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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteKansas beef producers who sell directly to households report that the model pays better than conventional channels, and that belief is consistent across the Kansas State University survey work and a 2023 peer-reviewed survey. What those studies do not show is that direct sales produce higher net income for every farm. The gap between a strong perception of profit and a verified profit advantage is where most of the financial risk sits, for the farm and for the family buying the meat.
What the headline can and cannot support
The headline describes young farmers who find value in selling meat directly to consumers. The sources behind this article do not name those farmers or report their individual sales, costs, or income. Everything below is survey-level evidence from Kansas producers and consumers, and it describes what those groups reported, not how any one operation performed.
Two scope limits matter throughout. First, the evidence is almost entirely about beef, so findings should not be extended to pork, poultry, lamb, or other meats without separate evidence. Second, the most recent detailed peer-reviewed survey located is from 2023, and its producers were recruited from people already selling or planning to sell directly, so it is not a random sample of Kansas farms. Prices, costs, and rules change, so check any figure below against its original date before relying on it.
The survey numbers, and what each one measures
The figures most often quoted about direct meat sales are real, but each measures something narrower than the headline implies.
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| Finding | Source and date | Who was measured | What it does not show |
|---|---|---|---|
| 65 of 66 producers believed their direct sales were more profitable than sales through conventional channels | Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics initial survey, report dated March 25, 2022 | 66 producers in the initial survey | Audited profit. It records a belief about profitability. |
| 61% of producers reported that direct marketing increased in 2020 and 2021 | K-State initial survey, 2022 | Producers in the initial survey | Current trends. These are historical self-reports. |
| Almost half of consumers said they first bought custom-processed beef in 2020 or 2021 | K-State initial survey, 2022 | 198 consumers in the initial survey | Market-wide buying patterns after 2021. |
| 87.1% ranked sales to individual customers as the most profitable channel | O’Quinn, Lybarger, Ibendahl, Vaughan, and Kwon, Translational Animal Science, 2023 | 41 producers recruited through an online Kansas farm marketplace; 69.8% ran beef-only operations with 1–20 head of annual output | Net return. Respondents ranked channels; the study did not compare their accounts. |
| 97.3% of producer respondents said increased direct-to-consumer sales would be desirable | Same 2023 study | Same 41 producers | Actual sales performance. This measures what producers want. |
| More than 62% said smaller portions, including individual cuts, were popular | Same 2023 study | Same 41 producers | Buyer demand measured directly. |
| Word of mouth (91.3%) and social media (65.8%) were popular advertising methods | Same 2023 study | Same 41 producers | That either channel causes higher returns. |
Regional and national totals provide context but not beef-specific evidence. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, as cited in the 2023 study, reported more than $9 billion in direct-marketed agricultural food product sales nationally in 2020, and more than $166 million across Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota in the same year. Those totals cover all agricultural food products, not meat alone, and should not be read as direct beef sales.
Why “more profitable” is hard to verify
The K-State report makes the most useful caution about its own finding. It notes that producers may overestimate profitability when their accounting systems do not capture the full costs of direct marketing. Fewer than half of the surveyed producers used accounting software such as QuickBooks, which the report names as an example rather than an endorsement, and cash accounting made profitability analysis harder.
A direct sale looks profitable on the sales line when the costs sit somewhere else. Before concluding that a direct channel paid better, a producer would need to record:
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- Time spent on marketing, customer messages, and order taking
- Processing fees and any scheduling delays at the processor
- Cold storage, freezer, and refrigeration costs
- Delivery or pickup logistics
- Refunds, credits, or partial concessions granted after yield or cut disputes
- Unsold cuts and portions that had to be sold through another channel
Without those lines, a producer can believe a channel is more profitable without being able to prove it.
Where the costs and the work move
Direct-to-consumer sales can give a producer more control over price and customer relationships, but they also move several jobs closer to the farm. The table separates what the sources establish from what they leave unstated.
| Factor | What shifts toward the producer | What the sources establish |
|---|---|---|
| Selling price | The producer sets the price rather than accepting an intermediary’s price | Potential control over price, per the 2022 report; not proof of higher net returns |
| Marketing and customer communication | Finding buyers, explaining yield and cut mix, answering questions | Word of mouth and social media were the most reported methods in the 2023 study; cost of this labor not stated |
| Processing coordination | Scheduling the animal, managing processing choices and fees | Misunderstandings about processing fees and cuts were tied to disputes and concessions; cost per animal not stated |
| Cold chain and storage | Keeping meat under temperature control from processing to delivery | Meat and poultry require temperature control or specialized processing under Kansas Department of Agriculture guidance; cost not stated |
| Order fulfillment and delivery | Packing, labeling, delivering or arranging pickup | Delivery and service charges must be disclosed under Kansas law; cost not stated |
| Buyer commitment | Buyers pay upfront and must store large quantities | Upfront price, freezer space, and quantity were reported barriers in the 2023 study |
No source establishes a universal winner across these factors. A channel that gives better price control can still cost more in labor and disputes than it returns.
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What a buyer is actually committing to
Buying custom-processed beef is not like choosing packages at a grocery counter. A buyer usually commits to a share of an animal before knowing the take-home weight, the cut mix, or the final cost per pound. Hanging weights vary, and processing choices change what actually arrives in the freezer. Clear written order terms reduce mismatches, and the producer-side disputes described above usually start here.
In the 2023 Kansas survey, consumers named three major barriers in the abstract: product quantity (41.7%), lack of freezer space (25%), and price (24.9%). The study’s discussion groups lack of freezer space and product quantity together and reports that 66.7% of consumers identified one of those as a major barrier. Those categories overlap, so they should not be added together.
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- Add the share price to every service charge in the written order, including cutting, wrapping, freezing, and delivery.
- Ask the producer or processor for the expected take-home pounds, based on the stated hanging weight and yield, in writing.
- Divide the total cost by the expected take-home pounds to get the cost per pound you will actually keep.
- Compare that figure with what you would pay for the cuts you would really use, not a generic price for all cuts.
Measure freezer space before ordering. A chest freezer is one practical option for a large share, but the sources do not require a particular model or establish that every buyer needs one.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What producers can do before taking orders
The Kansas evidence points to a short set of practices that address the most common complaints. Surveyed producers reported customer dissatisfaction over overall yield (23%), portions of certain cuts (23%), price (13%), and unexpected costs (10%). These are the producers’ own reports of complaints, not rates across all direct-meat transactions.
- Offer smaller portions or individual cuts, since more than 62% of 2023 respondents called them popular.
- Explain expected yield and the cut options in writing before the buyer commits.
- State processing and delivery costs as separate line items.
- Track every direct-sale cost, including labor and concessions, so that the profit comparison uses complete numbers.
Kansas disclosure rules
Kansas law requires specific disclosures in covered meat sales and prohibits certain misleading practices. The statute, K.S.A. 50-9-3, addresses the following:
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- Service charges for cutting, wrapping, freezing, and delivery
- Pricing of units larger than one pound
- Carcass yield and trim-loss disclosures
- Descriptions of quarters, halves, and sides
- Written substantiation for claims about animal breed, origin, or diet
The statute requires that, for each carcass or part of carcass advertised, the seller use the following disclosure in at least ten-point type, displayed separately and distinctly: “Sold gross weight subject to trim loss.”
The Kansas Department of Agriculture regulates retail food sales and identifies meat and poultry among non-exempt foods that require temperature control or specialized processing. Its farmers’ market information reports more than 110 markets registered with the department in 2025. That is a count of markets in a single year, not a count of meat vendors or direct-meat businesses. Because required disclosures depend on the exact sales and processing arrangement, sellers should confirm current requirements with the Kansas Department of Agriculture and read the statute itself before advertising a share, a quarter, or a half.
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