Last week I shared the impact and risk associated with imported beef into America and how that since 1940 the number of people living & working on American farms have dropped from 17% to a mere 2%.

This week I need to update you on what the beef market (prices) are doing.

First off, the last time Nature’s Gourmet Farm increased our beef prices was August 2023. Since then, live cattle prices have increased 17% - effectively taking out a big chunk of the profit we depend on to continue operations.

At least part of what is driving BEEF prices is high demand and the fact that our American cattle herd is at a 70-year low. That is significant when you consider how much our population has increased in the past 70 years (since 1954).

The outlook does suggest prices may be approaching the top of the market as cattle futures for the next year show a high of $1.92 vs. $1.88 currently.

At our farm, chicken, egg & pig prices are mostly stable.

That being said, you will notice beef prices have increased effective immediately.

I spent most of my Friday working on prices to come up with the best solution. Some items did not change. Some items increased more than others. Overall, the increase was about 6% vs. the 17% increase beef has made since we last increased prices. Hopefully, that price top will happen and prices will come down…. I hate price increases!

Tuesday through Wednesday this week our team was busy cutting/packing beef and Thursday completing the ground beef. I’m happy to report the quality of our work continues to improve.

Thursday while helping with ground beef (I provide the muscle to lift meat lugs of beef trim – each lug was handled 6-times and weighed about 55 pounds each), I took a few pictures of our team at work.

While Amy is working on the 1^st grind Beth and Kim are prepping the beef bacon for curing. Our beef bacon cut comes from the flat end on the brisket and has become a favorite of many customers.

Here, Amy is filling the 1lb vacuum seal bags with ground beef. She is very fast and extremely accurate with an average of 1.01 lbs per bag.

In our next picture Beth & Kim are in “high gear” to keep up with Amy filling them. Their job is to seal, label, and pack the bags into the green crates that we use to store our meat in vs. cardboard.

As mentioned, my job was to lift the meat lugs. Additionally, I rolled the carts of finished product into the freezer and stacked the full crates on the pallets. In between those events I’d wash the meat lugs and tidy up.

And, of course there is the paperwork to keep up with.

I’d be remiss if I did not also mention our outside team. This same day they removed about 800 ft of net wire fence that had long ago outlived its usefulness. Typically this would not have been a difficult job except there were an excessive number of trees & hedge that had grown up in and through the wire over the past 50 years.

Additionally, they moved our next batch of chicks to pasture.
In closing, let me share this photo of a momma and her new calf enjoying a beautiful Thursday afternoon

At Nature's Gourmet Farm, our intent is to create a community that evolves around one of the most intrinsically important things of the ages, and that’s the provision of sustenance. That's our passion - to raise healthy food to nourish families and strengthen immune systems.

If you are new to our farm then maybe you have been looking for premium ALL NATURAL GOODNESS of beef, pork, chicken, and eggs raised on pasture as God intended - with emphasis on Regenerative Principles and NOT conventionally raised animals (with growth hormones, drugs, chemicals, and antibiotics) - and where animals are treated humanely - then you have come to the right farm. Our delivery schedule and product availability are listed below along with order buttons that will take you to our website where you can browse over 90 product choices and place your order from the convenience of your home. It's that simple!

** Product Availability Update **

NOTE: Restocks are made about 6 PM on the dates indicated below!

Chicken - Restocked February 14th. Next restock will be Feb 28th.
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Turkey - Whole turkeys are sold out. Restocked Ground, legs, thighs, and wings Jan 31st. Added six whole turkey breasts for pre-order.

Eggs - Restock each Wednesday. Received 500 new pullet hens Friday. Feb 23, 2024. We are well stocked on eggs - especially large at this time

Beef - Restocked February 23, 2024.

Pork - Restocked Feb 14th on fresh cuts and about Feb 24th on cured/smoked items. Will have plenty of smoked hams for Easter!

Lamb - Restocked September 13th. Grower called this week and said he was very disappointed in his lambs and thus decided to sell them at his local sale barn. Please stay tuned.