Brandon and Lauren discuss the economic realities of ‘good meat’ market culture from the standpoint of several audiences: the ‘good food’ consumer (hopefully all of us), the homesteader raising their own meat and selling a little as well, and also the small-scale butcher and educator.
They confront both hardships and opportunities when valuing their products and services, and encourage others to allow their esteem for the things they sell and buy to fit how they monetize these items too…for the sake of the true sustainability of the good food movement!
They also speak briefly about monetizing their own podcast venture. Please do consider supporting this mission if the podcast has been of support to your food goals: you can find their donation platform at www.Patreon.com/meatsmith.
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- Hands-On Harvest Classes – Come to one of our harvest classes on our homestead in Oklahoma. We offer pork, beef, lamb, and goose harvest classes in the Spring and Fall. Spots are limited to just eight students per class to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/upcoming-classes/
- Meatsmith Membership – We created an online community and resource for homesteaders and farmers. It serves all those who want to cook and eat well. We offer the fruit of our labors (and our kitchen) from more than fifteen years of experience, and our Membership community of more than six hundred is an invaluable digital resource. The only one of its kind in the country, Meatsmith Membership provides an earnest and winsome approach to domestic livestock raising, slaughter, butchery, curing, cookery, and charcuterie. Join today and partner with us in growing your home around the harvest. Monthly memberships are $17.49/month plus a $29.99 signup fee. Or purchase an Annual membership for $189.49/year with no signup fee, saving you $50.38. There’s a 7-day free trial for Annual memberships. Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/membership/
Topics Discussed
- 1:35 Intro & Patreon.com/meatsmith pledge drive
- 15:30 Note on last week’s episode: Cutlery. Why meat benefits from carbon steel & pork illuminescence
- 22:30 How to make this way of life sustainable for 1) Small farmers & homesteaders 2) processors & butchers 3) educators, and 4) the urban Good Food consumers.
- 24:30 Abundance is a burden and a responsibility
- 27:30 Getting skin and fat back is not a rip off
- 30:30 There is no disposable part of an animal carcass
- 33:20 Self limitation vs infinite variety that is the grocery store
- 36:00 Self-denial to enjoy abundance
- 37:00 FAQ from farmers: what should we charge for our meat? Answer: Count your costs and decide what your time is worth
- 38:48 Commodity pork is based on exploitation
- 41:45 A Living Wage: A price that reflects the cost of your pork & responsibility for the entire agrarian renaissance
- 45:25 Those that are exploited include the pigs themselves, the land, the laborers and farmers.
- 47:15 The irrational luxury that food should be free
- 54:30 Engaging in the process that enriches your life…as well as providing you with better tasting food.
- 58:11 “The act of raising and harvesting food is not an ideological act, it’s an essential terrestrial act. We only think we’re not part of it because we’re alienated from the process.”
- 1:01:46 The meat processing part of the narrative is lagging behind other progressive changes
- 1:02:42 Common knowledge for small processors is they don’t make money and don’t expect to make money on slaughter. This forces them into quantity over quality.
- 1:10:50 Expectations and services rendered
Links for Episode 5
– Hand Hewn Farm: A farm with a rich past and vibrant future
– Hay Shaker Farm: Horse powered produce in the Walla Walla Valley
– Niche Meat Processing Assistance Network: Helping expand small-scale meat processing
–Farmsteadmeatsmith.com, our upcoming Harvest classes, and our subscription membership
– Support Farmstead Meatsmith and this Podcast by becoming a Patreon at Patreon.com/Meatsmith
– FarmRun.com an agrarian creative studio