Posted on 08/19/2012 10:55:34 AM PDT by blam
How To Save Money On Meat As Corn Prices Soar
Andrea Woroch, AndreaWoroch.com
Aug. 19, 2012, 12:14 PM
A few weeks ago, the USDA warned about the impending increase in food prices as drought continues to diminish corn and soybean crops. More recently, however, the USDA advised corn crop yields are even less than previously estimated, making the future of grocery bills even more bleak.
Since 40 percent of US-grown corn is used for animal feed, beef, pork and poultry will see the most significant price increases. If you and your family depend on meat as a primary source of protein, consider the following eight strategies for reducing your grocery bill without sacrificing your taste buds.
1. Buy Lean
You may be tempted by the pricetag of 70 or 80-percent lean meats, but all of your savings will end up at the bottom of the grill. The fat comprising the remaining 20 to 30 percent of that package will render during cooking, making the lean-meat purchase a better deal in the long run. Plus, lean meat is the healthier choice -- bonus!
2. Avoid Pre-cut
Cubed meats and pre-made patties are convenient, but ultimately a waste of money. If you're guilty of purchasing these pre-made provisions, cease and desist to realize immediate savings. Additionally, grind your chuck at home or ask the butcher to do it for you. You'll get the same ground meat for much less, plus it seems fresher!
3. Buy in Bulk
If you consume a lot of meat, buying in bulk is a no-brainer way to keep costs down. Consider going in on a side of beef with a few other families to score healthier, high-quality meat for less. You'll need storage space, but you'll pay
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(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
I feel like a Soviet citizen reading Pravda not knowing what to believe.
There is terrible inflation, I know because I buy groceries. The media, including "conservative" media, doesn't seem to know about it.
What percentage of this terrible inflation is due to gas prices, etc. and what part has anything to due with rainfall?
Is this drought stuff real, or just global warming propaganda?
Can any Freeper advise?
” You have to find “the guy” “
I go straight for the Assistant Manager On Duty (there’s one that cringes and tries to scurry off whenever he sees me.. ;)) I don’t get any more meat (or whatever else they’re out of), but there’s a certain grim satisfaction in making ‘the man’ squirm... ;)
9] Eat squirrel.
” What percentage of this terrible inflation is due to gas prices, etc. and what part has anything to due with rainfall?
Is this drought stuff real, or just global warming propaganda? “
This year (and last year, and the year before) have been about petroleum prices (fuel and fertilizer) - next year is when we really get clobbered by the double-whammy of drought and even higher petroleum... Brace yourself...
By the bye, yes the drought is as ‘real’ and as serious as it can be...
Some of you considering grass vs. corn fed beef will find this interesting:
http://www.omaha.com/article/20120729/MOMS04/307299853
Also, since producers will continue liquidating herds in the next few months it could be an ideal time to buy low and put it in a freezer.
This does not surprise me. Right now I have two bucks that visit my garden nightly. In all the time I have lived here 20 + years I have never seen buck so bold. These two will snort and whistle when run off. The does are much braver and make their tour day or night. Course now I watered my garden and there are some apple trees nearby which these two bucks have at least one daily meal. There is no green grass/weeds except around the garden edge.
Thx for the info, unpleasant though it is!
I grew up on grass-fed Black Angus grown on our farm. Totally grass fed, no corn used in “finishing”. Local butcher, hung just the right amount of time in our own cooler.
None of the beef today has ever equaled the taste - even the “grass-fed” I buy at the market. (little or no taste to me - very bland)
I guess it is what you are used to -
Out here in Nevada, we are laying in a side of grass fed beef tomorrow. Comes out of Fallon where we have a small ranch. We eat both corn and grass fed. The grass fed meat is leaner and to me, tastes more like the beef we had as kids. It is sweeter than the corn-fed stuff but not quite as tender. Small trade off. At least I won’t be buying beef anytime soon...
You’re right - grass fed beef is definitely an acquired taste, but it is much healthier for you.
Stunk up the freezer with garlic odors though- even the ice cream started to taste like garlic. But the beef was unbelievably good and I've never had its equal.
I was gonna say what you illustrated...plus throw in catfish, squirrel, quail, etc...
This is exactly the way my father did it, back in the day. That meat was so good! Roast beef was just wonderful, and the steaks from the grill -
I don’t consider the taste “weedy”, but I am guessing that if people have grown up eating corn-fed, they wouldn’t understand.
It is like eating an heirloom indeterminate sun-ripened tomato right off the vine from your own garden - and comparing their taste to the field grown “bush” tomatoes, the latter bred for machine harvesting and being shipped green to be ripened by gas.
Those who have grown up on supermarket tomatoes would probably find the taste unfamiliar - The same with fresh eggs from one’s own free-range chicken vs factory chickens. You can even see the difference in these.
And, the “eggy” taste is so much better in the free-range chickens, probably because of all the fresh bugs, slugs, and japanese beetle larva they eat. But, those accustomed to supermarket eggs would probably say they taste “buggy” (little joke).
” It is like eating an heirloom indeterminate sun-ripened tomato right off the vine from your own garden “
I was just eating one (sliced, with a bit of salt) as I read your post - nothing like it!!!
I’ve spent most of my life in cities, and when I retired to the rural life, the fresh veggies did taste almost unpleasantly ‘strong’, at first - but now that I’ve been here for a couple of years (and have my own garden!!), I detest grocery-store produce...
Meat is going up due to fuel costs and the feed shortage. High fuel costs affect everything in your budget.
Pray for America
It is bad here in Missouri.
Much of the corn is being ground up into silage rather than being harvested. Beans don’t look very good either.
Hay is about 1/3 of normal yield.
About 25% of the hundreds of ponds in my area are completely dry. They are used to water cattle.
If you have cattle you run the risk of running out of hay over the winter, then you must find hay that could be quite expensive by then. Some will be selling off some animals to avoid the risk.
I buy the “expiring today” meats that go on sale. I immediately freeze them. You have to watch that they’re not changing the dates (it pays to know someone at the market).
Obviously this is only for the everyday stuff. If I’m going to binge on a great steak, I’m going for the best money can buy.
My husband and his friend when frogging. I made his clean them in his hot rod shop. Yuck! I know they are a french delicacy. Need I say more.
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