Beef prices

[Sigarms]

However, when you go to the butcher and buy 100 pounds of hamburger for $2.90 a pound, you get 100 pounds of hamburger. You don't pay hanging weight price.

BINGO.

I've won on pricing and I've lost on some pricing when buying whole or half cows. The only way I know exactly where I'm paying is by weighing ALL the meat I'm getting I'm putting in the freezer. Just becuase I pay for 250lbs or 500lbs doesn't mean that is what I'm actually getting. I've had coolers so full of ground beef that my wife and I couldn't pysically carry the largest cooler down to the freezer between us. In all realtiy, a real PITA moving meat and then weighing it to know exactly what you're getting.

That said, I see the cows that I'm buying when I take my boy fishing sometimes. It's good meat and worth the hassel in the end. I know where it's coming from and that's worth something.

 

[Molalla1]

We pasture all summer also, occasionally they will need some supplemental feed even while on pasture.
Then we put up few thousand tons of haylage, baled hay and corn silage.

Well yes . . . but for the most part it's not that bad as far as feed, when we are ready to slaughter it does cost more . . .

 

[Lnk]

Neighbors raise limousine cattle, we put up a whole cow. Came out to 444# after vacuum sealed. Processor charges $.65/ lb plus $50 kill bill. Had to buy a second freezer to get it all stored. $3 / lb hanging weight. I have so much meat after a year. Best tasting beef I ever had. I know what the cows live on. Grass. The processor hangs for 21 days before butchering. I hope this helps.

 

[Molalla1]

Neighbors raise limousine cattle, we put up a whole cow. Came out to 444# after vacuum sealed. Processor charges $.65/ lb plus $50 kill bill. Had to buy a second freezer to get it all stored. $3 / lb hanging weight. I have so much meat after a year. Best tasting beef I ever had. I know what the cows live on. Grass. The processor hangs for 21 days before butchering. I hope this helps.

Good deal I have a personnel friend who has a mobile slaughter service. Comes out drops them, half's them and takes them to his processing business.

 

[goeduck]

It's a good point about hanging weight. You pay for the meat by hanging weight + you pay for the processing by hanging weight. Then you bring it home in laundry baskets and coolers and weigh what you actually got. It's less than you thought because of bones, fat trimmings, etc... that actually drives up your cost even more than what's been discussed.

So lets say I want a side of beef. And let's say it's 100 pounds hanging weight. (small cow, easy math). My guy wants $2.50 a pound, and it's a buck a pound to process. That drives it up to $3.50 a pound. Still doesn't sound bad. You hand him $350. Then you take it home and weigh it. You only have 80 pounds. That's $4.37 a pound. While $4.37 for hamburger is expensive, $4.37 for steak is not.

However, when you go to the butcher and buy 100 pounds of hamburger for $2.90 a pound, you get 100 pounds of hamburger. You don't pay hanging weight price.

So figure in the actual weight of what you bring home in your price calculations, not hanging weight.

^^^ good summary bring it all together. Important to think the numbers through.

 

[MossRoad]

We had burgers on the grill last night. It was gently snowing and my grill is under cover in the bottom of my now adult childrens' turbo slide fort. Very relaxing watching the snowfall while grilling outside, yet not being cold or wet. Wife and one kid commented how good grilled meat tasted after a long winter with oven baked food. :licking:

 

[NorTracNY]

I raise some Black Angus prime beef and can tell you there are lots of people looking for cheap beef and most don't know the difference between dry aged beef or supermarket beef, or the different grades of beef. Most of my customers grew up on or around a farm and miss the good beef they grew up with and are looking for fresh local beef to fill a freezer. And if your one of them that likes to cook the he!! out of your beef like many do you might as well by the cheap stuff. :licking:

For many years I had a great supply of 100% grassfed beef that we loved. I received a grassfed beef cookbook when I went in with a few other people and bought a cow. The book was correct in pointing out that the beef cooks quicker than store bought beef. I was so saddened when I over cooked several meals early on.

 

[goeduck]

It always surprises me how much water comes off of grocery store meat. I assume it is water.

 

[TheMan419]

Yes so thanks for all the thoughts. The good part is it is a good friend who raised the animal. We are getting all ground beef simply because that is what they are selling. They said they are making the entire thing into ground beef. Easier to sell maybe?

In any event yes it will get weighed before put into freezer just so we know how much is being pulled out at a time.

It will take us a good while to go through 20 pounds of ground beef.

I have had grass fed steaks before and there is no comparison between those and store bought.

Indiana just got a 都helter in place order for two weeks. I don稚 think that is long enough to deal w Covid. We have enough supplies to last two weeks. This beef will certainly extend our capacity to do that. However I do not expect the super market to shut down. If it does most of the country is in a world of hurt.

 

[MossRoad]

Yes so thanks for all the thoughts. The good part is it is a good friend who raised the animal. We are getting all ground beef simply because that is what they are selling. They said they are making the entire thing into ground beef. Easier to sell maybe?

In any event yes it will get weighed before put into freezer just so we know how much is being pulled out at a time.

It will take us a good while to go through 20 pounds of ground beef.

I have had grass fed steaks before and there is no comparison between those and store bought.

Indiana just got a 都helter in place order for two weeks. I don稚 think that is long enough to deal w Covid. We have enough supplies to last two weeks. This beef will certainly extend our capacity to do that. However I do not expect the super market to shut down. If it does most of the country is in a world of hurt.

My wife and I average two pounds of ground beef a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Between hamburgers, sloppy joe, beef stroganoff, chili, spaghetti, salisbury steak, tacos, etc... it goes pretty quick. :licking:

It's nice that you know the people that are raising it. :thumbsup: