Beef marketing

[Andrew1983]

How viable would it be to set up a cooperative for marketing fat stock similar to grain? Could be something marts could try and set. Farmers would need to actually commit in advance the number they would be selling. In effect it would mean a middle man between us and the processors but it would also mean bringing together a scale of numbers that no individual farm could muster.

 

[Chae1]

Finally someone offering a solution instead of complaining.

I think they do something similar in France. Your John Deere dealers son in law is involved with it.

 

[Andrew1983]

Finally someone offering a solution instead of complaining.

I think they do something similar in France. Your John Deere dealers son in law is involved with it.

complaining will get as nowhere so long as the public keeps getting cheap food.

Our buyers have gone down to so few and become so strong the only way I can see us survive on scale is if we fight fire with fire and market our fat stock though 1 port that the processors would have to compete with each other to buy from. The rub of it would be “together we stand devided we fall” I cant see any other way to achieve farmers working together. Now would be a pretty good time to get sign up to it as everyone is unhappy.

 

[nelly55]

What a great idea,but it will need lots of us to make it work plus maybe a Mr Trump to do the deals and mean business .Just a contact that has a list of cattle that week so that the sellers take price control over.But and here’s the But how do you stop the buggers bringing in cheap meat and telling us to do one.Back to same problem will farmers stick together .I’m not moaning just want the truth,a solution and way forward to help the next generation of young farmers.

 

[Andrew1983]

What a great idea,but it will need lots of us to make it work plus maybe a Mr Trump to do the deals and mean business .Just a contact that has a list of cattle that week so that the sellers take price control over.But and here’s the But how do you stop the buggers bringing in cheap meat and telling us to do one.Back to same problem will farmers strict together .I’m not moaning just want the truth,a solution and way forward to help the next generation of young farmers.

That would be a problem. I can’t help think how dire things would be right now if the pound was actually strong.... however that’s where we need the promotional bodies signing about our quality standards to convince the consumer that our product is the one to buy. For their health, the planet and the economy.

I also think all of us with road frontage should be advertising the supermarkets that are selling 100% uk produced beef/lamb etc. If we can help increase footfall at these stores that do actually support us it would surely be beneficial to us by selling more end product.

 

[kiwi pom]

complaining will get as nowhere so long as the public keeps getting cheap food.

Our buyers have gone down to so few and become so strong the only way I can see us survive on scale is if we fight fire with fire and market our fat stock though 1 port that the processors would have to compete with each other to buy from. The rub of it would be “together we stand devided we fall” I cant see any other way to achieve farmers working together. Now would be a pretty good time to get sign up to it as everyone is unhappy.

No point/profit in becoming a processor as well?

 

[davieh3350]

How viable would it be to set up a cooperative for marketing fat stock similar to grain? Could be something marts could try and set. Farmers would need to actually commit in advance the number they would be selling. In effect it would mean a middle man between us and the processors but it would also mean bringing together a scale of numbers that no individual farm could muster.

No. Not through a mart. That's what we do already, take our products to a wholesale place.
A few farmers getting together to sell through a salesperson on commission. Get a small cutting/packing plant set up locally to deal with what you are growing and selling.
Big scale isn't working.

 

[davieh3350]

That would be a problem. I can’t help think how dire things would be right now if the pound was actually strong.... however that’s where we need the promotional bodies signing about our quality standards to convince the consumer that our product is the one to buy. For their health, the planet and the economy.

I also think all of us with road frontage should be advertising the supermarkets that are selling 100% uk produced beef/lamb etc. If we can help increase footfall at these stores that do actually support us it would surely be beneficial to us by selling more end product.

We should be getting away from supplying supermarkets, they sell our stuff too cheap. We need to go directly to people who eat it. Supermarkets give us what they feel like giving us.

 

[Andrew1983]

No. Not through a mart. That's what we do already, take our products to a wholesale place.
A few farmers getting together to sell through a salesperson on commission. Get a small cutting/packing plant set up locally to deal with what you are growing and selling.
Big scale isn't working.

Small scale can’t deal with the volume though, we sell direct, about a beast every 2 months, it’s not exactly making a fortune over selling to Abp. Plus hassle an time...

The biggest problem is that supermarkets can afford to sell our products at a loss, this devalues us and makes it very difficult for stand alone meat sellers to survive.

 

[Formatted]

Who are you going to sell too? Retailers and food service aren't going to pay over the odds just because you're selling via a Co-op?

 

[milkloss]

Good idea but will need pricing similar to a and b litres on milk to limit over expansion, will need to be careful of quality and a clear plan on how to deal with this. Blocking the ports will also be a necessary evil at the same time.

 

[davieh3350]

Small scale can’t deal with the volume though, we sell direct, about a beast every 2 months, it’s not exactly making a fortune over selling to Abp. Plus hassle an time...

The biggest problem is that supermarkets can afford to sell our products at a loss, this devalues us and makes it very difficult for stand alone meat sellers to survive.

Same here. I was doing two at a time every 4 months, was too much hard work and too much travelling about. But if half a dozen of us got together and had a salesperson who did all the selling and paperwork (with us keeping an eye on it) then we could have the scale to make it work.

 

[Highland Mule]

Small scale can’t deal with the volume though, we sell direct, about a beast every 2 months, it’s not exactly making a fortune over selling to Abp. Plus hassle an time...

The biggest problem is that supermarkets can afford to sell our products at a loss, this devalues us and makes it very difficult for stand alone meat sellers to survive.

Andrew, you should be able to up that rate with a few major outlets maybe? Have you offered to any of the local hoteliers? I’d have thought that would be an option for you to up production on the Black Isle.

 

[Woolless]

Is this not what farmstock Scotland do?

 

[Dave6170]

Isnt Mey selections something along the lines of what you are thinking? Dont hear much of it now.

 

[Andrew1983]

Andrew, you should be able to up that rate with a few major outlets maybe? Have you offered to any of the local hoteliers? I’d have thought that would be an option for you to up production on the Black Isle.

We have dabbled a bit with supplying catering trade, they take months and months to pay being the biggest downside. We were left feeling like they wanted a % of our stuff so they could put our name on menu but suspect the vast majority of there stuff comes from Costco as cheap as they can buy it. The lad who does our butchering has also stopped supplying restaurants etc as he also has trouble getting money.

I would like to own a restaurant as I believe you could add value to a beast that way but it’s an extreme length to have to go to keep the farm profitable!!

 

[LAMBCHOPS]

How viable would it be to set up a cooperative for marketing fat stock similar to grain? Could be something marts could try and set. Farmers would need to actually commit in advance the number they would be selling. In effect it would mean a middle man between us and the processors but it would also mean bringing together a scale of numbers that no individual farm could muster.

Its called the National Association of Auctioneers. Presently they have 4/5 % of my stock with 95% going dead would be happy to put the lot with them and allow them to act as my agent for fatstock. It will come to ti am convinced if they woke up and smelt the coffee.

 

[Andrew1983]

Isnt Mey selections something along the lines of what you are thinking? Dont hear much of it now.

Not 100% sure that they are, I thought they were just a promotion body, I know we get mey bonus I think 2x a year from cattle we send down to Abp. Which go to Sainsbury’s onto select counters around the country. They are using the north coast 500 as part of the selling point. Fair enough and good work by then but I don’t think they are brokering the price of beef between processors.

 

[Highland Mule]

We have dabbled a bit with supplying catering trade, they take months and months to pay being the biggest downside. We were left feeling like they wanted a % of our stuff so they could put our name on menu but suspect the vast majority of there stuff comes from Costco as cheap as they can buy it. The lad who does our butchering has also stopped supplying restaurants etc as he also has trouble getting money.

I would like to own a restaurant as I believe you could add value to a beast that way but it’s an extreme length to have to go to keep the farm profitable!!

To be fair, Costco beef is pretty good - would be my first choice these days after my own (and yours, obviously)...

As for slow payment, just be hard on them - charge statutory interest and make sure they know it.

 

[Chae1]

We have dabbled a bit with supplying catering trade, they take months and months to pay being the biggest downside. We were left feeling like they wanted a % of our stuff so they could put our name on menu but suspect the vast majority of there stuff comes from Costco as cheap as they can buy it. The lad who does our butchering has also stopped supplying restaurants etc as he also has trouble getting money.

I would like to own a restaurant as I believe you could add value to a beast that way but it’s an extreme length to have to go to keep the farm profitable!!

Its great how they manage to turn a £5 steak into a £25 meal.