Frequently Asked Questions
Pasture-raised in our opinion is the way cattle should be raised. It relates to the place in which cattle are raised. Pasture-raised means that animals get a significant portion of their nutrition through grazing on pasture. Sometimes the foraged feed may be dried and stored for future use. Our cattle spend 100% of their lives on our pastures grazing and foraging and are not subjected to confinement feeding. It has been found that cattle moved to confined feedlots experience increased stress, raising cortisol levels which can negatively impact the quality and nutritional value of the beef. We avoid use of antibiotics and hormones to allow for a more natural growth cycle. We believe that pasture raised is better for the health of our cattle, better for the land, and produces better quality beef overall.
We offer both fully grass-fed and grain-finished options. Our grain-finished products are particularly popular, as the cattle are supplemented with rye and oats 3 to 4 times a week, alongside their regular grass diet, for the final 12 weeks before harvest. This method results in beef that is more tender and has superior marbling, without the quality loss often seen in commercially grain-fed beef raised on corn and soy.
After the animal is butchered and the hide, head, and internal organs are removed, the carcass typically weighs about 60-70% of its live weight. This is known as the hanging weight, and most producers base their quarter, half, or whole prices on this weight. Our goal is a hanging yield of 65%, which is influenced by factors such as diet and genetics. Once the beef hangs and ages for two weeks, allowing the meat to tenderize and develop flavor, the butcher will then cut and package the beef according to your preferences.
The reason for this is that producers (farmers and ranchers) cannot sell directly to consumers without using a federal or state sanctioned processing facility. Basically, we’re not allowed to sell steaks out of the bed of our trucks or freezers like we’re a grocery store (I think we can agree that’s probably a good thing). Legally the last piece of ownership we are allowed is at the hanging weight, which is why we sell per lb hanging. After that, the customer is legally buying the animal, not packaged beef, then having a butcher privately process the beef for them as we cannot sell the beef as retail.
At the point of processing the beef either has to go directly to possession of the consumer, or retail. As we are not a grocer, we give your order information to the butcher who then tags and transfers possession to you. Butcher service prices vary, but our butcher’s most recent pricing was a $110 kill fee and $.94-1.10/lb cut and wrap fee.
The great thing about custom processing is that the butcher will give you a call and walk through the cut sheet with you allowing you to personalize your cuts according to your preferences. Choose your steaks, how much ground beef you want, roasts, stew meat, carne asada, etc. If you’ve never done it before, they will walk you through every option over the phone.
