I have been thinking of buying a half a beef from a farmer but see prices all over the board. Not looking for a grass fed just plain old corn fed steer. What is going price farmers are getting for dressed beef ?

Neighbor is asking $2.05 a pound for quarters processed at an inspected plant,cut, wrapped, and frozen fresh. I think that's more than fair when looking at what the packers and retailers are doing to the American public right now.

I just placed an order for a quarter at $2.30 hang weight with a late June/July slaughter date. That was on a angus/holstein cross finished on corn. Other prices ranged from $2.20-$3.50+ and when asked questions the animals ranged from holstein steers feed dairy left-over TMR to the grass feed beef animals.

My wife and I don't eat alot of beef but with the packer issues and wanting to support local farmers felt it was the right time to buy another quarter.

Dave

I would consider that quite reasonable if I understand the farmer is paying for processing and cutting and wrapping. Around here I have seen price upwards of $4 per pound hanging weight plus your share of butchering plus the cutting and wrapping.

Isn’t the price farmers are being quoted for their “in the meat” or dressed beef around $1.55 per pound?

If that price is just on hanging weight he's ok if it includes processing he needs a much sharper pencil.

$2.00 a pound hanging weight is what I was looking at charging on the two I have on feed.

I think the thing that surprises most when buying beef this way is what you get. A lot of cuts you have never heard of and not sure how to make. Tongue and heart? It may be in there. Beef short ribs? All the cuts off the round? It isn't all steak, hamburger and chuck roasts.

So that has to be weighed in the cost. Having said that, we are signed up for half a side with delivery in Dec......but we know what we are getting. Price TBD.

Just got a 600 pound grass fed steer last night. It had a twisted intestines and was going to die. All the processors are a few months out so I am going to butcher it for half the meat. Sound like a good deal for me.

Near me you need to plan on butchering it yourself. My neighbor called earlier this week and the 3 local lockers are booking dates for February.

I just bought half a beef from a local farmer. He delivered it to the locker this week and they called me yesterday giving me the hanging weight. I pay the farmer $2 a pound hanging weight and pay the locker I think $0.29 a pound for processing plus a kill fee

Our local lockers are .85 to 1.25 processing.
Hope you check its temperature before you kill it.

I had a blind 2 yr old grass fed heifer given to me. I paid to have it processed and wished I could have gave it back. I'll take corn fattened every tme.

They had it killed and gutted by the time my buddy got there to quarter it up. If the man could have got it in to a processors we wouldn't have got it. All I know is I got a call and asked if I would butcher it for half and that the vet said it had a twisted intestines, told the guy to put him in a trailer and drive down the bumpies road he could find and it may untwist. But it was probably not going to help. Guess we will see what happens when we get it aged and start to eat on it. I will make my buddy eat some first. I know it cant be any worse then the road kill cows I butcher once them things were horrible.

I get a quarter every year. I think I paid $2.00 a pound hanging weight. That was in February. Then of course the processing. That comes to about $150. I wanted to butcher a cheap hog during this coronavirus pandemic. Problem was the freezers are stuffed full of beef and deer. Oh well, maybe the next pandemic will work out better for me.

You can always buy another freezer. Maybe not right now but sometime in the future.

2.39 a pound hanging weight on black angus, grass and corn fed. Local farm near me I've ordered Four years in a row from. With the butchering fee runs about 4 dollars a pound. Cheaper than what you can find in a grocery store and far superior beef.

I just took a look at Craigslist. People are selling beef from $2.00 to $6.00 hanging weight, plus you pay the processing. People want the most for the grass fed, non GMO beef, which I would not touch. People are selling straight, already processed burger for $4.00 to $8.00 a pound, which seems skyhigh to me.

Fat finished cattle at the last local auction went for 70.5 cents a pound. Goods went for 50.75 cents a pound. Canner cows went for 25 cents a pound. If you can process it yourself, an auction is the cheap way to go right now.

Keith

Just put order in for half a beef for $900 finished. Supposed to be around July when done.

How big of a beef? Sounds pretty cheap.

Not quite sure yet. They are not finished. Local farmer had been dropping prices since the virus started. Figured better take the chance since I got a feeling prices are going up soon.