Farmer to Consumer Direct Marketing Webinar Summary

Did you attend our live webinar on Tuesday, May 26? In case you didn’t know, Central Confinement Services hosts a webinar series in an effort to educate producers on a variety of topics.

Our webinar series has included the following topics so far:

  • How to get started – State & Federal Permitting Process
  • Livestock Housing: “Show me the money” – Ag Lending
  • Loans – the good, bad, and ugly
  • What are Manure Easements?
  • CCS – AccuSteel Buildings Webinar: Improving Your Cattle Production
  • COVID-19 Effects on the Ag Industry

The latest webinar presented was on Farmer to Consumer Direct Marketing. In this webinar, CCS hosted Ace VanDeWalle of Ord Locker and Hannah Esch of Oak Barn Beef about their experiences of direct marketing meat. Ace has owned the Ord Locker for 5+ years and will open an expanded facility in July. Hannah sells her family farm beef directly to consumers and ships it to customers nationwide. This webinar was packed full of insight for those who want to start direct marketing.

Check it out a recorded version of the webinar by clicking the link below!

To summarize the Farmer to Consumer Direct Marketing Webinar, here are a few points to highlight from the discussion:

What permits or inspections do you need?

  • Ace: Ord Locker is currently in the process of becoming USDA inspected in the building we are in the process of building right now. We’ve been state inspected for the past 5 years. State inspections work for custom processing. Ord Locker can sell products retail by purchasing boxed beef from a USDA inspected plant and processing it further into the products they sell in the store front.
  • Hannah: Oak Barn Beef has an Intermittent Food Vendors Permit. The county health inspector inspects the freezer and meat storage places. Oak Barn Beef has to use an USDA inspected butcher. There are other permits you may need to sell meat in certain counties.

Discuss the challenges you’ve faced to resale directly to consumers?

  • Ace: Consistency is difficult to manage. It takes a lot of training to create the consistency and it is difficult to let more than 1 person do things like make brats and specialty meat. Also, it is challenging to predict how much product you will need. It is hit or miss. We hate turning people away.
  • Hannah: As a business owner, you have to wear many hats – one of those being a customer service representative. I think this is one of the most challenging parts because I could be out in a cattle pen and someone can call and ask for a recipe for a specific cut. It is hard to manage all the hats, but I am sure that’s the case for every business owner.

What are the most popular cuts of beef?

  • Ace: The higher quality steaks usually go the quickest. People also love Flat Irons, Tri-Tips, and other specialty cuts. I can cut almost any cut and take custom cutting instructions.
  • Hannah: Filet Mignons, Ribeyes, New York Strips, Tri-Tips are the cuts that go the quickest. We try to bundle our items in 12-25 pound packages to manage inventory better.

Thanks Hannah and Ace for being apart our webinar! Mark your calendars for the next webinar we are hosting on June 9.