One podcast mention turned a 25-bag-a-batch jerky operation into nearly a thousand backorders in a single morning. It took four months to dig out. He spent those months on the phone, one customer at a time, telling each of them he was making their jerky that day and shipping it out. Most of them had no idea the whole operation was one guy, his dad, and a 12-tray dehydrator. That's the story Barn Talk pulled out of him this week, and it's the story of every small food producer in this country. Demand is easy. Making the product and paying for the plant that lets you sell it is the hard part. The Big 4 packers control 82 to 85 percent of fed cattle slaughter. A small plant runs the same federal paperwork as one killing 5,000 head a day, and eats roughly 5 dollars a head in compliance while the giants pay cents. USDA's own numbers show a producer selling direct can clear up to seven times more per unit than the commodity chain pays. Fill rate decides who survives, and fill rate runs on equipment, inspection, and hours nobody sees. Somebody in this country will pay real money for food made by a person they can call. My phone is on. Your rancher, Jason Hanley | 208-714-0478

Source: "He Could Only Make 25 Bags. Dale Jr. Sent Him 1,000 Orders" on YouTube youtube.com/watch?v=8rs-hhFG… via @barntalkshow