Why we need to raise our prices....

There's more to running a sustainable farm than using sustainable farming practices.

I've had a lot of people ask if our farm is "sustainable?"

It really depends on what you mean by sustainable. 

Do you want to know if our farming methods are "sustainable?" If so, then the answer is yes.

If you are asking are we profitable enough to stick around for the long haul?  The answer is a solid "no."

The truth is that a farm is only sustainable if it is profitable.  Farming practices aside, every business has to be profitable to move forward, and any farmer who is not treating their farm like a business is going to fail.

We refuse to fail. 

I usually speak to you as just me, but my husband, Kevin, is my full partner on the farm.  He pushes me to keep going and refuses to let me give up.  Hence, refusal to fail comes from both of us.

I've known for a while that I needed to take a hard look at our true costs to run the farm and re-evaluate our pricing.

It's been easy to overlook or underestimate costs such as:

- Time and gas driving to and from the processor to drop off animals and pick up meat.

- Time and gas to make deliveries. - Cost to pay employees.

- Insurance, electricity, fencing construction and maintenance (weed trimming instead of poisoning under the fences), feed, hay and so much more.

- Land costs... - Advertising and marketing.

I absolutely love what I do - I honestly do. 

I don't even mind that I'm not paying myself.  That's right.  I have not once paid myself for my labor.  Every incoming penny has gone right back into the farm, paying employees, building fence, and feeding animals.

It's time to change that, because I want to continue to serve you - I believe in our mission too much to quit.

Back to pricing...Pricing increases won't happen for 30 days - That's January 19th. 

That means that now is the time to stock up - before we raise our prices.

Some prices won't change much. 

Pork will stay close to what it has been.

Beef will see some changes, particularly on steaks.  Other beef products will see smaller changes.

Lamb will see a big increase.  This is because the costs associated with processing lamb are huge and the yield from each animal is very small.

You can also look for more bulk bundles to help you take advantage of bulk pricing.