Questions about buying a share of a cow

[Nan'sMom]

I called a semi-local farmer from the Eatwild website and spoke to her about getting a 1/4 share in a cow. They are grassfed and slaughtered in mid-June I think. It sounds good so far but I have a few questions, if anyone knows:

- The price is $7 per pound (I know it's lower in some places but I'm in NY). Is this reasonable?

- She said she could send bones for stock too. Is this typically priced at the same price per pound as meat?

- How long does meat last for in the freezer? This meat is shrink-wrapped. I've read 3 months for ground to 6-12 months for steak. But then I've read about people getting a share of a cow for their years' supply of meat...are there worries about it going bad before the end of the year? Do you just use up all the ground stuff first or grind it yourself?

Thanks!

[Rachel J.]

We split a whole beef with family and paid 3.75/lb hanging weight (in TN so I'm sure it's cheaper b/c of location). If you're paying a flat per pound rate as opposed to different prices for different cuts then you'll probably be paying per pound for hanging weight like we did. So you're paying for some of the waste but it stil works out to be cheaper than individual cuts, esp. since grass-fed is so lean there's less waste. But yes, soup bones would cost the same as filet mingon(sp?). Here's a link explaining hanging weight

If you have a deep freeze it will easily keep for a year. Actually, we ran out of ground beef in about 6-9 months but none of the meat, ground or otherwise seemed compromised.

[Nan'sMom]

Cool, thanks! The link didn't work for me but I looked up hanging weight. I'll call and ask. It's not clear to me if that's what she meant. She said 1/4 cow is about 75 lbs.

By a deep freeze, do you mean a top-loading freezer, rather than an upright? We have a big upright but that's it right now.

Thanks!!!!

[Nan'sMom]

Cool--the link works now. That helps explain a lot. Thanks!!!

[Tcarwyn]

We just got a 1/4 for $2.25 pp hanging weight. It ended up being $220 plus $70 processing...I think a great deal!

I think if she said its about 75 pounds she is not talking hanging weight but cuts....and $7 pp hanging weight would be too much even for NY

We have an upright and the meat stays great for 9-10 months (that how long it has ever lasted us)

Tanya

[tinuviel_k]

We paid about $4.50 per pound, finished weight, for our share of a grass-fed organic cow. That included the butchering, wrapping, ect.

[spughy]

We paid around $3/lb (CDN!) for our share of dead cow, finished weight, including shipping from northern BC (air freight). Awesome deal. But about half is ground beef.

[jessicaSAR]

We buy ours from an organic farm in NY (close to the NY/CT/MA border), and it is $3.25/lb hanging weight. I have not had any problems keeping it for a year in a large chest freezer, and it is not shrink wrapped (except the organ meat) just well wrapped in freezer paper.

[AJP]

Properly packaged beef, vacuum sealed in heavy plastic bags (not like freezer bags you buy at the grocery store, and not like FoodSaver bags, but professional quality) will last for 2 years in a chest freezer, easily. One large steer lasts our family 2 years, and the only time we've had freezer burn is if a bag gets a hole in it. The flavor doesn't degrade during that time, and if it stays frozen and you don't leave it in the plastic bag very long after thawing, there's no plastic-y taste. (I don't like using plastic much for food storage, but for keeping meat frozen and sealed, there's not much of an alternative, unless you have it all paper wrapped and then sealed in plastic bags, which can add quite a bit to the butcher's fees.)

Can't really help you with the price comparison, because we buy by live weight. We get a whole, live steer, grass finished, for $1.05/lb live weight, plus the butcher's fees for processing, and we take all the bones except the skull, plus most of the scraps for the dogs. Once you subtract out the stuff we don't take (hide, innards except liver and heart, head, etc.), it works out to something like $2.50/lb. that we pay for the actual product we pick up from the butcher, and that's everything from bones and scraps to rib roast and filet mignon. We haven't weighed what we get, so I can't say exactly, but the butcher told us the hanging weight was about 750 lb., and we pretty much took everything on that hanging carcass.

[saratc]

As pp stated, it sounds more like cuts. Maybe her experience is that no one wants the bones and she's giving you the price based on the 1/4 cow without the bones but will send you bones if you ask for them? Ask her if there's a charge for the bones.

Around here, we pay anywhere from $2.75 to $3.75 for hanging weight. Bones here purchased separately go for anywhere from $1 to $2 a pound. Ground beef is around $4/lb, and roast/steak cuts range from $6 to $15 a pound. So $7/lb is expensive for 1/4 steer unless she will give you the bones for free or very cheap. Maybe she'll also give you some fat for tallow for free as well.

Since she's talking about giving you bones separately, ask if you will be getting some organs.

[Tcarwyn]

Yep, I forgot to mention, we usually get bones and organs we want for free (depending on if the other 3 people sharing the steer want it...)

Tanya