For the last couple of years I have been interested in ordering our beef instead of buying it at the grocery store. Hubby and I have talked about buying a half a cow but that would require the purchase of an additional freezer. Since we didn’t have the funds for a new freezer, the farm raised beef without hormones was put off.
I finally found a local person that will sell me the beef in family packs- 12-16 pounds at a time. This amount of beef is much more manageable for us. We get the benefit of having quality beef without having to store a huge quantity. The steers are humanly raised and fed a healthy diet without daily use of antibiotics and without the use of hormones.
Since we are buying a smaller quantity, the price is a bit higher than buying a half of cow. We paid $5.50 per pound- great price for steaks but expensive for the ground beef. Overall, I think the price was great for what we received! All of the beef was prepackaged in vacuum sealed bags and labeled. We cooked a T-bone steak on the grill for Mother’s Day and it was very tender!
If you are unable to buy a large amount of beef at one time, talk to your local farmers and see if you can buy a smaller quantity. The other thing you can do is get several families to go into together to buy a whole cow.I have also seen farm raised beef sold at farmer’s markets.
Have you ever bought beef in bulk from a local farmer? How about any other meat sources like a pig?
Renae Chiovaro
Renae is a married working mom of two handsome boys. She works as a registered dental hygienist by day and blogs here at How to Have it All by night. She enjoys cooking from scratch, working in her vegetable garden and functional training.
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We have been buying grain fed beef for over fifteen years. There is nothing like quite like it. We live in Ohio and the price is very reasonable. We pay about $2.00 per lb this includes processing and sealed in plastic bags. The ground beef is like eating steak. We have ordered half a pig as well. I would be sure that you know the farmer of someone who has ordered from them. We are purchasing from a family member of our good friends. We usually order and split with a friend. The savings will be unending. The cost of a freezer is not too bad. Our last freezer we bought lasted way over twenty years.
Hi Sue!
Wow, you get a great price for your beef! The farmer I deal with is actually a patient of mine so I do know him. I know the price drops the more beef we buy. Hopefully we will get a freezer someday. Although, I don’t think they make appliances the same anymore. What used to last 20 years may only last 10 now! It is really unfortunate. Thanks for commenting!