The Wild Swing In The Market & The Beef Of Your Choice...

OK, so let's have a conversation around the wild swing in the beef market right now... Maybe I should say the conventional beef market?

The Wild Swing...

As many of you know, there is a wild swing going on right now in the conventional world of beef, in terms of pricing and availability. Talk

has it this may be due to low inventory on the production side and

consistent demand on the consumer side.

You might ask, does this affect us even if we do not sell conventionally? Yes, it does... And I do not want to use this as the excuse for justifying an increase in beef prices!

So there are a few things right now, the commercial beef feedlots are

paying record prices for feeder cattle but grain is cheap. So this

combination might actually work with a wild swing in the market!

But, it does put pressure on any beef producer for fair pricing.

And with 100% grass fed there is actually a whole lot more to it. You

move them regularly to fresh grass, you make lot's of hay for winter

feeding, and it takes longer for the cattle to get to the harvest stage.

This is where we need to take note on a much more valuable product that is getting less than true market value.

Did I mention the value of higher in CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)? More nutrient-dense? No vaccines? No chemicals? No growth hormones? Well, our 100% grass fed does come with all these benefits and more, making for a true , valuable eating experience! :)

We are always ready to listen when our farmers want to discuss pricing because we are very passionate about the REAL

hard working farmers getting a fair price for their product to be

sustainable on their farms, while not having to depend on unnecessary

inputs (like chemicals/pesticides), or government handouts for that matter! :)

By the way, the average farmer only gets between .15-.20 to the food dollar! That is not enough if they want to support their family and be sustainable on the farm for the long run!

You might also ask, why does the supermarket/conventional price still show

lower than ours but we follow the same bracket of beef cost per animal?

The best answer I can give to this is we make sure the farmer is always

getting their much deserved share of the food dollar!

So this all comes down to an increase in our beef prices which was not an easy decision for us. We know this may affect the way you buy beef from us and we know it is your choice where you spend food dollars on beef! :) We did decide to take some of the hit ourselves which is something we wanted to do for you as our faithful customer!

I feel this was about enough of my chatter so I will let you decide for

yourself if it was worth reading! Either way, if you've reached this

point, thanks for reading! :)

One more thing, I will share an illustration of beef cattle that may help you decide which beef to consume, see below... :)

******* This is what "CAFO" (concentrated animal feeding operation), beef looks like. Living on dirt and getting tons of grain dumped in front of them. :(

******* This is a glimpse of our beef cattle. Lush grass and supplemental minerals is the only feed they get. Plus lots of stored hay over the winter... The results? Healthy cattle, regenerating the land!

So which one would you choose? I'll let you decide... :)

Thanks again for taking the time to read this chatter, and remember, if there is anything we can help you with please feel free to reach out to our friendly customer service team, they are happy to help! :) Just call us at 717-442-9208 ext. 0, or reply to this email...

Blessings wished,
Dave, and everyone at Dutch Meadows Farms