Benefits of Buying Bulk BEEF From Your Rancher

by Allison Fender April 17, 2021

This week, we processed three of our steers that we have been finishing out on a high quality beef builder grain blend. They were about 18 months +/- old and lived a fantastic life here on the ranch.

I won't lie. Slaughter day is never easy. It feels like I am reliving my 4H and FFA years on auction day on a bigger scale. These are animals that we cared for every single day of their lives. Sun up to sun down; we check their health, provided ample food, water and shelter. We did this on holidays, birthdays, snow days and triple digest days.

Every. Single. Day.

Why do we do it? Well, as with everything in life, I believe everyone has a purpose.

Our purpose here on the ranch is to be stewards of the land and livestock. We are here to continue a legacy while writing our own story. We are here to produce quality raised beef direct to you and you family.

Our cattle also have a purpose.

We care for them so they can care for us and so many other families. They are part of our source of income, food and way of life. They fill the freezers of local San Diegan families with nutrient dense protein. They help build memories around the dinner table with full hearts and bellies.

Not to mention, beef is truly the best!

The benefits of purchasing beef directly from your rancher is more than valuable:

1.) You have a relationship with your rancher.

Having a connection to your local rancher helps stimulate the local economy by using your consumer dollars to buy direct.

It also provides a trust and transparency in the agricultural industry. You get to be involved by knowing exactly what was put into your beef, how it is raised, who raised it and the environment the it lived it. Being honest in agriculture has been hard in the past because of fear of opposing opinions and agendas.

Here at Flying F Ranch, we always have our door open and are happy to answer questions and provide all the information consumers need to make conscious food buying decisions. We openly share our journey on social media (@flying_f_ranch on Instagram and Flying F Ranch on FaceBook) with anyone who wants to learn more so we can bridge the gap and create connection and understanding with our consumers.

We love our cattle and customers and value both whole heartedly!

2.) Beef is Nutrient Dense.

Did you know beef has 10 essential nutrients (Iron, Choline, Protein, Selenium, B Vitamins, Zinc, Phosphorus, Niacin & Riboflavin), about 1/2 the daily amount of protein in a 3oz serving and is a great protein paired with active lifestyles. I love running and I know beef is the perfect protein to make be feel full and nourished. (When we have beef in our freezer. Otherwise, we also love wild game!)

Ladies- Pass the chicken or veggie burger for BEEF. Iron is one of the toughest nutrients to obtain that women need to maintain a healthy body. You don't need much beef to reap the ongoing benefits! Just 3 oz is a small steak. High nutrient value with low calorie input. Win-win.

Also- there are myths that have been debunked about beef and heart health. Recent research shows that lean beef can actually improve cholesterol levels.

See this article

3.) Cut Out The Middle Man.

When you are buying from a rancher or farmer, you are getting yourself wholesome products directly from the source.

Think about this scenario: How many hands to you think an apple goes through before you purchase it at the grocery store? The apple was picked in an orchard who knows where, put into large bins, transported to a facility that cleanses and packages, then transported again to the store. While it is at the store, it is handled by numerous people before it ends up in your cart. How old is that apple? Where did it really come from? Who grew it?

And that is just an apple, guys... What about fish, shrimp, chicken, produce, everything.

The best way to purchase your food is from the rancher or farmer in your area. You know exactly where it came from, how it was produced/raised, you can ask questions and get the answers, you see the entire process go from the ranch to your plate.

This is a great way to spend your dollars to get healthy products, help our local producers and again, stimulate our local economy. As well, you get what you want and connect with your food producers.

4.) Utilize the whole animal.

We raise cattle for whole or half "live share" Beef. What does that even mean? Well, essentially you are literally buying a live whole or half a cow from Flying F Ranch. We are currently only offering live shares because:

1. We don't want to stress our cattle by taking them 6 hours away to the nearest USDA processor and cut/wrap.

2. Economically, it makes more sense for us to not put in those extra miles. Bryce and I both have "normal" careers and making time to drive to a processor twice (once to drop off cattle and once to pick up beef) would be extremely difficult. Not to mention we also have two toddler boys that we need to consider.

3. We just aren't quite ready yet. We have some big plans coming with our Registered Angus herd. We want our beef to have consistency and we want to learn everything we can by working with friends and family and selling live shares to them. We are tweaking things until we nail down a system that works for us and our customers.

So, that leaves us to our live share beef program. I love this because you get really creative with your beef. You have a half beef, which means you get a little bit of everything! Roasts, steaks, ground, bones, ribs, specialty cuts, off-the-wall cuts, organs (if you want). This is exactly how our ancestors ate. They harvested an animal and utilized the entire thing. How cool is that?

We kept everything our buyers didn't want this round like tongue, oxtail, kidneys, liver, hearts, fat. Bryce and I spent the whole evening after slaughter prepping and vacuum sealing organ meat to have on hand for dog food (organ meat is awesome dog food! We plan on feeding our female Aussie beef liver when she is bred again). Some of the extra meat we will eat as a family, like tongue! Have you ever had tongue tacos? YUM.

I also rendered down a bunch of kidney fat to make beef tallow. Which is gold for cast iron cooking or baking. This is as natural as you will find folks. Not processed and absolutely no preservatives added! I am even considering making some soap or chap stick. How awesome is that? My beef can also turn into chap stick? Cows are so cool.

5.) Bulk BEEF is cheaper & customized!

Purchasing a half cow seems like a big investment at first glance. However, when you break it down per pound, it will come out cheaper than if you were to buy everything in individual retail cuts.

See our price breakdown for bulk beef here: https://flyingfranch.org/pages/about-our-beef

Also- you not only have a relationship with your rancher, but you also have a relationship with your butcher! Our butcher will work one on one with you to get your beef cut exactly how you would like. Steak thickness, specialty cuts, wrap options, and guidance are discussed when you connect with your local butcher. I have learned so much by chatting with several butchers and have obtained quite a few fun cooking tricks, cuts I never knew about and recipes from these artists.

So, that is what I have for you on the benefits of buying bulk beef from us at Flying F Ranch! As I mentioned, we are working hard to bring in a new Angus herd and we are so excited to see where that adventure takes us. We will have our Black Angus beef ready by 2023!

If you are interested, please subscribe to our Ranch Newsletter on our home page.

Our subscribers are the first to know when beef is available! If you have questions, please comment below or shoot us an email at alli@flyingfranch.org!

Benefits of Buying Bulk BEEF From Your Rancher

The benefits of purchasing beef directly from your rancher is more than valuable:

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