Why Oklahoma Ranchers Need to Plan Ahead With Beef Processors

How To Avoid Empty Promises When Selling Beef Online

One thing ranchers discover mighty fast after they start selling beef direct-to-consumer is this:

Everybody loves the idea of local beef right up until it’s time to schedule processing.

Then suddenly every butcher in three counties is booked tighter than a church parking lot at Sunday dinner.

Truth is, with more ranchers selling beef online and more customers wanting locally raised meat, good processors stay busy these days. Sometimes real busy.

A calf takes near 18 months to raise proper. During that time somebody’s feeding him, doctoring him, moving him from pasture to pasture, fixing fence he tears down, hauling hay through mud, watching the weather, fighting flies, worrying over drought, paying taxes, fixing equipment, and trying not to go broke while doing it.