Lauren Cobello » Budgeting » Frugal Living » Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Buying Farm-Raised Beef
Lauren and I have mentioned a few times that in an effort to eat healthier, we try to use grass fed organic beef. Buying healthier meat is one of those things that I think is always a great idea. I’m not going to make a moral issue out of this because I don’t believe that it’s wrong to buy meat from a grocery store. We’ve done it quite often, but we are simply trying to consume better ingredients more often. Sure, you can buy the organic grass fed beef in the store, but there are a couple issues with this:
Because of the above 2 reasons, we buy in bulk from a local farm. It is cheaper and we know where it’s coming from.
I’m glad you asked! We just purchased our second half cow, I’ll share some tips, how much we ended up paying, and what we’ve learned through the process.
I have to be honest – it is relatively easy where I live in upstate New York. There are many farms as close as 20 miles from my house… but unless you live in a very urban area, or in the desert, chances are you can find a cattle farm pretty close to you too. But you have to ask around. Most small farms are family operations and don’t have websites, so you have to ask actual people… not Google. You can also to to EatWild and search for a farm in your area.
I also recommend that you go out to the farm to visit. Most local farms would love to have you come to take a look and chat about the process. Not interested in seeing that cow walking around that will soon be in your freezer? I completely understand, but I still think it’s a good idea to see the farm and talk to the cattle raiser in person. If you have kids, they would love to visit too!
It can cost anywhere between $3.00 and $9.00 per pound. Because of that I won’t be able to say it will cost $x per pound since it depends on several factors:
Our first half cow we bought in 2012 was certified organic. But it was also expensive. And since 2012, beef has skyrocketed in price… so this time, we did not go with an organic farm. However – did you know that it is a TON of work and money for the farm to claim the USDA Organic designation? Many smaller farms just don’t have the resources and time to deal with it, but still provide amazing quality beef that would pass the organic certification with flying colors if they jumped through the hoops. That’s another reason why I recommend visiting the farm, and talking with those who feed and raise the cattle.
When you call the butcher, they will ask you lots of questions about how you want your beef cut. Be prepared ahead of time so that you get exactly what you want. Want some tips? Well… I am kind of a beef and meat nerd (you didn’t know that existed, did you?). Here is how I get mine cut:
It typically ends up to be about 75% hamburger, 25% steaks and roasts. One more tip – it might cost more to get it vacuum sealed in plastic, but it is well worth it. Even if you have a vacuum sealer at home, I can almost guarantee you that the commercial grade one that your butcher has will do a better job.
If you’ve never had grass fed (and finished) beef before, you should know that it is different in flavor, size and texture than your typical mass produced corn-fed beef.
Around here, the cows are usually slaughtered in the fall, before it gets cold. It’s mid October right now, so if you want one – GET ON IT! For next year, start looking around in the summer or earlier. Many farms sell their cows a year in advance, so make sure that you plan ahead!
Obviously, you’re gonna keep this meat frozen. But there is a big difference between a nice chest freezer and the freezer in your kitchen. Most standing freezers are self-defrosting, or auto-defrosting. This means that the freezer never builds up frost on the inside walls, which for the most part is a good feature. But not for longer storage of meat. Here’s why – self-defrosting freezers work by way of a heating element in the walls that melt any ice build up several times a day. This is fine for most applications, but the slight raise in temperature will cause foods stored near the walls of the freezer to slightly thaw and freeze over and over again. For meat storage of just a couple months, this is fine. But vacuum sealed meat will last much longer in a non-defrosting freezer, at least up to a year, maybe longer.
My advice – get a non-defrosting chest freezer. They’re cheaper than you think. We have a 8.0 cu ft freezer that we only paid about $280 for brand new.
A half of a cow is PLENTY for us and will last us a year with no problem. But, the farm usually sells cows as a whole, so your best bet would be to find a friend who is also looking to buy some beef in bulk and split it.
We LOVE our beef. It’s healthier, it supports local business, and we prefer the flavor. Best of all, it is a bargain compared to buying it in the grocery stores.
COMMENTS
We buy 1/2 a year, we get the cow in August so it’s grass fed, I can’t explain to anyone the taste, it’s amazing and believe me we have not bought meat from a butcher or grocery store in years, started this back when my kids were little, we do pig also and chickens, the taste is so different from the rubbish at the grocery store, now that being said, Aldis meat, pork and chicken is good so if you don’t have a farm, buy Aldis, before you buy big grocery chains, Aldis has made a point of making sure their foods are up to snuff.
Please become comfortable with the terms. Cows are female bovine; they give milk. Steers are male bovine, they give meat. (Female calves are heifers until they are bred and give birth and milk, then they are cows. Male calves are bulls until they are castrated (testicles removed) and then they are steers (unable to reproduce). Bulls allowed to grow to maturity are used for mating.
depends on the bread, females or cows give meat as well. Stop trying to sound smart. What happens to Dairy cows that are past lactating years??? meat
How do I know what breed of cow to buy? Looking at our local farmers it seems that each farm has a different breed of cow. I’m now throughly confused!!
I’m a small grass fed, clover finished Farmer/Rancher in East Texas (www.falsterfarm.com) Most of our customers respect and inspect our production methods which is bio-dynamic slow grow. We raise two English breeds: Mini – mid size Herefords and Mini – Mid size Red Angus for other breeders (seed stock) and for our beef customers.
You will find there are 3 components that determines tenderness in beef: 60% -Genetics (the deep answer to your question), 30% – farming practice, 10% – How the animal was treat in the 36 hours prior to harvest.
The marketing of Angus beef as tender is bunk. There are superlative genetic lines in each of the English breeds. You can visit our F.A.Q. pages to learn more.
As a cattle rancher from Oklahoma, I really appreciate the way you outline this information for folks who might not be familiar with the cattle industry. I LOVE having the opportunity to share my way of life and ultimately the product I produce with local consumers. My husband and I are in the process of completely transforming how we market our beef, in order to cut out the middle man and make a more economical product for consumers.
Hi Susie,
I read your comment and wondered if you might be interested in this article: https://www.whitehorsestar.com/News/ranch-owner-becomes-a-licensed-butcher. It might not be exactly in-line with what you do, but your “cut out the middle man” comment made me think of it.
I’ve had a processor tell me that the breed of cow will cause the gamey taste. I was wondering if a beef farmer could verify this fact? I’ve moved a couple of times causing me to use different local farmers for our beef. The first farmer had non-game tasting meat, the second farmer’s meat tasted gamey, and our newest farmer there is not gamey taste. I’d like an objective opinion if I could get it from someone who I do not do business with. TY
Great question – hopefully someone will answer. I do know that not only does the breed matter, but what they are fed.
While I was researching to write a new blog post on this for our farm page I came across your article. We are in upstate NY too! If you ever want to visit the farm please contact us we love giving tours. We sell primarily Grass-Fed + Grain Finished Beef because that is what our clients love. We sell Grass fed + Grass Finished Beef when clients request and purchase a full beef (they usually share the purchase with a friend or family member). Great job on your article. Thank you for sharing and enjoy BEEF however you like it!
Jeanetta @ Nex-GenFarm.com + NewPennFarm.com
Thank you! Small world!
This was SO helpful. Any chance you have a post like this for pork?
Not that you would know this answer, but my husband’s fave cut of beef is the Ribeye steak and the little marbling is why he doesn’t like getting grass fed beef, is there a breed that tends to be more fatty or is it just based on diet?
My husband always bought what was called 1/2 of a 1/2 only I never really understood what that term really meant. Why wouldn’t they just call it a quarter? However, he told me that there’s a different between 1/2 of a 1/2 and what’s classified as a 1/4. He has since passed away and I still don’t understand the different, I just know we got a LOT of hamburger and so many packages of spare ribs I can’t even give them away and I don’t even eat them because there’s virtually nothing on them!
Can someone explain to me what is a 1/2 of a 1/2? Is there a butcher out there who could define it or explain it?? Thank you.