Quarter, half, or whole: what a beef share actually gets you
Everything here is from a small family farm in Caledonia, New York. Cattle raised on our own organic pasture and hay, with certified organic grain every day, processed by a local custom butcher and cut to your order. Prices are per pound of hanging weight; processing is a separate bill paid to the butcher.
Hanging weight is the carcass weight at the butcher after slaughter; you take home roughly 60–65% of it as packaged beef, depending on your cut sheet — more bone-in cuts and roasts mean a higher percentage, more boneless steaks and ground mean lower. Freezer rule of thumb: 35–40 lb of packaged beef per cubic foot.
How a quarter differs from a half
A quarter is one half of a side, and the butcher cuts each side one way. So the two quarter customers on an animal share a few decisions: steak thickness, packs per package, and roast size. The first to fill out a cut sheet sets them; the second sees them already chosen. You still decide what you keep and what becomes ground beef. On a quarter the loin comes bone-in as T-bones and porterhouse (no filet or strip), and cube steak and patties aren't offered. Halves and wholes have none of these limits.
Two separate payments
1. You pay us for the share — per pound of hanging weight, at the price above. A deposit holds your share when you reserve. The balance to us is due once the animal is at the butcher and the hanging weight is known; that's the first moment the real number exists, and we'll email it to you.
2. You pay the butcher for processing — cutting, wrapping, and freezing, billed by the butcher and paid to them directly when you pick up. It's on top of the hanging-weight price. Ask us for their current rate.
Why it works this way: in New York, a farm can't sell beef by the cut without a USDA-inspected plant. What we sell is a share of a live animal; a licensed custom butcher processes your share for you. It's the standard way small farms sell direct here.
Pickup
About two weeks after the butcher date, the butcher calls you: your beef is paper-wrapped, labeled, and frozen. You pay them for processing, load up your coolers, and drive home. A quarter fits in two large coolers; bring more for a half or whole.
Timing
Our cattle come to us as calves from neighboring farms and finish about a year later. The availability list shows which months have shares open. A deposit holds your spot; we'll email when the butcher date is set and again when the hanging weight is in.
Request a shareor call or text 585-734-6458