Yellowstone episode touches on direct-to-consumer meat sales

On a recent episode of “Yellowstone,” viewers got to learn about one of the biggest modern-day dilemmas of the poultry and meat industry. Is it better to work with a processor or make plans to feed, process and market products directly to consumers?

When Yellowstone patriarch, John Dutton, grapples with the costs of a brucellosis infection in his beef cattle, his daughter, Beth, proposes an alternative solution. 

Their frenemy ranch, 6666, sells more than eight million pounds of beef on their website. The only catch, according to 6666, is that you’ll have to “have a lot of backbone,” something viewers know that Beth has no shortage of.

I’ve yet to see a chicken on “Yellowstone,” but I know similar conversations are happening throughout the poultry industry. (Also, as a side note, I love seeing a show on television that promotes positive perceptions of animal agriculture).

Direct-to-consumers

Direct-to-consumer sales is slowly gaining popularity with the poultry industry. 

In 2020, Perdue Farms launched their website, PerdueFarms.com, featuring brands such as Perdue, Niman Ranch, Coleman Natural, Sonoma Red and Skagit Red. 

Fans of plant-based meat can also get Impossible Foods’ plant-based burgers and other alternative meat products online at buy.impossiblefoods.com.

Millennials – born between the mid-1980s and early 2000s – are consistently turning to ecommerce solutions to learn more about the origins of their food. Nearly half of all global consumers purchase perishables such as meat, product and dairy items online, according to a 2020 survey conducted by global market intelligence firm, IDC. 

I’m sure that number is even higher post-pandemic as interest in ecommerce skyrockets.

Direct-to-consumer can be a great way for the poultry industry to capitalize off the local meat trends. In addition, it’s a win-win for both the poultry industry and the consumer – integrators can move more product and consumers pay a lower price overall.

Ecommerce websites do require some capital investment and know how, but it seems to me it’s an investment worth exploring.