Half and Quarter Cows
$4.50/Pound – Hanging Weight plus Processing
Whole Cow – $3,400.00 - $4,600.00
½ Cow - $1,700.00 - $2,300.00
¼ Cow - $850.00 - $1,150.00
Price depends on hanging weight of animal
CATTLE WEIGHTS
What is the difference between “hanging weight” and just plain “weight”?
When it comes to beef weights, there are 3 distinctions to be aware of:
- Live weight. This is what the animal weighed when it was alive on the hoof. (for us, our animals come off our grass weighing around 1300 pounds)
- Hanging weight. This is the weight that the butcher gives us after hide, organs and legs have been removed. The hanging weight is usually about 60% of the live weight. (1300 lb. animal would have an estimated hanging weight of 780 lbs.)
- Take-home weight. This is the weight of the meat that each customer will bring home. This weight is usually about 60-65% of the hanging weight. For a 195 lb. quarter share the final weight would be approx. 117-127 pounds.
NOTE: The weight is lost in two ways. About 4% is water weight lost during the 21-day
period that the carcass is hung (or “cured”). Then about another 30-35% is lost during the cutting process. This amount varies based on two factors – one is the amount of fat in the meat, and the other is the cuts that a customer requests. Higher fat means more loss. (Our grass-fed beef animals tend to be lower fat, so the loss tends to be closer to 35%.) Also, the more boneless cuts requested by the customer, the lower the final weight. (Note that the lower weight doesn’t mean that you are receiving less
meat – rather, you are receiving fewer bones).
When purchasing a cow from us you will pay us for the cow and then choose the processor of your choice. If you do not have a preference, we can choose one for you. It will be your responsibility to fill out a cut sheet with the processor and pay and pick up from them for processing and packaging your beef. The approximate cost of processing is .89¢/Lb. Hanging Weight.
E-mail us at contact@5lsfarm.com if you are interested