Shares will be available fall of 2025.
.:. Cost and Weights .:.
HALF HOG Share Price - $6.00/lb based on "Hanging Weight"Deposit for a HALF HOG - $150.
You are placing a non-refundable deposit for a HALF HOG share. This deposit will be credited to your final invoice once your share has been processed.
We raise our hogs to roughly 200 pounds on the low end and 350 pounds on the heavy end. When the hogs are dressed out (and then taken to the butcher), they have lost roughly 35% of their live weight. The dressed out carcass is what the "hanging weight" comes from, and can be between 130 pounds and 230 pounds for a whole hog, so a half share will range between 65 pounds and 115 pounds.
The $6.00/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 hog arrives at the butcher and they start cutting and wrapping, the hog will lose roughly another 35%. This is from the bones, cartilage, fat, ect... That means, when the butcher is all done, you'll have roughly 43 pounds to 75 pounds of meat to put in your freezer for a HALF SHARE.
Additionally, you will also pay the kill fee, which is how the mobile slaughter people get paid. Currently, that fee is $50 for a HALF SHARE for hogs that weigh between 200 and 300 pounds live.
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 cured/smoked bacon, cured hams, and sausage. This is how the butchers are paid, and you'll pay these fees (including the kill fee) 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 hog will go to the butcher.
.:. Example Cost .:.
Below is an example of the total cost of a HALF SHARE from a hog that weighed 300 pounds live. This is just an example, as final live weights of the hogs and the different losses can vary as previously mentioned. This is purely for an example.
Live weight (whole hog) - 300 pounds
Loss from Slaughter (35% loss) - 98 pounds "Hanging Weight" for half the hog
Loss from butchering (35% loss) - 64 pounds "in packages"
Payment to Farmer (Marion Acres)
Hanging weight (98 pounds) x $6.00 = $588 (your deposit will go against this costs)
Payment to Butcher (The Meating Place; paid when you pick up your meat)Hanging weight (98 pounds) x $0.85 = $84 (plus whatever add-ons you want)
Payment to Mobile Slaughter CrewKill fee - $50 (this will also be paid to The Meating Place when you pick up your meat)
The total paid in this example: $588 + $84+ $50 = $722
Total amount of pork you'll bring home: 64 pounds**
That equates to roughly $11.28 per pound for everything... pork chops, loin, ground pork, pork shoulder, ect... for some of the best pastured raised pork available and cut exactly the way you want it!
*This example does not include any further processing or “value adds” like curing and smoking.** This example assumes a 35% loss on slaughter (can range from 30% to 35%) and a 35% loss on butchering (can range from 25% to 35%).
Current crop of hogs will be processed in the fall of 2025
HALF Share Pastured Pork (Deposit) | $6.00/lb
Pickup location :: The Meating Place
You will pick up your share directly from the butcher, which is The Meating Place. They are located just down the street about a mile from our farm in Helvetia. They will call or text you when your order is ready! They are closed on Mondays.