** UPDATE AS OF AUG 1, 2021**
We are SOLD OUT of butcher beefs until early 2022.  Please fill out the info below if you are interested in getting on our list when it's time to take reservations and deposits in late fall/early winter.  Filling out this form at this time DOES NOT OBLIGATE you to purchase, nor does it obligate us to make a beef available to you.  It is simply to let us know your interest at this time.  

Once we know how many beefs we will have to offer, we will contact all interested parties and take order/deposits on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Please let us know if you have any questions.  Finished beefs will be available starting  Thanks!
********************

Purchasing a whole, half, or quarter beef is a great way to explore the various cuts of meat and how best to utilize them.  It also will save you money by buying in bulk, especially if your family enjoys steaks and roasts as well as ground beef.  And it's super fun to get to choose how you want your meat cut & wrapped-- do you prefer tenderloins and NY strip steaks?  Or would you rather have T-bone steaks?  Do you want the rounds as roasts, or as round steaks or cube steaks?  You get to decide!  (don't worry, we'll help guide you thru the decision making.)

As always, the cattle we are raising are pasture-raised, never confined to small pens or commercial feedlot conditions.  As a result, we do not have to use routine antibiotics to keep our animals healthy, and we do not treat with growth hormones.  In the summer, the animals graze on native grassland pastures on conservation-focused lands in the Frenchtown/Huson area.  In winter, they eat a diet of alfalfa & grass hay that we put up (so we know it's free of residual chemicals), and we supplement their diet with non-GMO barley for about the last 12 weeks before we butcher.  The result is clean, lean beef that has superb taste and marbling.  We know you'll love it!

HOW MUCH MEAT IS IN A WHOLE, HALF, OR QUARTER BEEF?
Determining how much meat you'll get is not an exact science, but we can give you some rough estimates:
     whole beef = roughly 400 lbs of meat
     half beef = roughly 200 lbs of meat
     quarter beef (actually it's a split half)= roughly 100 lbs of meat

The actual amount you'll receive may vary, depending on the size of the animal.  When we deliver the live animal to the butcher, they will calculate the Hanging Weight– also known as dressed weight or carcass weight – this is what you get when you remove the parts that are inedible like the hide, feet, head, some of the bones and most of the innards.  The hanging weight for most beef cattle is about 63%.  So an animal that weighs 1,100 lbs live will have a hanging weight of about 660 lbs (whole) or 330 lbs (half).  The yield of meat that you receive will then vary depending on your processing choices.  For example, if you prefer bone-in steaks and roasts, your yield will be more than if you get boneless cuts.  A rough average is about 60-65% of the hanging weight.  So for that 1,100 lb animal, your yield would be around 400 lbs (whole).  

A rough estimate of what you would get back from a whole beef:
     26-32 Rib Eyes or Rib Steaks
     20-30 T-bone Steaks or NY Strips and Tenderloins
     12-16 Sirloin Steaks
     4 Flat Iron Steaks
     4 Flank Steaks
     4 Skirt Steaks
     20-24 London Broil/Top Round Steaks
     20-24 Cube/Bottom Round Steaks
     4 Briskets
     8 Short Ribs
     10-12 Chuck Roasts
     6-8 Arm Roasts
     6-8 Rump Roasts
     12 - 1 lb Packages of Stew Meat
     150-250 – 1 lb Packages of Vacuum-sealed burger
     Specialty meats upon request (bones, oxtail, liver, heart and tongue)


HOW DOES IT WORK?
We will raise and care for your animal until time for butchering, and then will deliver it to Superior Meats for kill and processing.  We will get in touch with you the week before we take the animal to butcher to give you a heads-up and get your cut/wrap instructions (ONLY available for whole or half beefs; for split half (quarter), there is a standard cut that you'll get).   Once your beef is all done and ready, we will pick it up from Superior and meet you at an arranged spot, or deliver it to you.    

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
The total cost to you will be based on two factors: the hanging weight of the carcass, and the processing fee.  For the hanging weight, we charge $3.50/lb.  In the example above with an 1,100 lb animal with a hanging weight of 660lb, the price of the animal would be $3.35 x 660= $2,310.  Processing costs are the $85 kill fee (or split fee for a half) plus the cut and wrap costs.  Standard cut & wrap is $0.75/lb of hanging weight, so 660lb x $75=$495. So the totals for our example would be the following:
     Whole: Hanging carcass ($2,310) + kill fee ($85) + cut/wrap ($495) = $2,890
     Half: (same scenario)= $1,445
     Split Half (quarter)= $722
   
(additional processing fees will be apply if you select specialty sausages like Thuringer or jalapeno sausage, jerky, or pepper sticks)

We request a deposit in November to reserve your order.  The remainder of your balance will be due when you pick up your meat.  Deposit fees are as follows: $500/whole, $250/half, $150/quarter.  We will email you with a confirmation once you complete this form, including an address to which you can send a Venmo transfer or mail a check for your deposit (we can also take a credit card deposit, for an additional fee-- contact us if you need this option).  

WHEN WILL I BE ABLE TO ORDER?
We will contact interested parties when we have beef available for reservation-- likely in mid-November to early December.

WHEN WILL IT BE READY?
We are scheduled to take 3 butcher beefs a month to Superior Meats in December, January, February, March, and April.  Your order will be placed on a first come, first serve basis, so the earlier orders get the earlier beefs.  We'll let you know once we receive your deposit what slot you get.