Freezer Space Needed?

You will need at least 1 cubic foot of freezer space for each 35 lb of meat. Therefore, for a quarter carcass you will get between 90 and 100 lb, you will need 2.5-3.0 cubic feet of freezer space. It is better to get more space since you will find ways to fill it. One thing to consider is to try to find an Energy Star rated freezer (less costly to run) and also one with a temperature alarm that sounds should the compressor fail. Note that some alarms will NOT go off in a power outage!!!!! See our Education section for more details about add on battery operated alarms should your freezer not have one.

What is the typical breakdown of the retail product that you might expect to receive from a single quarter (split half) of an animal weighing 1150 lb live weight?

This may vary widely due to animal characteristics and trim necessary at the time of cutting . We have worked with the Meat Lab at UGA to come up with the cuts that are most popular. The product will be mostly boneless, 1/4 inch of fat remaining on the steaks, and ground beef will be (85 meat/15% fat - an approximation). Note that determining the percentage of fat in ground beef is an eyeball estimate by the butcher and will also be affected by the amount of marbling in the meat. It is not scientific and occurs at the time of cutting and trimming. We are told that 85% lean is best for grilling, since meat that is more lean tends to be dry and crumbly on the grill. This is what we tell the butchers to try to achieve!

The Process

Beef is cut, wrapped, labeled and frozen: The meat is wrapped in a heavy saran wrap type material and placed in boxes. See the type of cuts offered below. You will need 2.5 to 3 cubic feet of freezer space per quarter share.

Pick up the Beef at the Meat Processors,: You must pickup your beef at the meat plant within a couple days of the date that we will provide to you in our letter after delivery. If you are unable to pick it up, let us know because the plant has limited freezer space for extra storage. An extra fee of $5.00 for each day above this limit may be assessed by the meat plant. It is frozen when you arrive—bring large coolers if you live far from the plant - the meat will be placed in cardboard boxes otherwise.

Because of the rapid rise in the cost of grain, fuel, fertilizer and most everything we use in the raising of our stock, we offer a price good only for the dates stated on the order form found in this website. Prices are adjusted throughout the year as our costs change- and you will also observe this phenomenon in supermarket beef prices. The price on the order form is for the dates stated on it. Once you sign up and make your deposit, you are locked into the price of the share in a live calf ( our part ) that is stated on the order form - it can not be increased! There might be a slight increase in processing fees or sales tax.

What do you get?

For example, if you buy an interest in a hypothetical 1150 pound yearling calf (actual weights will be in the 1100-1250 lb. range), how much meat will you get? Based on our experience, it is important to understand that only a small portion (32-34 %) of the live animal winds up as retail product—edible meat - and a great deal is made up of ground beef and stew meat! We just love the ground beef!

A typical breakdown during processing is as follows:

• Assume the live animal weighs 1150 pounds
  bullet
• Immediately after harvest the hot weight, or hanging weight, of the carcass will be about 690 pounds, or around 60% of the live weight. This is the weight the processor uses to assess their charges, see below.
  bullet
• Of this, an additional amount is lost to bones, fat, waste trim, and shrinkage of the carcass as it dry ages (may vary 25-45%).
  bullet
• Since many consumers desire the meat to be boned, with 1/4 inch fat, and grillable hamburger this is what you will receive. Based on our experience with the same sire used for this coming group of calves, a split half (quarter share) averages around 99 lb of boneless, closely trimmed meat. Americans generally eat about 64 pounds of beef per person each year! The retail product from the entire animal is about 396 pounds of meat – about 34% of the live weight.
• It is important to realize these amounts may vary considerably from animal to animal. When you buy ¼ share, you will receive the meat from a split half- this means rather than getting meat from only the front or hind quarter, you will receive meat from both the front and hind quarters. This makes it equitable for all share holders.

Transporting your beef home (the Dos and Don'ts)

• Do NOT put the meat in the back bed of a pickup truck,
• Do NOT put ice on top of the packaged meat for the trip home!!!!! Dry ice is Okay, but one must do it properly and not place it directly on the meat.
• Do make sure your freezer is working properly for several days prior to pickup
• Do have the freezer at zero degrees, and make sure that the gasket is in good repair before bringing the meat home.
• Do consider a freezer alarm to alert you to a rise of temperature which could lead to a total loss of your beef (see our education section for details).
• Do NOT put the beef in your car trunk; put a protective cover on the floor or the back seat of your car and boxes on top of that.
• DO place the meat in coolers, or minimally if coolers are not available, cover the boxes with blankets and turn the air conditioning on.
• Do drive directly home, don't stop for lunch!
• Do put the beef directly into the zero degree freezer.
• Do look at the education section of this website for what to do if you have a power failure and want to try to preserve the beef! And, also read the safe handling of raw food guidelines.