Custom
wholes and halves
Your beef, your way
Buy a whole or half cow!
*** As of January 1, 2025 we are switching from selling live weight to selling by the hanging weight. ***
Custom wholes and halves are USDA inspected and available ONLY for local pickup from the butcher.
$5/lb. hanging weight, processing INCLUDED
We know this can be a confusing process for you, especially if you've never purchased custom beef before. Therefore, we aim to make it simple.
The best thing about custom processing is that it is YOUR beef - YOUR way.
Butcher's terminology can be difficult to understand, and every butcher is different, so we have worked to make your life easier by finding the simplest solution.
And better yet, we will walk with you through each step of the way!
1) How we sell our custom beef
We sell our custom beef by the hanging weight of the animal.
This is also known as rail weight. There are different ways of selling beef, but this rate makes sense because this is how the butcher charges us to process it.
It is a very consistent figure across the board, regardless of how you choose to have the meat cut and wrapped. Whereas the total package weight (also known as boxed weight) can fluctuate significantly depending on cutting instructions.
The hanging weight is not the weight you bring home. The hanging weight is the weight of the whole carcass after the animal is killed, skinned and hung on a rail. It is the weight of the cow without the blood, skin, head, hair, guts, feet and hooves. This is also known as the carcass weight.
The carcass is then aged for a number of days on the rail in the butcher's cooler to develop flavors, and during this time it will start to lose moisture. This evaporation (also known as shrink) results in some added weight loss, as does the cutting and boning during process during packaging. Therefore, the hanging weight does not represent the actual weight that is vacuum sealed, frozen and brought home to your freezer.
The actual amount of meat you get back can vary quite significantly depending on how you choose to have it cut up. Please see "How much meat you can expect back" for more detail.
Our price includes the butcher's processing fees. This means there are no other charges or hidden fees. None of that you-pay-us-and-then-you-pay-the-butcher stuff.
Any Specialty Products ordered, such as hotdogs, beef sticks, brats, etc. are not included in our price. If you choose specialty products, these will be added to your invoice. We will include 10 lb. beef patties as a curtesy if you like!
2)How much meat you can expect to get back
How much meat you get back depends on two factors: (A) the size of the individual animal; and (B) how you choose to have it processed. Please see the chart below for a breakdown of ratios from live weight to pounds in your freezer.
(A) We aim for our finished animals to weigh between 1000 - 1200 lbs on the hoof, or live. However, each animal will vary a bit in how it carries its weight.
(B) How you have it packaged (cut and wrapped) greatly effects the final weight. Choosing to have everything ground up reduce the required space needed in your freezer, as well as lower the overall packaged weight you bring home. However, requesting the soup bones and organs, ordering ribs, choosing other bone-IN cuts, and asking for extra fat to be packaged separately will yield higher take home weights and require more freezer space to store.
You can expect to receive a range between 30-40% in yield of the live weight in boxed beef. A conservative average of this estimate should be about 32% - 34%. This means that a 1200 lb. animal could yield anywhere from 360 - 480 lbs. of boxed beef but a conservative estimate would be 385 - 410 lbs. A 1000 lb. animal range would be from 300 - 400 lbs. with a conservative estimate being 320 - 340 lbs.
The hanging weight of the animal is affected by the age, breed, quality and condition of the animal, as well as how you choose to have it cut and wrapped. This figure can average 50 to 70 % depending on breed, how it is fed, and how it is processed. We expect an average yield from our grass fed/ grass finished beef to be about 61% of the hanging weight.
Our beef hanging weights are averaging 54% - 63% of the live weight. Plan for 540 - 610 lb. hanging weight from a 1000 lb. animal and 650 - 730 lb. hanging weight for a 1200 lb. animal. Plan for approximately 61% of the hanging weight in your take home boxed beef.
Estimated Hanging Weight to Live Weight %
54-61%
Estimated Cut and Wrapped Weight to Hanging Weight %*
55-65%
Fatter animals have lower cut and wrapped percentages. Skinnier animals have higher cut and wrapped percentages. Boneless cut orders yield lower lbs. in your freezer. Bone-in cut orders yield more lbs. in your freezer.*
* Used with permission from Kenneth of KD Farms.
Estimate hanging weight from a 1000 lb. animal
550 hanging weight (55%)
Estimate % yield of hanging weight
63%
Estimate packaged and boxed weight
(take home yield)
346.5 lbs of beef
3) Reserving your beef
First, get your name on the list!
In order to reserve our slots at the butcher, we have to start scheduling processing dates for our cattle a year in advance. As soon as we have our slots, I can begin filling reservations.
Often, I have a list of people who have requested sides of beef. I will work through this list before I begin taking new orders.
So, if you know you will want a side of beef anytime in the next year, I encourage you to get with me as soon as possible.
Making the reservation.
A non-refundable deposit is due when you reserve your beef. Reservations are filled in the order they are received. When we reserve a beef for you, you will be given an approximate date you can expect your beef to be ready for pick up. If there is a conflict with the schedule, please let us know. Your beef is officially reserved when we receive your deposit.
Whole cow - $500 deposit
Half Cow - $250 deposit
Selecting your beef cuts.
Once your deposit is received, we will give you a cut sheet and guide you through the process of filling it out. You will also be given the date your cow is to be processed. Please put this date on your calendar: Approximately 2 weeks after this processing date, your meat will be ready for pick up.
Paying in full.
On the day it is processed, we will receive the hot carcass weight and contact you with your final total, less the deposit paid. Once you are notified, your balance is due to be paid within 7 days. Your balance must be paid before you can pick up your meat.
4) Picking up Your beef
You are responsible to pick up your meat from the butcher when you are notified that it is ready. Approximately 15 days after the scheduled processing date, your frozen meat will be ready to pick up from the butcher!
Be sure to bring a couple large coolers and/or boxes in which to transport your meat. The butcher will generally allow a couple days for you to pick up your meat once it is ready, but please be respectful he has limited freezer space and needs you to pick up at your earliest convenience.
The butcher is located in Casey County, near Liberty, KY. You will be provided with location and address when you make your reservation.
If possible, I would love for us to coordinate so that I can meet you there and help load out and make sure all goes smoothly!
Call me today to reserve your side of beef!
call Monica at: 606.235.1473
email: Monica@FireflyFieldsKY.com