Large scale purchase of meat

[iris lily]

We purchased a cow and had it dressed. I will share costs below. While we have had home grown beef and pork for decades, I never paid attention to costs because for most of those years my inlaws grew and donated the beef cow and pig and so any invoice I had would have only been for locker costs.

Weight of cow:1260 lbs
Weight of beef after butchering: 640 lbs cut into hamburger, steaks, etc.
Cost of beef cow:$1800
Cost of butchering: $880

[CNM]

That works out to almost $4.20 a pound.  Not bad, considering that is around what inexpensive ground beef costs per pound and you're getting premium cuts.

[Adventine]

Wow! That's a lot of meat. How long do you estimate it will last, given your household's normal consumption habits?

[HPstache]

Hopefully it tastes good.  We got a quarter of a cow a couple of years ago and we thought it had a bad taste... or at least a taste we were not used to and did not like.  Has a lot to do with the cow's diet and finishing food from what I understand now.  If it tastes great or even better than what you are used to, think it is a great way to save on your food cost though!

[Ladychips]

Nothing makes me feel as rich as having a cow in the freezer.

[PJC74]

Hopefully it tastes good.  We got a quarter of a cow a couple of years ago and we thought it had a bad taste... or at least a taste we were not used to and did not like.  Has a lot to do with the cow's diet and finishing food from what I understand now.  If it tastes great or even better than what you are used to, think it is a great way to save on your food cost though!

Most likely you had grass fed beef. Tastes more gamey than conventionally raised beef,but much more healthy; more cla, healthier fat profile, less use of antibiotics because they are eating food natural to their diet, and more likely raised more humanely.

[iris lily]

Wow! That's a lot of meat. How long do you estimate it will last, given your household's normal consumption habits?

3-4 years.

This includes 250 lbs of hamburger, and we don’t eat more than 1 lb per week, more like 2 lbs a month.

This whole beef is really too much and not the amount I would have chosen, but DH handled it with his brother in Iowa and so that the amount is what we have, like it or not!

[ender]

Our biggest issue is freezer space!

We regularly get a quarter beef.

[Adventine]

Wow! That's a lot of meat. How long do you estimate it will last, given your household's normal consumption habits?

3-4 years.

This includes 250 lbs of hamburger, and we don’t eat more than 1 lb per week, more like 2 lbs a month.

This whole beef is really too much and not the amount I would have chosen, but DH handled it with his brother in Iowa and so that the amount is what we have, like it or not!

Well, now you know what's on the menu every time you have a party in the next 3-4 years!

[Rubic]

We raised beef cattle. Most would be sold, but each year we'd have one or two butchered and keep everything in a chest freezer. It was a pretty economical way to feed the family.

I don't eat as much beef as I did growing up. If I did, however, I'd consider investing in a meat freezer.

[Just Joe]

We bought half a cow last year and just committed to another half a cow this year. We aren't quite done with last year's meat.

We really like the taste better, and feel like the quality is better for the cost than the grocery store. We know the folks we bought it from very well and that is important to us too.

I want to focus on more food purchased this way. Plenty of farms around us. Fewer big truck miles involved.

I paid the farmer friend directly for the meat, and paid the meat packer for their part directly. Anyone that wants to do the same can likely buy the meat from the packer directly if you don't know a farmer.  Its good to see where your food comes from though perhaps a little uncomfortable if you aren't used to the meat packer's portion of the process. I was happy to see how clean everything is kept.

[slappy]

Wow! That's a lot of meat. How long do you estimate it will last, given your household's normal consumption habits?

3-4 years.

This includes 250 lbs of hamburger, and we don’t eat more than 1 lb per week, more like 2 lbs a month.

This whole beef is really too much and not the amount I would have chosen, but DH handled it with his brother in Iowa and so that the amount is what we have, like it or not!

How will you prevent freezer burn over the next 3-4 years?

[Midwest_Handlebar]

This is a timely thread, just put an order in for a front quarter this morning. It saves money and helps the independent farmer.

[iris lily]

Wow! That's a lot of meat. How long do you estimate it will last, given your household's normal consumption habits?

3-4 years.

This includes 250 lbs of hamburger, and we don’t eat more than 1 lb per week, more like 2 lbs a month.

This whole beef is really too much and not the amount I would have chosen, but DH handled it with his brother in Iowa and so that the amount is what we have, like it or not!

How will you prevent freezer burn over the next 3-4 years?

We dont notice freezer burn. I guess we are just savages.

[JAYSLOL]

About once or twice a year we get a whole pig, and it works out to be a lot cheaper than buying in the store, and we sometimes get a whole lamb from a farm nearby, as well as larger amounts of ground beef from a friend of a friend which is also much cheaper.  I don’t want my whole basement to be all freezers, so we just have the one medium size freezer and I keep it well stocked, so I definitely can’t get a whole cow anytime soon, maybe a quarter if we cleaned it all out. 

[Archipelago]

I knew some older folks who were into farming & raising animals at a homeowner's scale. They raised their own chickens and cows, then brought them to the slaughterhouse for butchering and packing. When I asked how they felt about raising animals as pseudo pets (they had a cow named Bessie), their reply:

We know exactly where the meat comes from.
We know exactly what they eat and what they're injected with/or not.
We treat the animals better than any commercial meat operation.

It really got me thinking, and it's something I'd like to try.

[AMandM]

We've bought whole beef and pigs from friends or friends of friends, sometimes sharing with others. It does not work out as cheap as OP's, but it's only a little more than the grocery store for much better meat, from animals who lived much more in keeping with their natures.

The friend who raises the pigs does his own slaughtering and invites us to come help. The flavour of his pigs is amazing. We'd been reading Beatrix Potter to the grandkids, so we retroactively named the last pig in our freezer "Pigling Tasty."

[Cassie]

Back when the kids were home and there were 5 of us we would buy a quarter of a cow. The meat was great. My husband would usually get a deer every year hunting. We don’t like freezer burn.

[Archipelago]

Is it possible to avoid or reduce freezer burn by using a shrink wrap + sealing machine?

[iris lily]

Is it possible to avoid or reduce freezer burn by using a shrink wrap + sealing machine?

These packages are pretty well wrapped in plastic so I don’t really notice freezer burn. Perhaps it is  not there at all.

[jeninco]

Is it possible to avoid or reduce freezer burn by using a shrink wrap + sealing machine?

These packages are pretty well wrapped in plastic so I don’t really notice freezer burn. Perhaps it is  not there at all.

We also buy 1/4 to 1/2 (depending on how many kids are home) cows, and they're packaged well enough that we've never seen freezer burn. We try to finish everything in 12-18 months, and I also try to empty out and clean the chest freezer every time we order beef. Our price is about the same as the OPs, after we pay the processor.

[10dollarsatatime]

I knew some older folks who were into farming & raising animals at a homeowner's scale. They raised their own chickens and cows, then brought them to the slaughterhouse for butchering and packing. When I asked how they felt about raising animals as pseudo pets (they had a cow named Bessie), their reply:

We know exactly where the meat comes from.
We know exactly what they eat and what they're injected with/or not.
We treat the animals better than any commercial meat operation.

It really got me thinking, and it's something I'd like to try.

I started raising rabbits for this reason.  They are quiet, can be raised in a small amount of space, and I know where my food comes from.  I only have a quarter acre, so I don't have many options for meat.  Quail are a possibility, though, and I have chickens for eggs.

[Dreamer40]

I do a quarter cow at a time. Plus a half pig and half lamb, which each last us around a year. DH and I eat it up so it doesn’t get freezer burned. We cook for family sometimes, but eat most of it ourselves. It all fits in a fairly small chest freezer since we don’t buy all 3 animals at the exact same time. Our farms are flexible with ordering times. It’s part of my cooking routine to pull something out to defrost in the fridge every few days. I can be picky and dig around, or just grab anything and then build a meal out of it. Most of the ground beef is in the house freezer, so it’s super accessible.

[iris lily]

I do a quarter cow at a time. Plus a half pig and half lamb, which each last us around a year. DH and I eat it up so it doesn’t get freezer burned. We cook for family sometimes, but eat most of it ourselves. It all fits in a fairly small chest freezer since we don’t buy all 3 animals at the exact same time. Our farms are flexible with ordering times. It’s part of my cooking routine to pull something out to defrost in the fridge every few days. I can be picky and dig around, or just grab anything and then build a meal out of it. Most of the ground beef is in the house freezer, so it’s super accessible.

As for easy access from the freezer, we are now living the suburban-like lifestyle where we have a freezer in our attached garage just a few steps from the kitchen. I no longer have to trudge down to the basement to the big chest freezer, I just go right outside our kitchen door. This arrangement will eventually change our Freezer management style. I just am not accustomed to the ease  yet.

Of course, DH being DH, we still have multiple refrigerator and freezing units down the basement. Right now they are holding onions harvested from our garden.

[Rusted Rose]

I do a quarter cow at a time. Plus a half pig and half lamb, which each last us around a year. DH and I eat it up so it doesn’t get freezer burned. We cook for family sometimes, but eat most of it ourselves. It all fits in a fairly small chest freezer since we don’t buy all 3 animals at the exact same time. Our farms are flexible with ordering times. It’s part of my cooking routine to pull something out to defrost in the fridge every few days. I can be picky and dig around, or just grab anything and then build a meal out of it. Most of the ground beef is in the house freezer, so it’s super accessible.

Can I, as a local, ask which farms these are from? :)

[Dreamer40]

I do a quarter cow at a time. Plus a half pig and half lamb, which each last us around a year. DH and I eat it up so it doesn’t get freezer burned. We cook for family sometimes, but eat most of it ourselves. It all fits in a fairly small chest freezer since we don’t buy all 3 animals at the exact same time. Our farms are flexible with ordering times. It’s part of my cooking routine to pull something out to defrost in the fridge every few days. I can be picky and dig around, or just grab anything and then build a meal out of it. Most of the ground beef is in the house freezer, so it’s super accessible.

Can I, as a local, ask which farms these are from? :)

Sure! I love these farms.
Lamb - SuDan farm in Canby
Pork - campfire farms
Beef - Birkeland

All three are typically at the Milwaukie farmers market, though I haven’t verified that the lamb guy is still there this year. He doesn’t have a website so I’ve only arranged that one in person.

[Rusted Rose]

Can I, as a local, ask which farms these are from? :)

Sure! I love these farms.
Lamb - SuDan farm in Canby
Pork - campfire farms
Beef - Birkeland

All three are typically at the Milwaukie farmers market, though I haven’t verified that the lamb guy is still there this year. He doesn’t have a website so I’ve only arranged that one in person.

I'll look for these. I'd suspected SuDan for the lamb already, which I've had before and yes, it's truly fabulous.

I dream of a day when farming is back to what it should be, and with no corn and soy where they shouldn't be.

Thank you!

[Dee_the_third]

This is a good idea for saving costs. For maximum savings, you kill and dress the animal yourself. I shot a pretty small doe last year and we are just finishing her up. My favorite element of hunting is you use exactly as much of the animal as you want - the heart and liver themselves were a good 3-4 meals, and most of the time is just thrown out.

[GardenBaker]

We get our homegrown steers butchered as well. If you have a freezer outside you're storing this meat in or rather a freezer you don't look into daily to make sure it's on or the door isn't cracked, I'd recommend getting a Temp Stick. It hooks to wifi and will alert you if you're freezer temp is over a certain degree. It has saved us multiple times!

[zolotiyeruki]

If I wanted to do something like this, and get a quarter of a cow, where would I start?  I don't know any farmers, although we're in outer suburbia and there are lots of farms around, including folks with smaller hobby farms.

[jeninco]

If I wanted to do something like this, and get a quarter of a cow, where would I start?  I don't know any farmers, although we're in outer suburbia and there are lots of farms around, including folks with smaller hobby farms.

Search online? and/or check out local farmers markets, and see if there are meat providers there, get their info, and talk to them (probably while they're not trying to make sales).  Or search for "meat processor" in your area (it's typically small slaughterhouse/butchering outfits) and see who they recommend. If you can find someone who makes their own salami/preserved meats, you may be able to ask who their supplier is.

[Nutty]

If the local high school has a Future Farmers of America (FFA) program, they can help or point you to a local meat packager.  The local meat packager can arrange the sale of a beef, pig, goat, lamb or whatever is available.  Very nice.

Down side is you get everything.  Some people don't care for trotters, tripe or the like.  It does make good healthy dog food.  Ask around, you might be surprised who is familiar or can help you in this area.

I have chickens, process venison and have connections to farms.  Life is good and it tastes so much better.

[Dreamer40]

If I wanted to do something like this, and get a quarter of a cow, where would I start?  I don't know any farmers, although we're in outer suburbia and there are lots of farms around, including folks with smaller hobby farms.

The meat vendors at your local farmers market can direct you. They might offer quarter cows themselves, or know who does. Also check online for “meat CSA [your city name].” Some places have waiting lists, some have a strict schedule (like meat only available certain times of year, some do monthly subscription-like memberships of smaller quantities per month, and some are super flexible. It all depends. I used to buy from a great farm in Pennsylvania that would have pick ups every month at different locations within 100 miles of the farm. That was handy because I didn’t need so much freezer space. But I had to run an extra errand every month to get my bag of stuff. I would still be buying from them if I hadn’t moved. Also, get on the mailing lists of any meat farms you like. Then you will be alerted to any random specials that might come up.

[Midwest_Handlebar]

We're lucky to have a large family farm that has operated a butcher's shop since the 1940's selling all their own meat near us. It used to be more common before food distribution became so corporatized. I would google meat CSA, family farm, quarter of beef, etc. There are a ton of options here, but we live in the middle of the country.