# Direct Beef Tools for Ranchers

Free, no-login planning resources for independent ranches selling beef directly to customers.

## Live tools

- [Use the direct-beef break-even calculator](https://cmhenry79.github.io/direct-beef-tools/)
- [Download the spreadsheet-ready CSV](./direct-beef-break-even.csv)
- [Build a fillable direct-beef order form](https://bluecowbeef.com/tools/beef-share-order-form-template?utm_source=github_repo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=direct_beef_tools&utm_content=order_form)

Enter a batch once, then use **Copy a link to these numbers** to share the same scenario with a partner, processor, lender, or adviser. The link contains only the worksheet numbers—no account or contact information.

## Direct-beef break-even worksheet

Use this worksheet to answer one question: **What average packaged-beef price would make direct sales worth more than selling the animal another way?**

It does not supply a national “correct” cattle or beef price. Start with the net check your ranch could realistically take from a sale barn, auction, dealer, or other buyer after that option's selling expenses.

If that “other-sale value” is hard to estimate, [compare the sale-barn and direct-sales paths line by line](https://bluecowbeef.com/guides/sale-barn-vs-direct-beef-sales?utm_source=github_repo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=direct_beef_tools&utm_content=sale_barn_comparison). The guide starts with a current local auction report, subtracts sale expenses, and shows where that net check belongs in this worksheet.

## Inputs

| Cell | Input | Example |
|---|---|---:|
| B2 | Finished packaged pounds | 500 |
| B3 | Reserve or unlikely-to-sell share | 5% |
| B4 | Net value from the other sale option | $1,800 |
| B5 | Processing and packaging | $1,200 |
| B6 | Other direct-sale batch costs | $300 |
| B7 | Selling and payment fees | 10% |
| B8 | Additional ranch earnings target | $2,000 |

“Other batch costs” can include cold storage, labels, boxes, delivery, advertising, and labor not already counted elsewhere. Avoid counting the same cost twice.

## Spreadsheet formulas

| Cell | Result | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| B10 | Sellable packaged pounds | `=B2*(1-B3)` |
| B11 | Break-even gross revenue | `=(B4+B5+B6)/(1-B7)` |
| B12 | Break-even average per pound | `=B11/B10` |
| B13 | Target gross revenue | `=(B4+B5+B6+B8)/(1-B7)` |
| B14 | Target average per pound | `=B13/B10` |

With the example inputs, the target is about **$12.40 per sellable packaged pound**. That is a batch average, not a required price for every cut. Steaks, roasts, ground beef, and mixed boxes can carry different prices as long as the whole sellable batch reaches the target.

## Read the result honestly

- If B4 is the net check from the other sale, the direct-sale plan repays that alternative first.
- B8 is the additional amount left for the ranch after the other costs and percentage fees entered here.
- The model does not include taxes, financing, spoilage beyond the reserve, or costs you did not enter.
- Actual cattle value varies with weight, class, condition, location, timing, freight, commission, and sale method.

If the result works and you want a place to sell under your ranch name, [start a private BlueCow storefront draft](https://bluecowbeef.com/for-ranchers?utm_source=github_repo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=direct_beef_tools&utm_content=readme_private_draft#import). Use your ranch website to begin. The draft stays private until you confirm the ranch email and choose what happens next.