I appreciate the encouragement (on my previous post) to have a conversation with the farmer about her beef problem.
Part of the reason the situation has eaten at me (so to speak) is that it runs seriously counter to my normal approach in such situations. I believe strongly in providing constructive feedback to suppliers of all sorts, and I’ve always valued it as a writer.
So, I wonder, why has this situation been so difficult?
I agree with Elizabeth McInerney that part of the problem could be that the farmer is a woman, and perhaps I anticipate that she’s more sensitive than a man might be. Related to that, I know she works very hard to make ends meet. And related to that, possibly the fact that she tends to tell me about difficulties she’s having—with equipment, weather, illness, etc.—makes me reluctant to add yet another problem to her list.
Perhaps most important, though, I suspect that my lack of knowledge makes me especially uncomfortable. It’s one thing to provide feedback to a restaurant owner about some aspect of the food or service, since I have lots of comparative experience on which to base my comments. But it’s another to provide feedback to a farmer, since I have much less comparative experience buying direct, and know so little about what the limitations.
So I think in this situation, I’m uncomfortable partly because I lack confidence in the feedback I might offer. I think on some level, I wonder if there might be nothing she can do to improve her quality, given that she has told me how hard she works and how committed she is to raising her animals with love.
Catherine Czapp’s speculation that she could be culling older animals from her herd, or having trouble with the slaughterhouse, is very helpful to me. Makes me realize that there may be some things going on that I, and possibly the farmer, wasn’t aware of.
I will likely see her again on Saturday, at a farmers market where I sometimes arrange to pick up her milk, so I will try to have that conversation.
P.S. Ironic to hear from someone associated with Hardwick Beef (Chuck Lacy), since I just this afternoon purchased some of its ground beef at the Hanover (NH) Co-op. It’s the only store I purchase beef at any more, since it’s the only one I frequent that has the grass-fed variety.
A few comments (since this is a guy, someone I don’t really know well, feeling more knowledgeable): I had assumed Hardwick Beef was a single farm in Vermont, and was surprised to learn from its web site that it is really a distributor (I assume, since the site indicates the beef comes from a number of farms), which is too bad. It’s also very expensive (at the co-op)—from $8 a pound for ground beef, on up to $18 a pound for good steak.
On the positive side, the meat is always excellent quality. Tonight was the first time in probably a couple years I’ve had burgers. And the fact that it comes in vacuum packages, rather than frozen, makes it convenient—I can consume it within a few hours, rather than having to defrost the night before.
What I think I’m saying is that I hope they do all right, since their growth will spur wider availability of grass-fed beef. For me personally, it’s good in a pinch, but I prefer to purchase directly from individual farmers than via an intermediary if at all possible. It’s the direct purchasing model that will stimulate more small farms, by reducing the importance of the middleman.
I don’t know if this is the case with David’s farmer, but to some, love means, in part, that all animals get a long life. Culling for one trait or another, while generally accepted as standard practice in most operations, is not universal, especially in small operations. Ive seen farmers hold onto animals for years that I would dispose of in a minute (usually because of behavior traits, but also to manage any number of characteristics).
Culling is, of course, not the last word in quality management, and farmers can disagree about it generally and in detail. And that’s really the point. Every farm has its idiosyncracies, as does every buyer. Hopefully, with enough choices, the twain will appropriately meet. Undoubtedly there are buyers who would tolerate a less refined product if they knew they were supporting a particular farm method. Others not.
Actually, even the definition of quality is up for grabs. The classic dilemma in selling grass-fed beef, for example, is that most people are used to grilling their beef quickly over a very hot flame. Works great for fat-marbled, grain-fed beef, but turns grass-fed beef into shoe leather. (Many of you are aware that grass-fed cattle tend to wear their fat on the outside, rather than through, their muscle. It therefore requires slow cooking with attention to moisture preservation.) If you must sear your beef, grass-fed is a poor choice!
In any case, I do like to clearly explain–right from the beginning–to any purveyor, farmer or otherwise, what I’m looking for. It helps avoid later misunderstandings. Of course that advantage is only available when the source is local. 🙂