Buying a 1/4 cow from a local rancher, how long will that last?

Question

I'm thinking of buying a 1/4 cow from a local grass-fed ranching establishment, how long would that last for or seven people and is it worth the $500 cost?

Answer 1

That depends on how much beef you usually eat.  In the past we've bought 1/2 beef and it's lasted about a year for four people.  We also had a hog in the freezer and I would buy chicken and fish to mix in with the pork and beef.  

To me, yes it's worth the cost.  The average size of a 1/4 beef would be 200 lbs.  If that's the case your meat will cost $2.50 a pound.  That's cheaper than ground beef in the store and you'll be getting more than just ground beef.  On top of that the meat you'll be buying is more nutritious than the stuff in the store because it's grass feed.  Healthier because it won't have all the hormones and antibiotics in it.  

Answer 2

if you freeze it properly then  it will last about a year at least

Answer 3

We just got a couple cows and plan to send them to the butcher block around Thanksgiving.  They should have 1000 lbs of wrapped meat on each one.  So, 1/4 a cow is about 250 pounds.  That's $2.00 a pound for the meat.  Ours (after feed costs, etc) is supposed to come to about $1.00 a pound, but we're keeping them with friends who have a pasture where they will be eating the grass there.  Is $2.00/pound sound good to you?  Do you get to say how to cut the meat (ex: 1/2 " steaks, 3-4 five pound roasts, the rest hamburger 85% fat content).  

Answer 4

It depends on how much beef you eat. As kid my family of four would go through almost a whole cow and a whole pig every year. Most of our meals consisted of meat and potatoes, so we ate a lot of meat. As far as the price goes...that does seem a little steep. Think about it, if this farmer is selling a 1/4 of a cow for $500 than he is getting $2,000 for one cow...which is WAY over normal market price. On the other hand, if you are looking for something special like organic meat, $500 may be a bargain compared to what you would pay at the grocery store. Hopefully if this farmer is selling you a 1/4 beef for $500, it includes all of the butchering and processing.

   To see if you are getting a deal, I would ask the farmer how many pounds of meat his 1/4 of a beef will have. Next divide $500 by the pounds of meat you will get. Compare that price per pound with what you would normally pay at the grocery store for the same kind of meat.

   Good luck