Grow Your Farm Profits Workshop

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Below are PFD versions of Jim Munsch's workshop presentations:

Deer Run Farm: A Snapshop
Jim Munsch (WI) raises organic beef on pasture at Deer Run Farm in Wisconsin. He has been in the beef business since 1981 and his operation was certified organic in 1999. Jim markets his beef in partnership with a large organic vegetable CSA. In this presentation, Jim shares information on his fed beef business including: pasture, winter feed, nutrient management, cattle and processing.
1.8 mb Download Presentation PDF

A Look at the Front End: The Marketplace
In this session Jim explores the importance of developing the value proposition of your products–what sets yours apart from others. We’ll cover: what are the attributes of what I'm selling, who and where are my customers for these attributes, how should I price to each set of customers.

Part One:
Introduction and Overview
316 kb Download Presentation PDF

Part Two:
Fitting Business to the Market
644 kb Download Presentation PDF

A Look at the Back End: Product Profitability
Building upon the morning session, Jim zeros in on the issue of profitability. Participants will learn how to answer the following: what is my cost of production, is it below the price I can receive, if it isn't can I fix it.

Part One:
PRICE: Discovering "Market Price", Establishing Your Price
616 kb Download Presentation PDF

Part Two:
Total Cost Analysis
1.3 mb Download Presentation PDF

Excel Workbooks: These files are examples of those explored during the presentation.

 Price Analysis Sample: This spread sheet allows you to accumulate actual market retail price information of beef cuts and hamburger and compare them across several retail options facing your customers.  This then informs the pricing decisions for your meat sold to those customers.
44 kb Download Excel Worksheet

Beef Carcass Primal: This spread sheet shows the meat yields by cut type resulting from typical processing of a finished beef animal.  There will be variations if the cuts you specify diverge from these "typical" cut types so keep records of actual cut-outs.
28 kb Download Excel Worksheet
 

 Grass Fed Beef P & L Model: This is a look at the financials of your beef operation using information from your schedule F categories of cost spread to the two key feed input "enterprises" of pasture and harvested forage plus other specific spending on your cattle operations.
56 kb Download Excel Worksheet
 

Additional Resources:

Beef and Pork Whole Animal Buying Guide
PM2076  Iowa State University, Arion Thiboumery, 2009 40 pages
This full-color, consumer-oriented guide explains buying pork and beef as whole animals (or portions thereof). Includes marketing terms and information on storage and handling, meat inspection and meat weight, and common retail pork and beef cuts.
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/store/ItemDetail.aspx?ProductID=13056

How to Direct Market Your Beef
SARE, 2005 96 pages
“How to Direct Market Your Beef” portrays how one couple used their family’s ranch to launch a profitable, grass-based beef operation focused on direct market sales. From slaughtering to packaging, through labeling and advertising, Jan and Will Holder transform their real-life experiences to a compelling narrative rich with practical tips.
http://www.sare.org/publications/beef.htm

Presentations from the 2010 Kansas Farmers Market Conference for Producers Meat, Poultry and Eggs:

Meat Marketing Displays at Kansas Farmers Markets
Rosanna Bauman
A kaleidoscope of Kansas farmers market meat vendor' display techniques interpreted by KRC's Farmer Educator Rosanna Bauman. Vendors showcasing multiple meat species, niche and value-added meats will be critiqued for displays exhibiting character, signage and sidelights. This session in followed by a brief look at profit keys that will support the demand generated by good displays. Download Presentation PDF

Meat-conomics 101: A profits and pricing survival guide for meat producers drowning in numbers
Rosanna Bauman
Why is someone who is notorious for poor record keeping giving a talk on record keeping? Because the Baumans can tell you the horror stories of not keeping records and the necessary systems they use to track their eleven on-farm enterprises. The operators of Cedar Valley Farms share their simple systems for profit and cost assessment, cash flow analysis, and value increasing. Download Presentation PDF

Niche Poultry Production: Slow Growing Broilers
Betsy Conner
Slow growing broilers can be a great niche pastured poultry market opportunity. Learn about slow growing broilers including differences between slow and fast growing broilers, budget, resources, and marketing options. 30 minutes
Download Presentation PDF

Stop the Meatball Slingin': Producer/Processor Relationships
Rosanna Bauman
A successful direct marketing meat business must have good relationships with its processor/butcher. The future of many processing facilities is dependent on local meat producers. As a diversified meat producer from Bauman's Cedar Valley Farms, Rosanna also has experience as a poultry processor with her family's USDA-certified ANCO Processing facility. Get the scoop on how to improve and strengthen the relationship with your processor. Download Presentation PDF