How to buy a cow

[Mossy]

I'm thinking of getting the family to go in on a cow for the freezer. I've never done it before so I'm looking for guidance on where to go and how the whole thing works. If you could help me out I'd appreciate it!

[leahcim_dahc]

Best bet would be to contact a processor in your area...they generally have a couple to sell, or have contacts of someone who will sell. It's been a while since I have bought a beef, but typically a beef would be sold as "cut and wrapped", meaning for a complete beef, slaughtered and processed would cost you X dollars per pound. They also sell them as "hung", meaning they sell them by hanging weight in addition to whatever the cost for processing. If I remember correctly, the last beef I purchased was something in the neighborhood of $1.49/lb, cut and wrapped.

One bit of advice, if you do buy a beef find out what they've been fed. Corn fed beef has a tendency to be more flavorful and tender than those fed store bought food or those that have chewed on sage brush their entire lives.

Enjoy! Beef...it's what's for dinner!!

[curado]

i will get some info on that because that is what my family has done for years

[hewesfisher]

Mossy we do this every year and have done so for the past 14 or so years. I can vouch for one local, small, family owned & operated butcher, it's Quadra-K Meats. They are just south of Spokane off the west side of US-195 on the hill above the Trading Company store. They don't have locker beef, but if you were to call them and tell them what you're looking for, I know they can make a good recommendation and put you on quality beef. I don't have their phone number handy, but they are in the book.

We get our beef from a retired farmer, and fellow parishioner, who raises 4 - 6 head per year exclusively for table. He does not have any beef available and his customer base is a closed group, meaning he's not taking orders from new customers. He has a limited amount of good pasture, and it supports no more than 6 head. He keeps them on pasture until early fall when he moves them up to his barn and puts them on feed. The meat is top-notch quality!

I can also give less than desirable feedback on another "processor" in the Spokane area, but will not do so in a public forum. PM me if you want to know who I would not let cut my beef again.

Costs vary, but we pay roughly $1.75 per pound hanging weight to the farmer, plus butchering costs. There is a basic cut, which is something like 50 cents per pound hanging weight, plus any options. All prices at Quadra-K are based on hanging weight. Feed prices doubled a couple years ago, consequently, the $$ we pay the farmer to raise the beef went up too. Doesn't matter, prices went up everywhere when that happened. You might find a better deal at a bigger processor, or one that handles a lot more volume than Quadra-K, but IMO, you won't find one that does a better or more thorough butchering job.

[Mossy]

Thanks for the replies. I've found a couple ranches around here on craigslist of all places that I'm going to look into. So it sounds like you pay the rancher/farmer for the beef and then you also pay the chosen butcher for his/her time. Is it possible to find a place that does both of those? It might be too much seeing I haven't found enough people to go in on it with us and if I'm smiled upon I might have a deer in my freezer pretty quick. We were thinking of trying a pig to get a feel on how the whole thing works and to also give us an idea on how much we might be spending.

[hewesfisher]

Probably the only exception to paying the farmer and the butcher separately would be if you found a butcher/processor that sold locker beef. That way they buy the beef and butcher it for sale to those who order. While that's a good option, I really like the personal service I get with how my beef is raised, killed, and processed. I personally know everyone involved in the process. I even know the farmer that calves the beef and he lives a little over a mile from me.

[Big D]

An oinker is a great place to start and you could also purchase a half or even a quarter beef and depending on where you look you could also find a deal that included a few chickens and maybe even a turkey or two.
Two years ago my family went together and purchased a buffalo...Now that's some good eaten.
Use the web and make a few phone calls and I'm sure you'll find what your looking for.

[fishaholictaz]

You could look into your local ffa or 4-H program they sell their steers at the end of the season at auction and your money will be supporting a good cause! I think they may be gone this year but a thought for next year:cheers: