The process of buying meat locally -- and why it might be more affordable than you think

This article was written for our sponsor, NC Choices.

Buying locally sourced foods is a trend that is only growing in popularity. After all, locally raised foods are flavorful, and you get to directly support a local farm and the businesses they depend upon with every purchase.

While farmers' markets are common in many areas, most markets only feature a handful of local meat farms as compared to an array of fruits and vegetable options, making it hard at times to find exactly the meat you’re looking for at the price you can afford. The good news? There are hundreds of locally raised, small meat farmers in North Carolina with good quality locally meats to sell.

In North Carolina, a website called Meat Suite helps you easily find and get locally produced, high-quality meats in bulk. Bulk meat — for example, selling a 20 pound box of grillable meats or selling a whole, half or quarter animal — is a great way to benefit both the farmer and the shopper. Buying in bulk is efficient and profitable for the farmer while offering a low price-per-pound on desirable cuts, so shoppers gain significant savings over meat sold by the piece.

Ashley Honeycutt, who with her husband, Curt, runs Honeycutt Farms agrees.

“Especially with what’s going on in the world as a whole, with a lot of uncertainties, many more people would like to purchase locally but don’t know where to start,” she said. “Meat Suite takes the challenges out of it.”

Using the site, consumers can search for growers in a certain area and for specific items.

“It allows them to go in and hand-select what they’re looking for, whether it be beef, pork or chicken,” he said.

Meat Suite is also an excellent resource for farmers, said David Pflugfelder, owner of CATHIS Farm. The site has a calculator that helps farmers know how to charge a fair price for their products, which Pflugfelder said is invaluable.

“One of the things farmers are terrible about often is estimating how much their stuff costs and how to charge for it,” he said. “They’re very good at undercharging and undervaluing their product.”

The Honeycutts and Pflugfelder said they can help their customers choose precisely what they want, thanks to the site.

Ashley notes that bulk purchasing is a win for shoppers, because they get more meat out of the animal, such as ground beef and roasts, and they can customize their cuts.

CATHIS Farm sells at farmers' markets, has an online store on its website, and sells to some specialty stores. Pflugfelder said he often sells specific cuts like ribeyes and, with the newest revamp of Meat Suite, it’s easy for him to create packages with variety.

“Being that we raise such a wide variety of species, I can say, ‘Here’s a bundle. It has some beef and pork and chicken and maybe some lamb,’” said Pflugfelder. “It’ll give them some variety.”

The Honeycutts arrange for customers to pick up their orders at their farm, or they will deliver them or meet people for a small fee.

When trying local meats, high quality is important. All our animals are raised outside, on pasture, eating grass,” said Pflugfelder.

“The more you buy, the less you pay per pound,” said Ashley Honeycutt. “Overall, it’s a lot more inexpensive than in a grocery store for higher quality meat.”

Pflugfelder said bulk buying benefits both the customer and the farmer.

“That’s the ultimate benefit of Meat Suite,” said Pflugfelder. “By bundling, it normally would cost you $90. I can discount the sale in the bundle for $75. So, there’s more convenience for me and for those buying.”

This article was written for our sponsor, NC Choices.