supplying local pub/restaurants and private customers.
Consistency is vital, without this, customers will not return.
We have selectively built up our herd since 1990 to 42 breeding cows, being mindful that the bull is half the herd. All beef is from home-bred animals, mainly steers, but also some heifers.
Our system is that all calves are kept on their dams for at least 8 months (receiving that all important milk so necessary for producing excellent beef) and then reared until slaughter on only grassland / haylage when housed during the winter. Ensuring consistency in the quality of the beef.
As regards forming a co-operative - there is the financial aspect in running such a venture, with all the associated risks. Also, breeders are rearing their Dexters in different ways, and the consistency would be difficult to guarantee.
Far better to sell your own beef and be in control of your own destiny.
Having just spent the last three days at Smithfields Christmas Fair at Royal Bath and West with the Dexter Stand representing our breed, I think the comments about the main society not promoting the breed are a little unfair. It is up to each one of us members to support the breed. We are all the society.
There is no doubt there is much interest in Dexter beef, being a predominantly grass fed animal, customers are becoming more discerning about the quality they are eating. By spreading the word and educating the public we are gradually creating a market. However to set up some kind of cooperative would be extremely time consuming and would require quite a bit of work and knowledge of local markets, I would be delighted if someone in my area was prepared to do it, unfortunately my time is already far to busy.
Fiona Miles
Groubear Dexters 31527
Groubear Farm
Cruwys Morchard
Devon
Mr. Kirk you did not say if you steer your male calves? After the eight months they are on the mother, you overwinter them in housing? What about the next year? Which brings my next question, which I never see mentioned. . . Dexter "veal". Does anyone butcher calves right off the mother? It is my experience that I do not seem able to put enough fat on my Dexter beef. The ground beef is always very lean and therefore dry to my tastes. The meat is delicious in taste, but I have not been able to get beyond "chewy" on anything but ground beef and slow cooked cuts.
Any opportunities to enhance the value we our getting from our dexters should be welcomed. We are building up to kill 24 per year (currently about 18). We have been working with a local butcher and getting £3 per kilo dead weight from him and he is paying killing costs. Unfortunately he is not certified to take anything over 24 months and we are struggling to finish this time so have set up an arrangement with a local restauranteer who has two busy restaurants who will take anything we can offer at £4.25 (so their are blessings after all in government meddling) and he is paying killing and butchering costs. I don't know how these prices sound to others but we have this restauranteer screaming for more product which we are struggling to supply and would welcome the opportunity to help market other smaller producers product.
James: Male calves are castrated. All calves are weaned off their mothers at 8 months, kept in their respect group and housed in another building.
Housed in buildings during the winter time & fed home produced haylage - no concentrates.
Between April and November all our cattle graze well-managed grassland on the Cotswolds and coupled with their dams' superb milk, calves cannot fail to eventually provide succulent, sought after beef for a niche market. Boram Dexters consist of short and non-short, but all within the breed standard - not getting too big, which may be detrimental to the quality of the beef (just a thought).
Dexter beef should have a layer of yellow coloured fat, not too much but just enough to provide a superb, succulent cut of beef, whether it's fillet, topside, stew steak or whatever. Feedback from all customers is welcomed, especially when time after time it is positive.
Never heard of Dexters used for veal.
The system we have implemented with our Dexters is working well for us. One of the reasons we only sell home bred beef is to ensure consistency in the beef and ensure customers return for repeat orders and also recommend our beef to friends.
The promoter and organiser would need to be paid by the co-operative. There's an awful lot of work involved in marketing a product properly. The average breeder probably doesn't have enough spare time to do it.
