Beef Prices - Prices achievable through private sales

justmalc · Post by **justmalc** » Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:11 pm

As relatively new Dexter owners, we will shortly be butchering our first steers. Initially,we will be selling meat in half carcasses for the freezer.

We would be extremely grateful if members could provide us with some idea of the price which we should be charging. It is planned that the meat will be sold shrink-wrapped although buyers are to be given the option of bagging it up themselves.

We would also be grateful to hear views on the optimum length of time for which Dexter beef should be hung.

Many thanks.

Jo Kemp · Post by **Jo Kemp** » Sat Nov 06, 2004 11:10 am

Hanging time depends on you and your customers really but I hang for 3 - 4 weeks. this last time I used a different butcher and he, in his wisdom, jettisoned some of the meat because it didn't look good!! I was/am quite upset by that - to my customers supermarket pink isn't the colour they want to see
however, the ideal to me is for the flank and similar bits to be processed after about 2 weeks hanging time. The rest left hanging for a further week at least. My customers may not be typical, they are happiest with fatty meat "That's where the flavour is" also, the fat animal can hang for longer than a skinny one.

Price: my butcher packs, labels and prices the packets - local rate + 10%....dexter meat is a specialist meat and should not therefore be at a cut price. I don't give a discount for large packs I'm afraid as I have a longish customer list, I divide the meat into about eight packs.
Unless I am short of mince etc (as I am this time see above) all is sold in mixed packs with something of everything as far as possible.

Hope that helps - it would be good to hear from others.
Jo

chriskirise · Post by **chriskirise** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 9:36 am

Hi,

We sell our beef for £2.70 lb for 1/4 beast & upwards. Smaller quantities are priced by individual joints. Our customers seem happy with this. Our meat is hung for nearly 3 weeks. We would like a little longer but the butchers round here don't seem to have the space.
Would be interested to see how this compares with other people.

Chris

justmalc · Post by **justmalc** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 10:16 pm

Thanks both for your replies. I agree Chris that a wider comparison would be interesting but of the 122 views to date you two are the only replies.

I hadn't realised that Dexter beef marketing was such a secretive and cut-throat environment. Perhaps it is simply that you are the only ones with the confidence in your products and marketing policies to make them public.

Thanks again.

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 12:11 am

I don't think that Dexter beef marketing is necessarily either cut-throat or secretive -many of us have such small scale operations that we may not feel we have much to say - my herd has been up to 14 this year but it is several years since I sold any steers - most go as breeding bulls or females and we use quite a bit of beef for family and friends. The last time I had surplus steers they were sold for £1 per kilo liveweight at various ages and stages and the price held regardless of subsidy status. Since the Burnside herd was founded in 1986 I have never actually sold any meat as such, and I suspect there are many more like me.

Duncan, just in from a keep fit session to work off a Dexter sausage meal.

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 9:36 am

I'd love to be able to tell you what we charge for our beef but our first 4 calves were heifers (so we kept them for breeding) and we are now growing on our 2 steers from 2003 which won't be ready until late 2005.

I share your view that out of so many viewers it would be nice to get a few more responses (on all subjects) but it doesn't often happen. Maybe it's shyness or they haven't scrolled down far enough to find the 'reply' button.

rodmet · Post by **rodmet** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 7:02 pm

We hang our beef for 3 weeks but in reality forequarters need no more than 2.Hanging is for tenderness - the no.1 attribute the housewife seeks according to MLC polls.We produce the finished cattle to carry some fat for flavour but with the current majority preference being for lean we tend to butcher it out,especially with the mince.
Our current prices are

Joints £ per lb
Topside/Crop 2.55
Pot Roast/Brisket 2.20

Steak
Rump 3.50
Sirloin 4.60
Fillet 8.50

Casserole
Stewing/Braising 2.05

Mince(lean) 1.45

Being in South Yorkshire premium prices are at a premium! and I would hope that many of you are doing much better than this.Post de-coupling I reckon beef needs to go up at least 25% to stand still margin wise.

Would be interested to view other price lists and policies.
Rod Metcalfe

Post by **Mark Bowles** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 10:00 pm

We have built our herd up over the years and now have 12 claims going in in the last 3 months of the old DEFRA system.
We either sell our grass finished beef to other dexter outlets for £1 per lb liveweight or sell it ourselves to family and freinds.Im afraid we should really market it ourselves to get maximum profit but time does not really allow for it,or are we just too idle!
Our butcher we use now is brilliant (after using several in the past and being ripped off,cost wise and not getting back all our meat),he charged £140 to butcher,including a small amount of sausage,and i paid him £20 to pick up the animal.
We sold packs of beef of 30lbs for £3 per pound with mixed joints,mince and steak,the butcher sorted the packs for us.
I agree with Rod,the prices will have to rise for us to stand still.
Mark

Ted Neal · Post by **Ted Neal** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 10:07 pm

Justmalc - you have made me feel guilty !!
I normally kill two or three a year. Mine are killed at circa 20 months. I try for three weeks hanging; but cannot always get it and as they are a bit younger two weeks doesn't seem to effect the product. To me the fat is essential and enhances the flavour. I try and get my butcher to double mince as this improves the overall texture of the mince. I pack mince, skirt and shin in 2lb packs. Steaks are 6 ounces in fours. Rib on the bone in two and three ribs and joints are circa 3 lbs unless anyone wants a larger cut. I sell in approximate 40 lb packs at £2.50 a pond and can normally get 7 packs from a steer plus some for the house. Oh and as for the fillet - breeders teat - if you know what I mean. My butcher kills, hangs, cuts, packs and labels for around £200.

Paula Edwards · Post by **Paula Edwards** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 2:12 am

Thought you might enjoy hearing from the other end of the world on this topic.

We have been selling Dexter meat in Oz for several years. Usually beef producers here send their animals to the selling yards and take whatever price is offered on the day by the buyers. As beef is based on volume, volume,volume, this method of selling was no good for us.

We sell by word of mouth, direct to our own customers. Like some of the other UK breeders, we find we can't keep up with demand and the customers don't quibble about the price because it is a premium product.

As our winters are so cold and dry, we try to calve in spring and send steers for slaughter before winter really sets in - ie. about 8-9 months old. No problems with tenderness !

Our butcher arranges and pays for the transport and killing and then butchers and packs the meat according to the customers request. We try to hang the meat for 2 weeks but the butcher doesn't always have to cool room space to allow this long.

For a 100kg carcass, total processing costs are about $200. We sell the whole body or a side. A whole body sells for $750, so we net around $550 or $5.50 per kg deadweight or around $2.00kg liveweight. This is much better than we could expect from the sale yards.

If you can work in with a good butcher, it it's much effort to operate like this.

Cheers,
Paula.

groubearfarm · Post by **groubearfarm** » Sat Nov 13, 2004 7:00 pm

We hang our meat for a minimum of three weeks, and charge £7.00 per kilo for a mixed freezer pack weighing anything from 5 - 10 kilos, and don't seem to have any problem selling it through word of mouth - it just tastes so good!! Our butcher charges minimum £160 for killing, hanging, butchering and packing.

ann · Post by **ann** » Thu Nov 18, 2004 2:57 pm

Hi It seems from the people who have posted prices that we are all selling for around the same price when sold in 1/4 or 1/8 one thing that does intrest me is the varoius butchering charges, my butcher usually charges around £165 - £180 depending on the size of the animal and for this he hangs it for 2 weeks and bags it up and labels it, plus usually making me around 20 -40 lbs of beefburgers or sausages. Its all boxed so I do not need to handle it apart from delivering it.

I have heard so many different charges for this service from £100 to £200 It would be intresting to know if the people paying less get the same kind of service as the butchering costs do take quite a large portion out the end profit?

Ann

Eagleridge dexters

PeterO · Post by **PeterO** » Thu Nov 18, 2004 3:14 pm

Ann

About £150 for slaughter,butchering and packing for freezer (exact price depends on the weight) at Bishops Castle Meats (Shropshire)

Peter

ann · Post by **ann** » Fri Nov 19, 2004 2:41 pm

Hi Peter

Its a bit far for me to come as I live in N Yorkshire

Ann :p

mindenho · Post by **mindenho** » Sun Nov 21, 2004 9:59 pm

I've found this correspondence fascinating and most helpful. I always thought my butcher was charging too much at £165 which covers the killing, hanging (for up to 3 weeks depending on fat cover) jointing, bagging and labelling. Now I know I am probabaly getting a very good deal. It is interesting to see that the price charged by most people who have taken part in this disucssion is about the same at £3 a lb (£6.60 a kg). Thanks eveyone for your input. Erica.