The Bartering Power of Livestock: Bunnies & Bullion
The bartering power of livestock has never been in question. Since the domestication of early herds, man has traded cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens, etc. for goods and gains. Herders used their animals to acquire hard goods, consumables, housing, and in some cultures, wives!
An Inflating Problem
Sure we all like money, but watching the buying power of your hard-earned savings wither away while it's sitting in a savings account is pretty disheartening. As the Federal Reserve continues to print out more and more money, the ability to acquire goods and services with that money diminishes. But I'm not here to discuss inflation and the power of the Federal Reserve, if you want to know more on that subject, I suggest reading The Creature From Jekyll Island by Edward Griffin. As the dollar’s value continues to deteriorate, many people turn to investing in gold… but you cant eat gold.
Livestock is the Key
I am a livestock man. I see many problems solved with the implementation of small farming and homesteading. Don’t trust the contents of the “food like” products they’re selling at the grocery store? Grow/raise your own. Want to teach your kids the rewards of working/investing? Start them raising/selling small livestock like rabbits and quail. Got more month left after paycheck’s end? Sell some rabbits, quail or products they produce.
In just a 2 foot by 3 foot space (using stackable cages like these: https://hostilehare.squarespace.com/products/p/quail-egg-layer-cage) you could be raising up to 900 to 1200 pounds of meat or 12,000 to 14,400 quail eggs annually.
Bunnies & Bullion
But I digress, the point of this article is to advocate for using the bartering power of livestock for goods and services. So I did a bit of research on rabbit meat prices in a point in history where the relation ship between the dollar and gold was steady. In the year 1935 the price of gold was $35 dollars per ounce… rabbit was 10 cents per pound. By comparing the price of rabbit per pound today, we can see if it has maintained its worth compared to the dollar’s ability to acquire gold. As of today, gold is at $3,205.30 per ounce. Rabbit meat is about $9 to $16 per pound processed. If we take the 10 cents in 1935 and divided it by 35 dollars per ounce of gold gives you the percentage % 0.00286. This would mean if we multiply .00286 by 3205.30 per ounce gold price today it should be about related to rabbit at the same percentage… And it appears it is pretty close. according to the math, rabbit meat should be around $9.15 a pound, but seems to be fetching more, probably due to scarcity.
In Conclusion
Now to the meat of the matter: what are rabbits worth when bartering and trading? How can both parties in the trade feel they received equitable outcomes? Honest trade is the goal, both need to feel like they have sufficient value to show for their side of the trade. I propose that %.00286 of the price of an ounce of gold is a good starting point for a pound of rabbit. You can argure scarcity and rarity and demand from there.
