.:. Cost and Weights .:.

QUARTER BEEF Share Price - $5.50/lb based on "Hanging Weight"
Deposit for a QUARTER BEEF - $250.
Online Transaction Fee - $10 (each time a customer uses a credit/debit card, we have to pay a "transaction fee" to the card companies. It can really add up. Our online transaction fee covers that fee we must pay to the card companies. This fee is not part of the deposit).

You are placing a non-refundable deposit for a QUARTER BEEF share.  This deposit will be credited to your final invoice once your share has been processed.
 
We raise our beef to roughly 850 pounds on the low end and 1,450 pounds on the heavy end.  Finishing weights can be highly variable, and depend on time of year, drought conditions for the year, individual genetics, and slaughter dates.
 
When the beef are dressed out (and then taken to the butcher), they have lost roughly 40% of their live weight.  The dressed out carcass is what the "hanging weight" comes from, and can be between 510 pounds and 870 pounds for a whole beef, so a QUARTER SHARE will range between 128 pounds and 218 pounds.
 
The $5.50/lb price you'll pay is based on this hanging weight, and this is what will be paid to the farmers.  That's us, Marion Acres.
 
Once the carcass arrives at the butcher and they start cutting and wrapping, the carcass will lose roughly another 35%.  This is from the bones, cartilage, fat, etc...  That means for a QUARTER SHARE, you'll have roughly 83 pounds to 142 pounds of meat to put in your freezer.
 
You will also pay the kill fee, which is how the mobile slaughter people get paid.  Currently, that fee is $180 for a beef weighing less than 900 pounds hanging weight.  The QUARTER SHARE portion of this kill fee is $45.
 
The butcher also charges a disposal fee of $25 per animal.  This is because it is expensive to dispose of the hide, bones, and other bits that cannot be used.  The QUARTER SHARE portion of this fee is $6.25.
 
The last fee you'll pay is the butchering fees.  There is a flat cut and wrap fee of $0.85 per pound (hanging weight) plus whatever additional add ons you want, such as beef patties.  This is how the butchers are paid, and you'll pay these fees (including the kill and disposal fees) when you pick up your meat.
 
.:. What to Expect .:.
 
Once you place your order and pay the deposit, you'll receive an automatic reply via email that will serve as your order receipt.  Separately, we will send you an email notifying you that we have indeed confirmed your order, as well as additional details about what to expect, and your slaughter date.  This will be the day that your beef will go to the butcher.
 
.:. Example Cost .:.
 
Below is an example of the total cost of a QUARTER SHARE from a steer that weighed 1,100 pounds live.  This is just an example, as final live weights of the beef and the different losses can vary as previously mentioned.  This is purely for an example.

Live weight (whole beef) - 1,100 pounds
Loss from Slaughter (40% loss) - 165 pounds "Hanging Weight" for QUARTER SHARE of beef.
Loss from butchering (35% loss) - 107 pounds "in packages"

Payment to Farmer (Marion Acres)
Hanging weight (165 pounds) x $5.50 = $908 (your deposit will go against this cost)

Payment to Butcher (The Meating Place; paid when you pick up your meat)
Hanging weight (165 pounds) x $0.85 = $140 (plus whatever add-ons you want)

Payment to Mobile Slaughter Crew
Kill fee - $45 (paid to The Meating Place )
Disposal fee - $6.25 (paid to The Meating Place)

The total paid in this example:  $908 + $140+ $45 + $6.25 = $1,099*
Total amount of beef you'll bring home:  107 pounds**
 
That equates to roughly $10.27 per pound for everything... T-bone steaks, ground beef, short ribs, ribeye steaks, standing rib roasts, etc... for some of the best pastured raised beef available and cut exactly the way you want it!

*This example does not include any further processing or “value adds” like beef patties.
** This example assumes a 40% loss on slaughter and a 35% loss on butchering.
 
Shares will be available in summer and winter 2023!