Meat Shortage? Buy a cow! Go hunting!

No, I don't mean go out and buy a live cow to put on your property, though for some of us livestock ownership is an option. What I'm talking about is buying the cow direct from the rancher and then paying to have it butchered. Depending on the number of people you get to split the cost with, this can be an extremely affordable option and often times with better meat quality than the supermarket. With the price of cattle dropping to ridiculously low levels and the price of processed meat going through the roof it is easy to see how the processing cost is getting passed on to you, the consumer. The ranchers are making much less per head of cattle than they once were, so many are trying to get the word out that they are selling to individuals. Most people have never thought about buying a cow because they don't know the process. When you make the agreement to purchase the cow you can ask the rancher to take it to the meat processing facility. The delivery may or may not come with an extra cost, depending on how many other cows they'll be delivering. You then get in contact with the processing facility and pay to have the animal butchered. At this point you decide what kind of meat you want; as many steaks as possible, how many pounds of ground beef, or if you want it cut or sliced into smaller pieces.

Most families don't have freezer space for a butchered cow, and to keep the cost affordable you can "go in" with other people and split the haul and cost. The process is actually pretty easy, and the processing plant will call when it's time to pick up your meat. Another option is to buy a hunting license, either dust off your grandfather's old gun or buy a new one, and get out into the woods. That's a hyper-simplified statement, but in reality hunting can be a complex endeavor or something as simple as sitting in a tree stand and waiting. There is this huge disconnect between people and where their meet comes from. Hunting is not only a good way to get meat for your freezers, but it can also be an extremely educational and even spiritual exercise. Taking the life of an animal can bring up all kinds of emotions, from glee to outright sadness, so it's always better to go with someone who has experience for the first few times and then talk about what happened, how you felt, what you can do differently. Then comes eating what you got, which for many people is the moment that either makes them a hunter or causes them to put their rifle up. You don't need to live in an area with big game to gather meat. All it takes is some squirrels or some rabbits, doves or quail, or even a flock of turkeys. Hunting isn't for everyone, but everyone has the ability to learn how; it's in our blood, back to our ancient ancestors. So while there may be a "meat shortage" for some. for others this is an opportunity to get out hunting for the first time or to buy direct from the ranchers and experience a different side to the world of meat. Like this article? Check out more at The Blog! where I go over passive income streams, making money at home/online, my hobbies, home repairs, and more.