How to find a market

[I’m A Jinxi]

My husband and I are wanting to do some small scale farming. Just something that makes enough profit to pay for itself and maybe a little bit of pocket money. We had a circumstance where we cared for two pigs for a woman and the deal was she buys all their needs, we care for them. The idea was split one pig between us (half a pig being our payment) and sell the other. However when the time came we couldn’t sell the darn thing. We posted on every forum and site we could, posted flyers in feed stores. The only thing we didn’t do was take it to auction. She ended up just getting it butchered and giving the meat away to family.

So how can we avoid this happening in the future? What is a good way to find a market before buying our first animal? Are there people we can get into contact with that can help get something like this started? The two animals were considering most are dorper sheep for meat and breeding, and alpaca for manure and fiber.

We live just outside of Barstow California, three acre property with a well. And we’re willing and found techniques to grow our own food/pasture to cut the food cost. There’s also several feed stores with reasonable prices. We already have a DDR German Shepherd to protect whatever flock we get so predators aren’t an issue.

Any advice and tips would be a great help.

 

[Mini Horses]

Sure hope piggie #2 was the responsibility of the "owner", the woman you were feeding them for. If this was the case, she would need to pay for care services until she removed it...or, she would have to remove & "do whatever" with it.

Are there any local butcher shops who would want privately raised livestock to buy and sell? I have a butcher who will purchase goats live, to butcher & sell. The facility is USDA & the do private butchering for individuals.

Sometimes the area where you live will control what you can do and come out OK. Some meat animals sell better than others. Maybe sheep or goats would be a better fit? Turkey, chicken, rabbit, etc.