Dexter Beef Breakdown

[Boofarm]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/9560046 ... 6602940285

Hopefully the link will work - this has just popped up on a number of facebook sites in my area. I don't know the folks concerned.
Our Dexters typically hang up at 200-230 and return 65% so 130-150 Kg of product, resulting in 13-15 of these boxes.

Does anyone else get 26-30 fillet steaks out of a Dexter or 50-60 sirloin?

Cheers
Mac

[Jac]

Does anyone else get 26-30 fillet steaks out of a Dexter or 50-60 sirloin?

Depends how thick you cut them. Do you have weights?

Male (short) 8 oz sirloins = 43, 4 oz fillets = 24 192 kg d/w
Male (non-short) 8 oz sirloins = 47, 4 oz fillets = 27 (sorry can't seem to find exact d/w saleable meat 123.6 kgs ex offal)

Female (short) 8 oz sirloins = 31, 4 oz fillets = 20 149 kg d/w
Female (non-short) 8 oz sirloins = 35, 4 oz fillets 22 170 kg d/w

(Reality Check!) You cannot measure viability of a beef enterprise solely on the weights of steers.

[Boofarm]

Does anyone else get 26-30 fillet steaks out of a Dexter or 50-60 sirloin?

Depends how thick you cut them. Do you have weights?

Male (short) 8 oz sirloins = 43, 4 oz fillets = 24 192 kg d/w
Male (non-short) 8 oz sirloins = 47, 4 oz fillets = 27 (sorry can't seem to find exact d/w saleable meat 123.6 kgs ex offal)

Female (short) 8 oz sirloins = 31, 4 oz fillets = 20 149 kg d/w
Female (non-short) 8 oz sirloins = 35, 4 oz fillets 22 170 kg d/w

(Reality Check!) You cannot measure viability of a beef enterprise solely on the weights of steers.

Ok cheers - its pretty obvious that they would need to be small, the question really was how small do you have to cut them to divide a beast into standard boxes?

Looking at your results above - pretty small indeed - you got 20/22 steaks that (no offence) I would class as on the small side for an adult portion.

The beast in question was 227Kg hanging so should provide 140Kg of product

A few weeks ago we processed 2 at 213 & 232 Kg - fillets were 3.3 and 3.5, we leave fillets whole not sliced.

I was just a bit surprised to see a beast divided into standard packs, we offer premium and economy boxes with different pricing and content.

I fully concur with your reality check - end return is what is important

Obliged.

[Jac]

I am not sure many people put the fillets (or ribs) in the boxes as these are easy to sell on their own at a premium price.

[Rob R]

Like you I never slice a fillet - each one is divided into 3 and the customer can slice their own steaks as thickly or as thinly as they like. I also don't charge a premium for fillet - it doesn't go in a 'standard' box but is included in a steak box, all at a standard steak price.

As Jac rightly says, the size of a beast has nothing to do with viability. I don't see the point in making Dexters larger when one of the selling points is their small, convenient size. I don't like my steers over 180kg on the hook because I can't fit them into boxes very well and I end up with a lot more left over bits that home cooks are less keen to take.

It's a matter of matching your product to your market though, and one of the problems I think many people have. The butchers and restaurants seem to want the 200kg+ types, but they get offered 140kg's, meanwhile there are people trying to cram 200kg+ into boxes and struggling. It makes no sense.

[Duncan MacIntyre]

Most of mine sells in boxes, even mix of cuts except fillet, 7 or 8kg in a box. I can get up to 12 boxes from my bigger ones which are about 150 kg hanging weight, less for smaller. At the moment £110 a box - maybe average £1200 per beast, less £300 killing and butchering.

I think Harvey Hamlet also sells his own pork and lamb, we had a discussion about Dexter beef a while ago. He drives lorries for Carrs Billington.

Duncan

[Jac]

It's a matter of matching your product to your market though, and one of the problems I think many people have. The butchers and restaurants seem to want the 200kg+ types, but they get offered 140kg's, meanwhile there are people trying to cram 200kg+ into boxes and struggling. It makes no sense.

How then is an outlet for the increasing number of animals being produced going to happen? Uniformity and consistency is a key requirement. We have seen this in Robert and Alison's post on selling through the Traditional Breeds Meat Marketing Company (now independent of the RBS Trust). If the breed is to compete in a commercial way then these matters will have to be addressed at some stage whether people like it or not. I would like to see some serious independent market research before embarking on a programme of change based on 'wishful thinking'. There is a world of difference to supplying privately (diversification/home business) or actually 'farming' through normal commercial channels.

[Rob R]

Why does it matter? If you can't produce an animal that meets your market, you're going to struggle. The same applies to all breeds. There's never going to be an outlet that will take everything unless folks can afford to take mince price. Most people who are breeding these animals aren't commercial so they should be encouraged not to breed and just keep animals for the love of keeping them, like the pets they are.

[Jac]

Why does it matter? If you can't produce an animal that meets your market, you're going to struggle. .

I don't disagree. Unfortunately, there has been no feasibility study carried out as to whether ditching non-commercial people will bring the desired result. The definition of a 'commercial person' is open to interpretation. The breed attracts those that have made money elsewhere and have bought their own farms. Are these pet owners? Clive Taylor has been down the commercial route what happened? He couldn't get people to buy Dexter beef in boxes - they wanted to 'cherry pick'. Like most people with a large acreage he couldn't do it all and had to seek another more acceptable commercial option - he went to farm assured Dangus (before TB wiped him out?)

[Rob R]

Why does it matter? If you can't produce an animal that meets your market, you're going to struggle. .

I don't disagree. Unfortunately, there has been no feasibility study carried out as to whether ditching non-commercial people will bring the desired result. The definition of a 'commercial person' is open to interpretation. The breed attracts those that have made money elsewhere and have bought their own farms. Are these pet owners? Clive Taylor has been down the commercial route what happened? He couldn't get people to buy Dexter beef in boxes - they wanted to 'cherry pick'. Like most people with a large acreage he couldn't do it all and had to seek another more acceptable commercial option - he went to Dangus (before TB wiped him out?)

I don't think it's a case of ditching anyone, just recognising people, and animals, for what they are. I'd say that anyone with more than 20 cows are more on the commercial side, unless they have a lot of friends and family!

[Jac]

You are writing with the benefit of experience but where other than this site are new members able to gain the information before embarking on a career as a 'farmer'. Anyone with land and money can dip their toe into the water and fail - it is the fall-out that is not pleasant for those left. One would think that having experience of business albeit in another line they would have a business plan (some have never even tried a piece of Dexter beef - I joke not!). The attractive price is not doing the breed any favours in these cases neither is the non-scary size.

[Rob R]

There will always be dreamers in the smallholding world, and always people willing to take their money off them. You can tell them until you're blue in the face but that doesn't mean they will listen. As much as it presents problems, it also presents opportunity. This is much bigger than the Dexter breed and as much as we'd like to bypass all the hard work and just breed and sell breeding stock or beef, we can't.

[Jac]

Returning to the subject of the Dexter Beef Breakdown and looking at the differences in weights obtained for non-short animals do they all fall within the height guidelines according to the current breed standard? The non-short male of mine (about 24 months) was not (offspring of short to non-short). The heifer (about 27 months?) looked as if it would finish within the standard (offspring of non-short to non-short).

[Rob R]

The problem with applying height standards to beef animals is that castrates do grow taller than their entire counterparts, so it's not fair to compare steers with bulls or heifers, but on the subject of heifers to heifers it would be interesting to know.

I don't see the point in larger Dexters as instead of getting a more profitable animal you seem to end up with more meat that costs you more to produce. Or at the very least you've had to layout more money to achieve similar returns.

[Jac]

On the subject of more meat/costs. You have got your killing/hanging costs to consider it doesn't cost me any less if the carcase is smaller.
I have not noticed a difference between the amount of fodder consumed between the different sexes when fed on an ad lib basis - bearing in mind that mine are fed separately.