Earl's Meats in Holland, founded by Earl Bosch, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, having successfully navigated numerous challenges, including the impacts of COVID-19 and inflation. Now, heightened beef prices is just another factor the family-owned business is successfully maneuvering through.
"Beef prices continue to be on the rise," noted Bosch's daughter, Laura Draisma Tuesday. "Ground beef, for example, used to be in the $3.99 range, maybe a year and a half, two years ago. We're up to $5.59 a pound now. But steaks also really have skyrocketed in price across the board, too."
Draisma said several factors are contributing to these price changes.
"The cattle herds are shrinking, that is true, but also local farmers are having a hard time affording purchasing feeder calves, which is where they start," Draisma explained.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the nation’s cattle and calves inventory has been on a decline since the 1970s, dropping from a peak of 132 million head in 1975 to 94.2 million today.
"We're also seeing some fluctuation in the products or the animals that our local farmers are raising. Maybe some of them are switching to a different protein source, again, pork or lambs, but also just raising less animals," Draisma added.
Paired with high demand for beef, the price continues to rise, but Earl's Meats is focused on keeping its prices affordable.
“We have seen increased pricing, but we try to meet or beat big box stores if we can,” said Draisma. "We work with several different local suppliers to try to keep our prices down every week."
They also try to run sales on products as often as they can.
"We do sell beef in the half a quarter range for people's freezers. That's a good way to get a good deal on beef," Draisma said.
If customers find beef prices too high, Earl's provides alternatives.
"We just help educate people on how to cook things that maybe aren't beef or their normal thing if they're trying to get a better value,” Draisma added.
It's not just meat that's in high demand at the shop, but also eggs.
"It has been from day one to give our prices affordable to everyone and eggs, with the prices of going up and down of eggs, we have seen a lot of people coming in for multiple dozens of eggs at a time," said Earl's wife, Cheryl Bosch. "We do not put a limit on our eggs, and all of our eggs are Hamilton eggs, so they are right, grown locally and processed locally here in the Hamilton area."
Earl's Meats is also now offering Amish country dairy milk, just in time for its 25-year anniversary celebration.
"September 19 and 20 is technically the anniversary of the business, and we are going to be having some specials and just being here for the community like we always are. And if you watch Facebook, that's where we will be putting our specials on Facebook," Bosch added.
Draisma and Bosch are looking forward to serving the community as long as they can.
"We have learned to just take it one day at a time, and we are just very blessed from God," said Bosch. "He has just richly blessed us through the years, and he has made us prosper all the way along."
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