steakbroker.com was started to help cattle producers sell their products directly to consumers. This is done by selling custom butcher beef. A producer may sell quarter shares in a cow that is to be butchered. Once all the shares have been sold, the cow is sent to be butchered and the custom butchered beef, that was purchased before the animal was slaughtered, can be sent to or picked up by the customer. This allows the consumer to know exactly where their beef is coming from, and the producer to sell directly to the consumer.
Cattle producers can click on the SELL tab at the top of the page, which leads to the page with the REGISTER FOR VENDOR ACCOUNT tab. Click on it and enter all the required information. Producers will need a PayPal account to accept payments. After you have completed the sign up, your account will need to be approved by the website administrator. Once approved, you will receive a confirmation email that your account has been created, and you can start posting products for sale. There is no charge to sign up for an account, and there is no charge to post a cow for sale. Once a quarter is purchased, a small commission is charged at the point of sale.
When posting livestock for sale, there are a few details that the seller needs to include to facilitate smooth transactions. Location data should be thoroughly filled out. The website uses this data to list sale items by state, so consumers can locate producers local to them. It is also very helpful to list the region of the state or nearby town where the cow and/or butcher doing the processing is located. Producers will also be required to post the price for the beef for sale. The price listed should be for each quarter of the cow. If the total price for the whole beef on the hoof is $4,000, the listed price should be $1,000. The producer should list the butcher they intend to send the beef to be processed along with a date for processing, and cost of butchering. If the producer is having the cow butchered by a USDA approved butcher, then selling beef bundles or quarters, this should be specified in the listing. Producers should also provide a quality picture of the animal to be sold, or the processed beef bundles. Producers should also provide detailed information about the process for butchering and pickup. The more detail that is provided about the location and the butchering process, the easier it is for the consumer to know what to expect.
Once all the quarters of the animal have been sold then sent to be processed, buyers can arrange to pick up the processed meat. If the butcher price was not included in online purchase, payment can now be arranged for the processing. Both parties, producers and consumers, should have a clear understanding of where and when the processing will take place and how it is to be paid for and picked up.
