Half a beef cost (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 9/22/2026 8:07:06 PM EDT
| For those of you that have purchased beef in bulk recently, what does a half a beef cost you, including butchering/packaging? |
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We paid $2,700 for a 1/2 beef almost exactly 2 year ago. Local Rancher. Excellent meat for sure. I t's just ms gamboolgal and I. We have put a helluva dent in it and we will get another Half when we get done with this. I'm cooking a big pot of Chili tomorrow.  |
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| Around here (north TX) where you'd think beef ranching would be prevalent., cost has gone up 50% over that past few years so that, as long as I'm a cognizant shopper, I can find better deals at the local retailer. I also don't like that so many ranchers are kowtowing (no pun intended) to the masses with grass-finished beef. Grain-finished tastes soooo much better for obvious reasons. |
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Originally Posted By OregonShooter: ~$6 per pound all in. Look at it as supporting your local economy and keeping money in your community. If you're looking at it purely for cost savings you are likely to be disappointed. Don't forget the quality of local beef is likely to be MUCH better than store beef. I'll never go back to store beef. |
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Originally Posted By Lieh-tzu: Don't forget the quality of local beef is likely to be MUCH better than store beef. I'll never go back to store beef. Originally Posted By Lieh-tzu: Originally Posted By OregonShooter: ~$6 per pound all in. Look at it as supporting your local economy and keeping money in your community. If you're looking at it purely for cost savings you are likely to be disappointed. Don't forget the quality of local beef is likely to be MUCH better than store beef. I'll never go back to store beef. I haven't found that to be true. I can easily buy higher quality steak than what's in the freezer. They sure as hell aren't all prime ribeye. |
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Originally Posted By MeanTime: Around here (north TX) where you'd think beef ranching would be prevalent., cost has gone up 50% over that past few years so that, as long as I'm a cognizant shopper, I can find better deals at the local retailer. I also don't like that so many ranchers are kowtowing (no pun intended) to the masses with grass-finished beef. Grain-finished tastes soooo much better for obvious reasons. NTX is not what it used to be, too many foreigners and Californians. Grass finished is definitely for homos(barring the esoteric breeds that supposedly finish better on grass). |
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Originally Posted By OregonShooter: ~$6 per pound all in. Look at it as supporting your local economy and keeping money in your community. If you're looking at it purely for cost savings you are likely to be disappointed. Respectfully disagree. Usually it comes out to same price as 80/20 ground beef price on avg. but you get all the meat not just hamburger. ETA . Just realized you were in Oregon so may be way off for you’re area .after being g there for work a couple times, I realize you may have additional cost to be able to pay for workers comp for the “unhoused” . Was a shame . Really pretty place except for the dirty ass hippies and all the bullshit they bring with them |
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Originally Posted By safes2small: This with a local rancher and butcher. Yes, both local @safes2small. I don't think he has been doing it all that long because he said his prices were on the low side and he wanted to get more of a customer base before raising them. |
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Originally Posted By MeanTime: Around here (north TX) where you'd think beef ranching would be prevalent., cost has gone up 50% over that past few years so that, as long as I'm a cognizant shopper, I can find better deals at the local retailer. I also don't like that so many ranchers are kowtowing (no pun intended) to the masses with grass-finished beef. Grain-finished tastes soooo much better for obvious reasons. Yeah, I’m definitely not a grass fed guy. Corn those bastards up and chop em. |
Happiness is the greatest agent of purification
Bikini Bottoms underneath, but the boys hearts still skip a beat, when them girls shimmy off, them old cut offs
Bikini Bottoms underneath, but the boys hearts still skip a beat, when them girls shimmy off, them old cut offs
| The beef's I sell normally average about 650 #'s hanging, so 325 #'s/half beef. I think this year I'll be up to $5.25/# ($4.50 last year) and the butcher is $0.75/# + $75 to kill. So, a 325 # 1/2 beef will be rigtht around $2K. |
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Originally Posted By Chukar: Poached? Or my own animal? Electric chainsaws are a thing.. Property owner adjacent to me has a fence problem where it crosses a creek, right after he half ass patches it we get a big rain and it gets washed out again. Almost every week lately 1 or 2 cows come under the fence. Last week he told me it was the same cow every time and sometimes she brings a friend. He was so frustrated he told me to shoot it next time it showed up so it would be easier to find. My thoughts went in the wrong direction. |
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Originally Posted By Buckshot4U: The beef's I sell normally average about 650 #'s hanging, so 325 #'s/half beef. I think this year I'll be up to $5.25/# ($4.50 last year) and the butcher is $0.75/# + $75 to kill. So, a 325 # 1/2 beef will be rigtht around $2K. That's pretty close to what I paid, I can't find the receipt in my car but his text said the butcher got $.80 a pound and $110 kill fee for the whole cow. |
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Originally Posted By Jeffg: $1700 three or four months ago total price with all processing. Thats about what we paid 5 months ago. ETA: for a whole cow. |
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Originally Posted By flcroc: I ordered half a grass-fed, grain finished angus locally (NW FL) right around the start of the new year. Meat was delivered in mid-July, about $2200 for 202 lbs of ground, steaks, and roasts. 1. Was it tasty? 2. If yes above, who do I call? 3. I guess I need to replace my garage fridge freezer that went out a few weeks ago. Protip: DO NOT leave 5# of frozen cigar minnows in freezer (Florida in late August), then let said freezer crap out on you. The resultant juice makes a Bhopal Union Carbide type cloud when mixed with bleach. |
Happiness is the greatest agent of purification
Bikini Bottoms underneath, but the boys hearts still skip a beat, when them girls shimmy off, them old cut offs
Bikini Bottoms underneath, but the boys hearts still skip a beat, when them girls shimmy off, them old cut offs
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Wow, I cannot belive producers are still selling at $4.00 per pound. With the cost of diesel and grain I am looking at selling around $6.00 to $7.00 per pound in December. I can’t imagine $4/lb. Those are prices from 5yrs ago. |
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Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could see their corporate sponsors.
Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could see their corporate sponsors.
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All I can offer is that 50 years ago my dad bought a side of beef and was very very unhappy to discover that he'd bought a side of Yield Grade 5 beef, which is the last step before dog food. And I do mean yield grade 5. He was particularly angry about this because he knew about yield grades and it was fraudulently advertised. 70s life, he was fucked. My advice is to make certain in what classification your meat stands. |
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Originally Posted By LowBeta: All I can offer is that 50 years ago my dad bought a side of beef and was very very unhappy to discover that he'd bought a side of Yield Grade 5 beef, which is the last step before dog food. And I do mean yield grade 5. He was particularly angry about this because he knew about yield grades and it was fraudulently advertised. 70s life, he was fucked. My advice is to make certain in what classification your meat stands. How does a farmer get a classification while the cow is still alive? The best I can do is show you my grain receipts over the last 6mo that went into that herd. After that it’s up to genetics and God to decide what grade that steer produces. |
What is a democrat? Someone who wants everything you have, except for your job.
Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could see their corporate sponsors.
Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could see their corporate sponsors.
|
Originally Posted By ZW17: How does a farmer get a classification while the cow is still alive? The best I can do is show you my grain receipts over the last 6mo that went into that herd. After that it’s up to genetics and God to decide what grade that steer produces. this was from a slaughter house, not a farmer. |
God sometimes subcontracts -- A funny guy