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Ranched
Elk Meat Sales Information
Recently,
a strong desire has been shown within the elk industry to develop
the elk venison industry, partially in response to the current low
prices of velvet antler and animals, and also to establish another
end product.
When developing a new market, such as elk meat, it is very important that consumers have a favourable first experience with the product. There is only one chance to make a good first impression. If people are sold inferior or poor quality product, they may be turned-off that product for some time. Elk producers must be very careful to only sell high quality elk meat to consumers. Research trials conducted to-date at Lacombe, indicate that two, three and four year old intact males will all provide very good quality eating experiences. Also, slaughter and testing of a limited number of older animals (8-12 year old cows) showed that shear values (tenderness) were similar to the 2 and 5-year-old males. Regardless of the age of the animal, providing information on how to prepare the meat will help consumers cook the meat properly, which will further ensuring a superb introduction to elk. Not
only is the consumption of healthy lean meat desirable to the
consumer, the image of ‘naturally’ raised elk is also important.
Elk could easily have a marketing advantage as a natural or heritage
meat that is readily accepted by venison consumers. Image and food
safety may be a more influential factor for a consumer deciding to
purchase specialty meats than price. Elk meat products must,
however, be priced consistent with market value and must be adequate
to make it ‘worth it’ to both the producer and distributor of
the meat. An examination of costs of processing, and pricing of elk
meat in the current market will provide people beginning meat sales
a guideline to follow on various products. Processing
Costs There
are two federally inspected plants in Alberta that will accept elk
for processing. In addition, there are many abattoirs under
provincial inspection that can process elk. Kill only costs range
from $30.00 to $100.00 per animal. Cut and brown paper wrap costs
range from $0.33 to $0.50 /lb. ($141.90 - $215.00 for a 430 pound
dressed out carcass). One source indicated that the price for
processing, de-boning, vacuum packing, and boxing of meat, was
around the $225.00 per animal. Variation in cost
between plants will depend on factors such as if they are
provincially or federally inspected, the numbers of animals you have
for slaughter, and the type of packaging (i.e. vacuum packaging vs.
paper wrapping). Elk
Meat Yield Two to four year old elk bulls in good condition for slaughter can be expected to weigh between 550 and 800 pounds. Four-year-old bulls in fat condition may weigh as much as 900 to 1000 pounds. Typically, two-year-old bulls will weigh 500 to 600 lbs., three-year-old bulls 600 to 700 lbs., and four-year-old bulls 700 to 800 lbs.
Elk yield carcass dressing
percentages ranging from 58% to 60% of live body weight.
Four-year-old bulls, in fat condition, will usually dress-out at
about 60%. The average yield of meat cuts, bones and waste from elk
carcasses is shown in the following table. Average
yield of boneless meat cuts from elk carcasses Based on an average hot carcass weight of 430lbs. (730 lbs. live weight)
For
the above animals, almost 30% of the carcass comprised of high value
cuts, 50% lower value cuts, 15% bones and 5% discarded as fat and
waste. The percentages of bone and waste will vary depending on the
condition of the carcass. Factors such as the finishing diet and the
age of the animal can affect both fat and muscle deposition on
carcasses. Method
of selling
One of the easiest ways to distribute elk meat is to divide carcasses into 4 equal quarters (split halves) containing a mixture of roasts, steaks, ground elk and stew or ribs. These quarter elk packages will typically weigh in the range of 55 to 90 lbs. depending if it is boneless or not. Quarter packs can be priced at $6.00 to $8.00 per pound or generally about $400.00 each. Of course, one can also sell whole halves or carcasses on the same basis. Other
producers may wish to sell individual cuts such as roasts, steaks,
ground elk, etc. Prices will necessarily have a much wider range and
must be established for each cut of meat. Tenderloins (back straps)
are always the most valuable cuts and should be priced at $20.00 to
$25.00 per pound. Rib eye, strip loin and top butt (sirloin) cuts
are typically priced at $15.00 to $20.00 per pound. Round cuts as
steaks or roasts may sell at $6.00 to $10.00 per pound. Stew meat
should be worth $4.00 to $5.00 per pound and trim (ground elk) will
sell for $3.00 to $4.00 per pound. Some restaurants may pay $1.00 -
$2.00 per pound for clean elk bones for sauces and soups. Processed
elk meats such as smokies, salami, jerky, etc. must be sold for
considerably higher prices than fresh or frozen elk to cover the
additional processing costs. Elk
Meat in Alberta (The following are examples of elk meat packages and
products available in Alberta Example
#2: Example
#3: Example
#4: Example
#5: 50
LB freezer order- $5.00/lb Example
#6: Cooking
and Preparation of Ranched Elk Meat
The
Alberta Elk Centre acknowledges and thanks Dr. Terry Church,
Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch (403-256-1350), for his assistance in
the writing of this document. Back
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