Do you want a quarter, half, or whole beef? 

We are a small family farm and only take between 7 - 15 steers each year.  We do encourage you to 'subscribe' and membership is required to purchase.  Membership is tiered.  A $300 down payment secures a half your beef for the next season. 

Late May and early October.  We try to plan for optimal grass forage before butcher.   Butchers have gotten very busy and so some of our butchers book a year out!  We encourage you to be thinking 6 months to a year ahead. 

When it comes to beef weights, the hanging weight is the weight of the carcass after it has been taken to the butcher shop. Cut weight is the final weight of the meat once it has been cut and packaged at the butcher shop. This weight is usually 52-55% of the hanging weight.

Each meat locker and butcher is different.  We will coordinate your contact information with the butcher and they will call you to confirm any requests you might have for cuts or other ways you would like your order.   Usually there is a 2 week hang time which improves tenderness and improves flavor.   

Yes, please pay the processing fee at the butcher. 

'How long do you want your beef dry aged?' Typically, the aging process is 14 to 21 days. 

'Plastic or paper packaging?' Each meat locker and butcher is different.  

'What size package you want your hamburger in?' Typically, it comes in one, one and a half, or two pounds. That of course depends on your family size and how much meat you usually use when cooking.  With our family of seven we usually just do a two-pound package with our ground beef. I do get about half of our processing in one-pound packaging.

How many steaks do you want per package and thickness? For our family of seven, usually, I like to have two steaks per package. My daughters are still young while my sons are starting to hit those teenage years and eating more, but even with that we usually are able to divide up four steaks between the seven of use. That gives us one meal with no leftovers. Again, this all depends on your family size.

What mix of lean vs fat would you like for your hamburger?  Because grass-fed beef is leaner than its grain-fed counterpart, you need to cook it at a slightly lower temperature (at least 50 F) for 30-50% less time. Otherwise, you cook off the fat and are left with a dry, tough, unappealing mass of meat that's lost many of its nutrients.

Typically, beef coming from the freezer should be allowed to thaw in the fridge for 2-3 days prior to cooking.