New to Buying Beef from a farmer
Buying beef direct from a farmer can be intimidating. We want the process to be as easy and straight forward as possible. Hopefully the information here will answer most of your questions, but please contact us for more information.
Below are some of the most common questions we're asked when if comes to buying beef.
How it Works
At Reeves Ranch, we have talked to many people that would like to eat local and support local, but buying hundreds of pounds of beef is not viable for everyone. We offer partial shares of beef that we raise here. You can buy anywhere from 1/16 share (Approximately 25lbs) all the way up to a whole beef (Approximately 500lbs). We also offer freezer rentals to those who would like to buy more beef, but aren't ready for it all at once.
Common Beef Buying questions
What is the difference between live weight, hanging weight and boxed weight?
At Reeves Ranch, our beef pricing is all-inclusive, so you don't have to worry about figuring out additional fees for butchering, cutting and wrapping. We think it’s important that our customer know what to expect. Our pricing is based on hanging weight. Here are the terms you need to know so that you can calculate your actual cost:
• Live weight (or “on the hoof”) is how much a cow weighs when it’s alive and walking around.
• Hanging weight (or “on the rail”) is after the animal is slaughtered and all the unusable parts are removed (like head, skin and hooves), Hanging weight includes bones and meat. Typically, the hanging weight is about 60% of the live weight.
• Boxed weight (or packaged weight) is the weight of all the packages of individual cuts of meat that you will put in your freezer This is typically about 60 percent of hanging weight
How much freezer space do I need or what if I don't have a large freezer?
The rule of thumb is 1 cubic foot of freezer space for every 30-35 lbs of cut and wrapped meat. This can be a problem for some families wanting to buy local beef. Luckily, we have a solution. For an additional fee you can rent separate freezer space and we will send you a monthly report with your current cuts and quantities. You then can get what you need for the month and leave the rest in our freezers.
How come your beef is not certified grass fed or organic?
Having beef certified as organic or grass fed requires the farmer to have additional government inspections, file tons of paperwork and pay additional fees. It’s a very expensive and long process. Many farmers, like us, choose not to go through the process of having our beef certified as grass fed or organic. However, the beef often meets these qualifications.
What types of cuts can I get?
Typical cuts include:
• Steaks like filet, sirloin, ribeye, strip, skirt and flank
• Brisket
• Roasts like chuck, sirloin, arm
• Ground beef
• Ribs
• Carne Asada
• Stew meat
• Kabob meat
• Soup bones
• Organ meat (if desired)
At Reeves Ranch, if you order a sixteenth, eighth or quarter beef, we use a standardized cut list since you’re splitting the cow with other people and the entire cow needs to be processed the same way. If you order a half or whole cow, you can have it custom cut however you want.