How much meat will I get in my quarter, half, or whole animal?

A steer’s hanging carcass weight will average 675 to 750 pounds. We do have some steers that fall outside of this range though, usually on the larger side. Some of that weight is lost during processing as bone, fat, and other tissues. Your take-home weight of beef will be 50-60 percent of hanging carcass weight, with 55 percent being an average. To give you an idea of how this plays out, with a quarter you will take-home around 100 lbs. of beef, a half will yield around 200 lbs of beef and a whole beef will yield around 400 lbs of beef. Again, these are estimates. It could be more, or less, depending on the size of the steer, the carcass yield of the steer (ie., animals that are naturally more muscular will have a higher yield), and your cut instructions.

What cuts of beef will I get?

If you order a half or whole beef, you will be given a chance to do the cut instruction sheet and tell the processor how to cut and wrap your beef. Our quarters are actually a mix of the whole animal, which means you get cuts from all selections of the animal. Your cuts from a quarter will include steak, roasts and bulk ground beef. The largest amount will be bulk ground beef. Our price includes processing, but speciality cuts will be extra.

A quarter of beef is too much for me/us to eat. Can I buy just burger, or smaller amounts?

Yes. We have bundles ranging from $50-$150. We also have Individual cuts can be purchased in our store or at our other retail locations.

Where is the beef processed?

Our steers are killed, butchered, and the beef is vacuum-sealed at Birkners Processing and Wennemans. Both of these locations are local. Their facilities, and the animals that they process, are inspected by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

How do I get on the list to reserve beef?

In order to get on the customer list, you will pay a non-refundable deposit of $50 and include your name and phone number with the deposit. Orders are filled in the order in which they were placed, as beef becomes available. You can use our “contact” tab to send us an inquiry or call 618.927.4096.