If you're buying beef from a local farmer you'll need to know how many pounds are in a quarter of beef, so you can make room in the freezer! Buying a cow from the farmer is a great way to save money, stock up and get high-quality Beef!
We've been buying half to a whole beef every year for the last 3 years, it's so much better than what you get at the grocery store, so I will be buying directly from the farmer for the next decade at least!
The first time we bought beef direct from the farmer I was definitely wondering what to expect... My main question was, "how much beef will I get?" I had 1 big deep freezer but wasn't sure if that was going to be enough!
Whole Beef
If you ask your farmer, they will tell you that beef cows go to the butcher when they reach the between the weight of 1400 to 1600 pounds of live weight for the whole animal. That means a half beef is about 700-800 pounds of live weight, and a quarter of cow is 350 - 400 pounds of live weight. Now that may sound like too much meat... But that is not what you get from the butcher!
Take-home weight is only a percentage of the beef carcass weight. After the cow does its head hide and organs are removed from the carcass (this takes many pounds off from live weight). You can keep the heart, liver, tongue (or any part) if you want, but make sure to let the butcher know that you want them. The average carcass weight of a hanging cow is about 800 pounds average hanging weight of the animal (give or take.) The hanging weight price depends on the live weight of the cow, and the farmers' price.
The beef carcass is then hung or "cured" for a week or two which further eliminates about 5% moisture loss. Then, during the final butchering process (which they'll customize to your cutting instructions) they cut out the weight of most bones, hide, head, and hoofs... (I always ask the butcher to keep some good bones for our dog.)
That is a lot of weight removed for parts of the cow that you don't want. I cut down our final meat weight on top of all that by asking my butcher to cut my roasts and steaks lean by removing excess outside or exterior fat. I buy "natural cows" that aren't treated with hormones or antibiotics so I ask for the soup bones too because they are healthy and make such good broth!
How Many Pounds in a Quarter of Beef
Ordering a quarter beef (or quarter cow) usually yields about 150 pounds (give or take) of wrapped beef to go into your freezer. This will easily fit into a 5 -7 cubic foot chest freezer.
Pounds in a Side of Beef (Half Beef)
When you order a half cow from your local farmer and have it butchered, you can expect to bring home about 300 pounds of beef (give or take) to put up in the freezer!
Pounds Of Meat In A Whole Cow
When you buy a whole cow from the farmer and have it butchered. You can expect to bring home about 600 pounds of meat (give or take) to put into your freezer.
Freezer Space for Pounds in a Quarter of Beef
How much freezer space will you need? For every 35 pounds of meat, you will need about 1 cubic foot of freezer space. So a quarter of beef will require 4--6 cubic feet of freezer space.
Last fall we bought ¾ of a whole cow. I filled a large upright deep freezer and half of a small chest freezer. So a quarter cow would take up about half of a large upright deep freezer.
Why Buy Beef From The Farmer?
What a great question! There is more than one reason why you should buy your beef from the farmer!
Number 1 - Quality!
I LOVE buying beef directly from our local rancher Y-1 Farms! (I have their info at the bottom of this page) They either grow all their alfalfa and feed for the cows or source their feed from local farmers to get the highest quality fresh feed for their cows! Local Farmers will have better quality beef from what you get at the grocery store because it will be fresher, most likely finished better so it will have more marbling!)
Number 2 - Ethical
You know how your local farmer treats their cattle... Local Farmers raise cows in a healthier pasture environment to graze on and grow. You have no idea how the beef you buy at a grocery store was raised or what conditions were. These local farmers will have the best cared-for cows that are grass fed beef no matter how they are finished. (Some farmers finish their cows on grass and some farmers finish their cows on grain. Grain-finished cows have more marbling which is (what makes the beef taste so good), but grass-fed beef and grass-finished cows have healthier fat.)
Number 3 - Save Money!
You may think this isn't true at first, but if you consider the high quality and prime cuts of beef you get when buying a whole, half, or quarter of beef you realize that you are getting the best of the best! Including:
- Filet Mignon beef cut,
- Porterhouse Steaks
- Prime Rib
- Brisket
- Tri-tip
- Tender Loin Roasts
- T-Bone steaks
- Top Sirloin
- English Roasts
- Top Sirloin Roasts
- Sirloin Steaks & Top Sirloin Steak
- Short Ribs
- New York Steak or Strip Steaks
- Ribeye Steaks
- Rib Steaks
- Chuck Roast (Think Pot Roast)
- Plus all the hamburger... Not just the standard cut beef at the grocery store.
That's a lot of high-quality prime cuts of meat for the same price per pound as hamburger!
Choosing A Butcher & Cutting Instructions
Ask your local butchers how they process and wrap the beef.
I always use the same butcher... In our area, the best is Bostons Beef. I Like the way they cut to my instructions, double wrap meat in plastic that is airtight with all air removed. The airless double-wrapped meat stays good for 2 years in our deep freezer.
I have had other butchers in the past that used butcher paper. I didn't like these at all as the meat was prone to freezer burn.
Make sure to be clear on what cuts you want or don't want. Tell your butcher:
- What size (in pounds) packages do you want them to wrap hamburger? (I get hamburger wrapped in a 1-pound package, but it depends on how many people you are feeding on a regular basis.)
- How many pounds do you want your roasts to be?
- How thick to cut your steaks and individual cuts?
- Tell them if you want to keep fat for making Tallow.
- If you want soup bones or dog bones.
- Tell them if you want the tongue, heart, or liver.
You May Also Enjoy These Beef Recipes
I hope this helps answer your questions about buying beef from the farmer! You may also enjoy these beef recipes:
My Local Farmer - Where I Buy Beef
Y-1 Farms Beef
5112 Maag Rd.
Vale, OR 97918
Call 541-216-0121
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!