Looking into buying a cow, 1/2 a cow or a quarter of a cow. Looking for deeper input.

[GOPerfect]

Went down to the cabin today for a short time. On the way back, I came across a few signs in the road in front of a farm advertising meats for sale.

I know less than something about buying meat like this. I am including the email sent to me by the farmers wife.

I do not know if this is good, bad or middle of the road in terms of a good deal.




Good afternoon,
We sell beef pork and chicken by the whole half and quarter. We also sell beef pork and chicken by cut when In stock.
Beef 3.50 a pound hanging unless you buy by a whole then we do 3.25 a pound hanging. Plus cost of processing which is typically around 1.00 per pound more.

Pork we sell by the whole and half 3.00 per pound plus cost of processing

Chicken is by the whole or split 18.00 per chicken unless you by more then 10 then we do 15.00 per Chicken

Beef by the cut 5.00 per pound for burger 7.00 /lbs steak 6.00 /lbs for roasts
*steaks are limited right now

Pork by cut 5.00 /lbs
* currently out of bacon
We also have fresh eggs 2.00 /doz
Any questions please call or email
Thank you
Heather

 

[1075tech]

$18 for a chicken?!.

Beef price probably isn't that bad considering how long it's been since I did that.

When the kids were younger, my brother's ex-wife's uncle raised beef outside of Binghamton. We'd buy a half cow every once in a while.

He'd give me the name of the butcher and we'd tell him how we wanted it cut - thickness of the steaks, # for roasts, etc.

We're going back probably 20 years or so. It was $2.50/lb based on the hanging weight. Cut, wrapped, and frozen.

 

[Karpteach]

I am hoping one of the members has a lead on this. I too am looking for a yearling 1/2 cow and pig, well hopefully next year.

 

[Catskillkid]

There is a family near me that sells beef like this but their customers are usually City folk so they jack their prices up (hence I don't buy from them). I really can't speak to their prices vs the farmer you are looking into but I know the more you buy (1/2 to Full Cow) the more you save typically.

Another family by me raises turkeys. Last I heard they were selling them for something like $10 or $12 per pound. I'm shocked they're getting that but apparently they are.

For the record I never buy the cow because I get the milk for free

 

[GOPerfect]

I think I will be buying a cow from them. Gotta buy a new freezer, this week. I am thinking about a half a cow, if anyone local is interested in a half, let me know.

 

[tc556guy]

Went down to the cabin today for a short time. On the way back, I came across a few signs in the road in front of a farm advertising meats for sale.

I know less than something about buying meat like this. I am including the email sent to me by the farmers wife.

I do not know if this is good, bad or middle of the road in terms of a good deal.




Good afternoon,
We sell beef pork and chicken by the whole half and quarter. We also sell beef pork and chicken by cut when In stock.
Beef 3.50 a pound hanging unless you buy by a whole then we do 3.25 a pound hanging. Plus cost of processing which is typically around 1.00 per pound more.

Pork we sell by the whole and half 3.00 per pound plus cost of processing

Chicken is by the whole or split 18.00 per chicken unless you by more then 10 then we do 15.00 per Chicken

Beef by the cut 5.00 per pound for burger 7.00 /lbs steak 6.00 /lbs for roasts
*steaks are limited right now

Pork by cut 5.00 /lbs
* currently out of bacon
We also have fresh eggs 2.00 /doz
Any questions please call or email
Thank you
Heather

When I was a kid we'd buy a half a cow, a whole pig and lamb per year, stored in a 1970s era chest freezer in the basement. I can't recall now what size freezer it was. Family of four, and we found that the half a cow would last us just about a year, with some left-over by the time we'd buy the next half a cow. a year later. Back then the cuts were paper-wrapped, and if we weren't careful to rotate the remnants of last years cow to the top, by the time we'd get through the next cow we'd find that the un-used remnants of the first cow in the bottom of the freezer were too burnt to be edible.

When my own marital family was young I tried to replicate my birth families practice. I found that my wife didn't like the cuts of meat from the bulk order. Both kids ate so little red meat that I was pretty much the only one eating the stuff; we didn't go through the half a cow fast enough at that rate of consumption. My younger daughter actually prefers venison and bison meat over cows, pork or lamb. Theres a bison farm across town but theres no way I'm buying that much bison meat, so we'd buy her a few pounds now and then at the grocery store.

 

[dean3690]

I just lost an upright freezer to a basement flood with lots of meat lost (major bummer). Two recommendations. 1. keep it on an upper floor (not the garage unless it's heated or unless it's rated for a cold location. 2. get a chest style as the door does not stay ajar and self closes which can save a freezer full of meat.

 

[Tisto]

If you want meet to last in a freezer, you need to buy a DEEP FREEZER. NO SELF DEFROSTING TYPES.

 

[1075tech]

Still running my 1990s Sears chest freezer. 13 cubic feet I believe. It's survived 3 basement floods. Not sure how but it keeps on. It now sits 8" off the floor and I need a short ladder to reach the bottom of it

 

[Acer-m14]

@GOPerfect

the FFL lady we know and her husband are raising cows . they just got got a new one in few days ago .. not ready for food yet

they sent the cow named Cherry ( smoked with cherry wood ) to the butcher a few months ago .. so its all sold

 

[Cavalry]

What do you hope to get out of cow/share other than sustenance? The problem I have found is you dont know what you bought until you own it. For ground it really does not matter, but for steaks/roasts it can be a huge difference. You of course want prime or choice for your meat because its not dog food, but depending on the breed, age and how its raised could get select or worse.
You then get into the whole debate of grass/grain/grain finished and whats better and why. I like flavor in my beef and fat equals flavor.

 

[Paperpunch]

I was surprised to find out that my step brother buys a half a cow at a time. He says a deep freeze or stand up freezer is perfect for a 1/2 cow.

 

[livingston]

There are so many variables that go into getting a good experience when getting beef for a freezer.
The breed does make a difference in the fiber structure, Angus, Hereford , shorthorn , Have a different muscle structure than say a charolais, Limousine cattle. They marble differently also. People can talk about grass fed beef ... I am not too fond of it. One needs marbling for flavor. To some extent tenderness. Tenderness comes from some other factors. The breed ... Differences within a breed, Unless someone is up on this many people have not a clue. about this. (genetics ) , The age of the steer . 15 to as much as 24 months will give you a better eating experience than some old cow or bull... How it is handled after slaughter.. That should be aged 2-3 weeks in a controlled environment and flash frozen . Slaughter plants have freezers to do this. One cannot do this in a home freezer . Years ago beef would hang 3-4 weeks as a rule. (in a cooler ). Hanging beef breaks down the muscle fibers also making it tender. If one went to a steak house in say Kansas City in the 50's . Meat was often on display in a window from the sidewalk . It would be in a cooler... Have a lot of fat on it ... Perhaps an inch ... The outside of the fat would be turning green. .. That would be trimmed off prior to being cooked. It would be hanging for as long as a month. and would grade prime. .. It would be the best beef you ever had ... Costly also.
I do know someone near Buffalo that might be feeding some good Angus

 

[Mosinitis]

Buy and eat fresh from the store that has fresh meat. Some stores are better at that than others. Spare yourself and your wife extra work. The savings are just not worth it.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

I got in on a 1/2 cow this summer, split with a buddy. Turned out to be less than I expected (my own fault of perception). Got a chance for another quarter so took it. Bought a single door stand up GE freezer as my wife didn't relish the thought of digging in a chest.

My wife's input was that it was on the "fatty" side but I also told her they don't butcher to trim fat. I generally think the quality was good. No real issues on that front.

Seemed like a lot of money but then again, I haven't weighed each item for an analysis. Again, we paid for hanging weight so there's a certain amount of trust.

Being it was my first time I didn't really specify how / what cuts we got. I think next time we'd do a little more questioning before we buy. I'd do it again.

 

[dwa12479]

Been splitting 1/2 cow with my sisters family from a local farmer in the Rochester area for 7 or 8 years now. Best beef I've ever had, blows all store bought meat away. The cows are 1 year old CORN fed their entire lives. The meat is so tender and juicy it's incredible. The chuck steaks are like tenderloin. I have a 10 cu ft chest freezer in the basement for it all. Usually get around 250 lbs or so around $2.99 a pound. 30 or so lbs of ground, 8 lb bone-in prime rib roast, tenderloins, brisket, porterhouse, strips, short ribs, stew beef, arm roasts, chuck steaks, ... Only way to buy beef in my opinion.

 

[1075tech]

I used to get the roasts cut to 3 - 5# and steaks cut to 1¼". Ground packaged in 1#.

Talk to other customers and see what they say. My brother's ex uncle-in-law would grass feed in the warmer weather, corn in the colder weather. He treated his cows almost like pets, never inducing stress on them. He would put a feed bag on them and shoot them as they were eating so they weren't being stressed. He also raised red Angus instead of black because he said they had a better disposition

 

[dwa12479]

I used to get the roasts cut to 3 - 5# and steaks cut to 1¼". Ground packaged in 1#.

Talk to other customers and see what they say. My brother's ex uncle-in-law would grass feed in the warmer weather, corn in the colder weather. He treated his cows almost like pets, never inducing stress on them. He would put a feed bag on them and shoot them as they were eating so they weren't being stressed. He also raised red Angus instead of black because he said they had a better disposition

My father-in-law raised black angus all grass fed for many years on his farm in Oregon. The beef always seemed to have a slight fish-y taste to me, I didn't care for it all that much.

 

[Bustedknees]

I wanted to get a Scottish Highlander till I tried a few steaks. Very lean, weird color, and taste.

 

[TEOTWAWKI inc.]

Prices seem reasonable.

Someone gave me a bunch of beef recently. It was a great start to filling a new freezer. Not sure what type of cow or diet it had, but it is definitely different than grocery store beef, not at all in a bad way. I will be buying like this in the future. I haven't been able to find reasonable whole pork prices near me. They are all $10+/lb. Local chickens are way overpriced too. It is probably just proximity to the city though, not some pampered pigs.

 

[livingston]

 

[livingston]

I wanted to get a Scottish Highlander till I tried a few steaks. Very lean, weird color, and taste.

As I said many factors affect the quality of beef you eat. Perhaps the animal was not fed to a desired finish. IF an animal is excited prior to being killed it will be what is called a dark cutter

Dark Cutting Beef | Texas A&M Meat Science

Learn about dark cutting beef and how it comes about from an animal undergoing long-term stress before slaughter.

meat.tamu.edu

 

[meketrefe]

It all depends how the cow is raised and what you can find locally for decent meat.
In my case I have little interest for industrial meat so if the farmer is raising free range, grass or grain fed.
Then compare to what you can find locally for quality meat and see if the price you get x cut is
worth the money.
Also if it is a bit more but can get all you want to have at once might be a benefit to you.
There are huge differences in quality out there so it is hard to say w/o knowing the actual product.

 

[meketrefe]

The other day I bought one of these for the holidays and new years.
The price is almost double than in Spain but what are you going to do.

Cinco Jotas Acorn-fed 100% Ibérico Ham (Whole Bone-in Ham) 13-16 lb

Acorn-fed, dry-cured 100% ibérico ham

www.cincojotas.us

 

[GOPerfect]

Been splitting 1/2 cow with my sisters family from a local farmer in the Rochester area for 7 or 8 years now. Best beef I've ever had, blows all store bought meat away. The cows are 1 year old CORN fed their entire lives. The meat is so tender and juicy it's incredible. The chuck steaks are like tenderloin. I have a 10 cu ft chest freezer in the basement for it all. Usually get around 250 lbs or so around $2.99 a pound. 30 or so lbs of ground, 8 lb bone-in prime rib roast, tenderloins, brisket, porterhouse, strips, short ribs, stew beef, arm roasts, chuck steaks, ... Only way to buy beef in my opinion.

Care to share the farm name?

 

[Robin]

I would want to know hang time. After the sacrifice has been made, hang time has the greatest affect on flavor and tenderness.
Robin

 

[dwa12479]

Care to share the farm name?

PM inbound

 

[SomeSoldier]

It took my wife and I a year to go through a 1/4 cow. The next time we order we plan on getting a half.

Personally I think the meat was outstanding compared to the store bought. Our cow was grass raised and grass finished. Next time we want to try grass raised and grain finished.

The main reason we went with the cow in the first place was two reasons
1. Less of the bullshit in the meat they had to raise cows for mass production. Basically went with an all organic farm.
2. We wanted a year supply in case there was a food shortage.

With our deep freezer it keep the meat fresh no freeze burn. It also helped that all our meat came vacuum sealed.

 

[Saltwater60]

I hear mostly good stories of getting this much beef, but I would want to know someone who got beef from this place before I dropped that much money.
A stated ask what the hanging weight normally is and how much beef you will get in the freezer. Also ask what cuts you will get and be sure you will use them. You’d be surprised what the difference in hanging weight is vs the amount of beef in the freezer. Learn how it will be packed up and what the shelf life is normally. Vacuum sealed is best IMO. Als about hormones and antibiotics if you care about that. Ask about feeds as well some routinely give medicated feed to thier livestock.
I would like to do this someday.

 

[Karpteach]

I hear mostly good stories of getting this much beef, but I would want to know someone who got beef from this place before I dropped that much money.
A stated ask what the hanging weight normally is and how much beef you will get in the freezer. Also ask what cuts you will get and be sure you will use them. You’d be surprised what the difference in hanging weight is vs the amount of beef in the freezer. Learn how it will be packed up and what the shelf life is normally. Vacuum sealed is best IMO. Als about hormones and antibiotics if you care about that. Ask about feeds as well some routinely give medicated feed to thier livestock.
I would like to do this someday.

I agree with everything you said. I would also ask about if you get to keep bones for soup and stock.