FAQ:

I don't know how to order cuts from a half or quarter.
We are happy to answer any questions you have on ordering cuts. Generally we recommend that you use a standard set of cuts that you normally use for your family.

I don't know how or where to store it all. As a general guide, 50 pounds of meat will fit in about 2.25 cu.ft. of cooler/freezer space. The empty freezer compartment of an average]sized home refrigerator will usually hold oneeighth of a beef (roughly 50-60 lbs). Quantities larger than this will require a stand-alone freezer or another refrigerator/freezer. A stand-alone freezer will usually store meat better because it has the capability to store meat at a colder temperature. Some meat processors will store product for you in their walk-in freezers for a monthly fee of $5 to $10. This is a good option if you would like to try purchasing half a beef but do not have the freezer space. Frozen beef will keep a very high quality for up to 12 months, after which quality will begin to slowly degrade. (Meat will remain safe to eat indefinitely if kept frozen.)

I don't know how to cook all the cuts.
We are happy to suggest recipes, websites with recipes and books on cooking grass-fed beef!

This seems too Expensive or too much cash up front.
We encourage customers to find another family that wants to "cowpool" and share a quarter or a bundle. It's an easy way to get started with this kind of meat buying.

But it's more convenient to buy at the store. You will find once you become accustomed to having meat on hand, the "MOST" convenient source of meat is your own freezer.

But I prefer buying Fresh Meat.
Too often people have had bad experiences with frozen meat because the meat was not properly frozen or old before it was frozen. Freezing is nature's best preservative for meat products. Meat that is vacuum-packed and frozen at the optimal freshness will taste just as fresh as fresh (unfrozen) meat cuts.

There are 2 simple ways to thaw meat: 1) Take meat out of the freezer and place in a refrigerator at least 24 hours in advance or 2) place vacuum-packed meats in cool water and it will thaw very fast (paper wrapped meats can thaw in water in a leak-proof plastic bag). Change the water every 30 minutes so that it continues to thaw. Small packages may thaw in an hour or less; a 3-4 lbs. roast may take 2-3 hours.

We don't eat that much meat.
An average family of 4 will get between 100 and 130 meals of beef from a half beef, 50-65 from a quarter. Eating beef 2 times per week it will take a family approx 1 year to eat a half beef, or 6 months to eat a quarter.

I am a vegetarian.
Our cows eat nothing but vegetables!

Why does the meat I get from each animal vary a bit? To determine how much meat you should get from a market animal:
Pounds of Meat = (Dressing Percent X Carcass Cutting Yield) X Live Weight
Therefore, two factors affect the percentage of meat that you will receive:

1. Dressing Percentage
   
2. Carcass Cutting Yield

Dressing Percentage
Dressing Percentage = The percentage of the live animal that ends up as carcass.
Dressing Percentage = Carcass Weight / Live Weight X 100
Dressing Percentage is affected by:

1. Gut fill - The more gut fill at the time the live weight is taken, the lower the dressing percentage will be. If an animal is weighed right off of full feed, the dressing percentage will be 2 to 5% lower than if the animal is fasted for 24 hours prior to weighing.
2. Muscling - A heavier muscled animal will have a higher dressing percentage than a light muscled animal.
3. Fatness - A fatter animal will have a higher dressing percentage than a lean animal.
4. Mud - Cattle with a lot of mud attached to their hide will have a lower dressing percentage than clean cattle.

Carcass Cutting Yield
Carcass Cutting Yield = The percentage of the carcass that ends up as meat.
Carcass Cutting Yield = Pounds of Meat / Carcass Weight X 100
Carcass Cutting Yield is affected by:

1. Fatness - Leaner animals will have higher carcass cutting yields than fatter animals.
2. Muscling - More muscular animals will have higher carcass cutting yields than less muscular animals.
3. Bone-in versus Boneless - This will dramatically affect carcass cutting yield. If more boneless cuts that are made, then the carcass cutting yield will be lower than if bone-in cuts are made. If bone-in chuck roasts, rib steaks, Tbones, and bone-in sirloin steaks are made, the carcass cutting yield will be much higher than if boneless chuck roasts, ribeye steaks, strip steaks, and boneless sirloin steaks are made. It is important to note that the amount of edible meat will not change, but boneless cuts will take up less room in your freezer. If you get soup bones and short ribs, the carcass cutting yield will be higher than if you have these items boned and put into ground beef.
4. The Amount of Fat Remaining on the Meat Cuts - If the meat cutter leaves more surface fat on the meat cuts, then the carcass cutting yield will be higher than if the meat cuts are closely-trimmed.
5. The Leanness of the Ground Product - If the ground product is made very lean, then the carcass cutting yield will be lower than if the ground product is made with more fat. For example, a typical beef carcass could have 20 more pounds of ground beef if it is made into 70% lean ground beef than if it is made into 92% lean ground beef.

Average beef animal, weighed full, 1200 lbs., bone-in steaks and roasts, regular trimmed, regular ground beef:
(.61 X .71) X 1200 = 43% X 1200 = 516 lbs. of meat

Average beef animal, weighed full, 1200 lbs., some bone-in and some boneless steaks and roasts, closely trimmed, regular ground beef:
(.61 X .67) X 1200 = 41% X 1200 = 492 lbs. of meat

Lean, heavily muscled beef animal, weighed full, 1200 lbs., boneless steaks and roasts, closely trimmed, lean ground beef:
(.62 X .69) X 1200 = 43% X 1200 = 516 lbs. of meat

Very fat beef animal, weighed full, 1200 lbs., boneless steaks and roasts, closely trimmed, lean ground beef:
(.62 X .46) X 1200 = 29% X 1200 = 348 lbs. of meat

Lean, heavily muscled beef animal, weighed empty, 1200 lbs., bone-in steaks and roasts, regular trimmed, regular ground beef:
(.65 X .80) X 1200 = 52% X 1200 = 624 lbs. of meat