We have a limited supply of beef butchered annually.  We do sell out quickly, so if you are interested in trying some of the most delicious, healthy beef, don't hesitate. Remember, we can add your name to our email list if you'd like to receive updates on beef availability.
When you are ready to order:
1. Contact us via email or phone (315-725-3745) to verify availability and that we can deliver to your location. If we do not have enough order space left, we will be glad to arrange for future orders, but we are conscious of the value of your time and don’t want you to fill out the forms if we can’t take the order right now. Let us know quickly if you intend to order.
2. Once confirmed that we have space left, do not hesitate. Print the cut sheet appropriate to the portion you desire (whole, half, quarter).
- Animals vary in size and amount of meat on them, with average hanging weight of a full cow at 600-800 pounds, but you should figure on about 75-125 lbs of finished meat per quarter, which would take up 2-3 cubic feet in a freezer--about the size of a chest cooler or big picnic basket. A half would be twice as much, a whole four times as much.
- If you want some of all the cuts available from front and hind quarters but don’t want to buy that much meat yourself, consider going in on buying a half with someone else. You will have to divide it up amongst yourselves after it is delivered to one place, but the cost per pound is less. If you do this, we will need one person to take responsibility for payment and delivery.
3. Fill out the form, giving specifics for the cuts of meat you want and any specific instructions for the butcher. Be sure to give a phone number you will answer if called.
4. Write a check for the specified down payment and mail it and the completed form to the address on the form. Please understand that when an animal is sent to the butcher, we cannot get them back if you change your mind, and we can not sell the meat. So the down payment is NOT REFUNDABLE unless we are unable to deliver your meat.
5. We will contact you when a hanging weight is established and give you an estimate of your balance (which will only be affected by the amount of ground beef you have pattied) and an anticipated delivery date.
6. Arrange for someone to be on hand and for us to be able to make contact for delivery and receive payment of balance upon delivery.
7. Enjoy your healthy, home-grown, local, grass-fed beef!
 
As always, feel free to contact us with any questions. Eventually they will help with a FAQ page!

​​Why do we use “Hanging Weight” and what does it mean?

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We sell what is called “freezer beef.” It is when a person buys part of an animal or a whole animal while it is still alive, with the intention of having it butchered and put in the freezer to consume. Normally this is done by buying a whole animal, half, or quarter. This is different than buying a single piece of meat like you would in the grocery store. You are buying all the meat from that part of the animal. The deal is usually made with a price per pound for a certain fraction of the animal determined by “hanging weight.” [For reference, a full cow's hanging weight is typically 600-800 pounds, half averages 300-400 lb., quarter averages 160-190 lb.] When we sell beef, we include the processing costs* and getting the animal to the butcher, so all you have to do is receive it. Think of it this way: there are a lot of parts in and on the live animal which you are not going to eat and you would rather just disappear. To illustrate...           Here is the live animal:









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​And here it is “hanging”:
 Well, you get the idea. It is the part of the skeleton, muscle, and fat that the butcher starts with when making steaks, roasts, hamburgers, etc. Once all the non-consumable parts are removed, the animal is split in half down the spine, making a “half” or “side.” This side can be further divided between a “front quarter” and “hind quarter.” These portions are weighed and that is the “hanging weight.” This is the amount on which the purchase price is based.

Whatever portion you buy, the butcher then cuts and packages that portion based on your instructions. There is a certain number of different cuts of meat available in different parts of the animal, and front and rear quarters contain different cuts. The butcher will do his best to meet your instructions with what is available on that particular portion. All animals are different somewhat in size and shape and so it is not possible to tell exactly what the hanging weight will be until it is hanging, and this is the fairest way to set a price- based on the total the butcher starts with.

As he cuts, he trims fat and discards some bone. Some steaks have bones left in them and some do not. All meat is trimmed off of the unused bones before they are discarded and the meat is ground into hamburger. Any cuts you do not specify will also have the meat removed and ground into hamburger. You can not get your entire portion made into one single kind of steak; only a certain amount of them exist on the portion and that is the maximum number to be had. You can have the entire portion ground into hamburger if you want it.

Our butcher does a terrific job, cutting off the pieces of meat you specify on your cut sheet and packs them in vacuum sealed plastic as closely as possible to your directions. So if you normally would make four servings at dinner, he can package them that way. Often a couple with two small children will specify three servings per package; one for each adult and one split between the kids. You can figure out how to have this done for your household.

Then all the meat that is left from your portion (not made into cuts you requested on the cut sheet) is ground into some of the best hamburger you have ever tasted. Bulk hamburger is put into plastic tubes at approximately one and a half or two pound quantities.

*You can elect to have some of this hamburger made into patties before being frozen. When it is done this way it is easier to open them and cook up a burger on short notice, even if they are frozen. Pattied burgers are vacuum sealed as well. There is an additional cost of 50 cents per pound for the meat you have pattied, and this will be added to your total cost. Many people find the convenience well worth it. There is no extra charge for the 1 ½ or 2 pound bulk tubes.

Even if you select all the cuts on the cut sheet, there will be hamburger from other parts of the animal. No meat is allowed to go to waste. The fat and bone which you don’t want is discarded. Soup bones are included if you want them, as well as organs you can eat but most people don’t want, and the tongue. You can have them if you want, just mark it on the list. Without the discarded portions, the weight of the finished meat you put in the freezer will be substantially less than the hanging weight. 40% difference is not uncommon.
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When you receive your meat it will be frozen and vacuum sealed in plastic packages, except for the bulk hamburger. The bulk hamburger will be simply frozen in plastic packing tubes. You will notice that each package is clearly labeled, “Not For Sale” along with having the particular cut of meat stated. This is a requirement for processing “freezer beef.” You have already purchased the animal as an individual and different rules apply if you want to sell it like a retail store, and this required labeling protects the consumer from thinking they are buying meat processed in the retail sector.

Most of us are not skilled enough to identify each cut of meat by sight, so the labeling helps us with that. Many people enjoy buying meat this way and the experience of trying new cuts and learning new ways to prepare their beef.
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What you can expect with Normande meat is a great taste, healthy but beefy, without a lot of fat. Normandes are known for their ability to marble, which means getting little bits of fat in the meat to make it taste good, even without grain feeding. Many breeds require grain to do this well, while many health-minded people do not want their meat from grain-fed animals.