Here’s the weekly roundup from Watson Farms and your direct connection to your farmer. Enjoy the latest edition of Pasture Posts!

Why the Big Plants are Closing (And What It Means for Us)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, rest, and plenty of good food. We certainly enjoyed the downtime and the chance to gather around the table, but as we head back into the weekly rhythm of the farm, there’s some heavy news in the cattle world that I feel is important to share with you.

We often talk about how different Watson Farms is from the “Big Four” meatpackers. And in almost every way that matters—how the animals are treated, how the land is managed, and the nutrient density of the final product—we are worlds apart. But this week, a major headline reminded us that we are all swimming in the same economic stream.

You might have seen the news that Tyson Foods is closing its massive beef plant in Lexington, Nebraska. This isn’t just a small blip; this is a facility that processes huge numbers of cattle. When a plant like that shutters, it’s a symptom of a much larger problem: there simply aren’t enough cattle in the United States right now.

The U.S. cattle herd has shrunk to its smallest size in decades. Years of drought, high input costs, and economic uncertainty have forced many ranchers to sell off their cows. The result is a historic shortage of calves.

Here is where the unexpected similarity between us and the giants like Tyson comes in.

While we finish our cattle on lush, regenerative pastures rather than in confinement feedlots, we generally don’t breed all our own calves from scratch. Like the big packers and feedlots, we have to go out into the market and purchase “feeder cattle” (young calves) to bring onto our farm for grass-finishing.

Because the national herd is so small, the competition for those calves is fierce. Whether you are a massive industrial feedlot or a direct-to-consumer regenerative farm like ours, the cost to acquire cattle has skyrocketed. In fact, we have had to pay more for cattle this year than ever before in the history of our farm.

The prices for these calves have hit record highs, and that puts an immense amount of pressure on our business.

Economics 101 would say that when our costs go up this much, our prices should follow immediately. And if I’m being honest, looking at the spreadsheet, we probably should have raised our beef prices significantly in the last 6 months to keep up with the market.

But we didn’t.

We resisted that price increase for a very simple reason: We know who you are. We know that many of you make sacrifices to put our beef on your table because you believe in the health benefits and the environmental impact. We knew that if we passed all these record-breaking costs on to you right now, many of our loyal customers would simply have to forego our beef.

We want our meat to be on your table, not just in our freezers.

We are doing everything we can to weather this storm of high cattle prices without breaking your budget. It’s a tightrope walk, but it’s one we are willing to walk because we believe in this model, and we appreciate your support more than you know.

So, when you see headlines about plant closures and “beef shortages,” know that your farmers are feeling it too. But unlike the big guys who might shut down a plant to cut losses, we are here to stay, continuing to seek out the best cattle and finish them the right way for your family.

Thank you for sticking with us through these wild markets.

Sincerely,

Your Farmer, Matt

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Last Chance for Thanksgiving Week Sales

We’ve got some great deals going right now, but many of them end tomorrow. Don’t delay! Get your order in, and we will get it shipped out this week.

Check out this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review from Mady:

“My first order was just delivered. I am so excited!!! I ordered a couple of days ago and the order was quickly processed and out for delivery today. I opened my package and all the meats are vacuumed sealed and frozen and they look great! Can’t wait to taste all the great cuts of meat I got. It’s great to be able to support a local regenerative farm.”

We would greatly appreciate it if you would be kind enough to leave us a review.  It helps first-time customers purchase with confidence.

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Shipping Timeline and Store Hours

UPS Orders (all orders ship with insulation and dry ice):

UPS orders normally ship out on Mondays – Wednesdays.

For Thanksgiving week we will only be shipping orders on Monday, Nov. 24. Place your order by midnight on Sunday, Nov. 23 to guarantee shipping this week.

We will try to ship your order on the next shipping day as soon as we have it assembled.

You should receive a text message and email with a tracking link when your order ships.

Farm Pickup (Always Free!): Please wait until you receive an email stating that your order is ready to be picked up (usually 1 business day from when you place your order). Farm pickup is done during store hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10am to 6pm
Saturday: 10am to 2pm
Closed Sunday and Wednesday

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Thanks again for being partners in this endeavor of local, pasture-raised proteins that has truly transformed our farm.  We look forward to continuing this transition while serving you long into the future.

Sincerely,
The Watsons

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Pasture Posts is written and/or edited by Matt Watson.