New website helps consumers find local farmers selling meat in bulk

As you have likely noticed in recent weeks, fresh beef, chicken and pork have all been hard to find on the grocery shelves. As consumers have stocked up in anticipation of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, the meat shelves in many stores have been nearly empty.

Fortunately, these shortages are not expected to last as freezers become full, suppliers are able to re-route meat from restaurants to grocery stores and the pandemic eventually slows.

Program Director, Sarah Blacklin, states, “A lot of North Carolinians want to buy local meat from farms but they don’t know where to start. MeatSuite.com allows customers to search for farms selling local meats in your area using criteria such as location, species, and farm practices. On the site, farmers sell meat in bulk quantities (assorted meat boxes, or quarter, half, and whole animal) which means customers save money. That’s because bulk buying is more efficient for the farmer than selling cuts by the piece. Farmers reduce processing costs, marketing time, and overall risk of inventory management, so they can pass those savings onto you. Plus, you get local, delicious meat while supporting your local economy. We think it’s a win: win.  We hopeMeatSuite.com will create long-lasting customer-farmer connections that continue well after the dust settles with Covid-19.”

A list of farmers offering each type of meat will be shown. Click on the View link for each farmer to see more information about the specific farm and pricing.

Beef prices range from approximately $4.35/lb to $5.99/lb HCW when buying a whole, 1/2 or 1/4 cow including processing. Hog prices range from $4.50/lb to $4.75/lb HCW including processing.